Greek Silver Fibula

D-shaped in profile with high-relief mask of a satyr within a looped frame; hanks of curling hair to the brow and temples with berries to the fillet, lentoid eyes, broad nose, curling moustache and beard; ledge below and arched ridge to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. 6.77 kg total, 30 cm including stand



Acquired from Faustus Ancient Art Ltd, London, 1990. Private American collection. with Christie’s, London, 27 October 2009, no 9. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12062-217441.

The antefix belongs to the typical decorative scheme of alternating maenad and satyr head antefixes that were mainly produced in Cerveteri. Heads were often placed in temples and displayed identifying features such as wavy hair and large, almond-shaped lidded eyes, and were lavishly painted. These typologies of antefixes generally look quite similar and appear to have identical colour schemes with dark red skin, and with darker shades of red applied to the hair below the ears, on top of the head and inside the ears.

Bow brooch with integral coiled spring and pin, carinated bow, ellipsoid footplate with two offset lugs forming the catch; with two bronze rings loped over the spring, one a round-section ring and the other an openwork disc. 66 grams, 86 mm



From the private collection of Dr Wladmir Rosenbaum, 1894-1984. Ex Helios gallery, Wiltshire, UK. Ex Den of Antiquity, Cambridgeshire, UK. Accompanied by a dealer's information display card.

Polychrome glass amphora with applied trail decoration to the body and spirals around the neck, two applied handles to shoulder. 32.6 grams, 83 mm



Formerly in North American collection, 1990s. Ex Lyon and Turnbull, Edinburgh, Scotland.