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LOT 0079
Greek Silver-Gilt Wine Cup with Handles
HELLENISTIC, 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
6 1/8 in. (179 grams, 15.5 cm wide).
Comprising a globular body with a rounded underside, a repoussé rosette with ropework border, segmented band with leaf detailing, hatched shoulder framed by ropework bands, scooped neck with chamfered rim; two D-shaped ledge handles with recessed rim, ropework border, hatched panels; accompanied by a custom-made display case.
ProvenanceAcquired on the US art market, early 1990s.
Private collection, North America.
Ex private collection, USA.
TimeLine Auctions, 23 February 2023, no.48.
Private collection, London.
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.13037-247507.
For similar floral and detailed vegetal decoration see the Hellenistic silver cup with high-relief acanthus leaves in the Toledo Museum of Art, inv.no.1975.11, in Oliver, A., Silver for the Gods 800 Years of Greek and Roman Silver, Toledo Museum of Art, 1977, pp. 78-79, no.43.; the bottom of a silver bowl from Magna Graecia, in the MET, inv. no 1981.11.19; Ebbinghaus, S., Feasting with gods, heroes, and kings, Cambridge, 2019; for a glass parallel see the gold-glass cup, from Iran, of 2nd-1st century B.C. in St. Helens, Lancashire, Pilkington Glass Museum (inv.17204) in Pfrommer, M., Metalwork from the Hellenized East, catalogue of the Collections in the Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1993, fig.37 p.39; see also idem, fig.5 p.118, Treasure I, p.119.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Greek Terracotta Handled Lekythos
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Ovoid in profile with trumpet-shaped spout and strap handle, incised vertical bands to the bulbous body. 44.3 grams, 64 mm
From a Scottish gentleman’s collection, Glasgow, formed from the early 2000s. -
Greek Black-Figure Alabastron with Fighting Warriors
Attic, 500-480 B.C.Estimate: £30,000 - 40,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £15,000
Of ovoid shape, short neck and expanded flat rim; painted in horizontal bands with black vertical strokes the shoulder, ovules in the upper part, the central scene representing a Greek Ekdromos fighting a Scythian archer; the Greek warrior, wearing a light sleeveless chiton, and a crested Corinthian helmet, carrying a wide hoplon shield, and a long spear with which he is slashing his opponent; the Scythian archer is wearing a typical tall cap flowing backwards and his long coat-suit, carrying a gorytos, (quiver) and composite bow with arrow; horizontal black stripes below; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 262 grams total, 16 cm high including stand
Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899) collection, France. European private collection, 2009. 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.13019-246753.
The importance of this alabastron is linked to its iconography, which represents episodes of the Persian Wars, fought 490-480 B.C. Such alabastra are part of a series realised during the period of the conflict and after, and they are an important source of information on the Persian and Greek armies. Here, the two opponents evoke the Greek victories, with a light-armed Greek ekdromos (hoplite fighting in light equipment) killing a Scythian archer, who formed part of the Persian army. The representation of Scythian costume in vase-painting reached its height of popularity between c. 530 and 490 B.C., and went out of fashion after the Graeco-Persian wars, when these clothes began to be associated with the Persian ethnic identity rather than the original Scythian. -
Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater with Satyr and Eros
Apulian, circa 450-400 B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,667
With laurel-leaf wreath beneath the flared rim, band of meander ornament as a baseline; Side A: striding satyr with torch and oinochoe followed by Eros holding a scroll behind; Side B: woman wearing a himation in active pose with sphere advancing towards a tendril. 814 grams, 20 cm
Acquired on the art market between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Estate of the late Barry Paul Buxton (1944-2024), Oakham, Rutland. Acquired on the UK art market, 2025. 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 search certificate no.13070-249284.
Often, the iconography of an 'elevated' mythological subject was applied to members of Dionysos' retinue. Here we have three typical examples of them: a satyr, an Eros, and a woman, all three behaving according to Bacchic ecstasies.
