Greek Silver Didrachm of Rhodes in Gold Pendant

Carved scarab with detailed carapace, legs and mouth; underside with intaglio standing figure holding an amphora; set into a later gold swivel ring. 5.30 grams, 23.85 mm overall, 14.56 x 17.70 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)



Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.

It is clear that the sculptor devoted more care and attention to carving the scarab itself rather than its intaglio.

A gold necklace or diadem composed of twenty-two articulated units each in the form of a complex shields terminating in finials decorated with palmettes executed in filigree; body consists of shield-shaped jet(?) elements with a central rhomboid panel, joined above and below by triangular sections decorated with granulated triangles; the perimeter of each shield framed by a soldered beaded wire; at the centre of each rhomboid panel, an embossed appliqué mask in low relief; to the reverse of each element, two vertically aligned loops formed from narrow gold strips and intended for articulation; offered in a lined wooden display case. 22.5 grams, 21.6 cm



Ex M. Velensky collection, London, UK, 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of a four page examination report number 90/2015 by Dr habil Mikhail Treister. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13104-248043.

The terminals are comparatively rare survivals, decorated with palmettes in filigree, a feature only occasionally attested among comparable assemblages from Bosporan contexts. The overall typology, decorative programme, and construction techniques closely parallel examples recovered from well-documented burials at Phanagoria, Pantikapaion, Tanais, and Tsukur-Liman. Comparable necklaces combining shield elements with embossed human heads are particularly characteristic of the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. According to the examination conducted by Dr habil. Mikhail Treister, there is nothing to challenge the authenticity of the object. The specific form, restricted geographic distribution, and close parallels suggest manufacture within a workshop of the Bosporan Kingdom, most plausibly in Phanagoria, one of its principal production centres during the Hellenistic period.

With notable added white details; Side A: woman moving to her right while holding a cista, dressed in a chiton clinched at the waist, with a himation draped over her left arm, her hair adorned with a sakkos; Side B: profile head of a woman wearing a patterned sakkos and radiated stephane, intricate earrings and necklace of beads, objects in the field; beneath the handles, palmettes with floral elements. 585 grams, 18 cm high



Ex Rev. & Mrs T.S. Hichens, Cornwall with Charles Ede, 1981 (Stock No.8370). Ex Mrs B. Shankes, November 1986. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13068-248976.

Bell kraters were commonly used in regions of ancient Italy for mixing and serving wine during communal gatherings, thanks to their wide shape and flared mouth. These vessels also served as artistic expressions, reflecting the cultural tastes of the time. The Chevron Group is the conventional name for a group of ancient Apulian red-figure vase painters who were active in Southern Italy between approximately 335-310 BC. They are named for their distinctive use of a band of chevron patterns to encircle the rims of the small kraters (mixing vessels) they decorated.