Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0075

Greek Silver Wine Strainer

4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.

8 3/4 in. (160 grams, 22.2 cm wide (526 grams total including stand)).

A high-quality silver wine strainer composed of a shallow bowl and broad flange rim, two integral scalloped handles with scrolled flourishes, tapering to a loop handle with swan head terminals with incised eye and beak detailing, perforated whirl within roundel to interior base; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.

Provenance

Ex private South German collection, 1980s.
with Christie's, New York, 8 June 2012, lot 86.

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 number no.11578-198980.

Literature

Cf. Reeder, Ellen D., Hellenistic Art in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1988, p.125, no.130, for similar examples and a general discussion of type; A Passion for Antiquities, Ancient Art from the collection of Barbera and Lawrence Fleischman, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1994, pp.77-78, no.31D; and The Search for Alexander, exhibition catalogue, 1980, p.167, no.130; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1972.118.88, for a group containing a silver strainer with similar looped handle and bird head terminal; a similar specimen in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 57.910; a similar example in shape and quality can be seen in the ‘Tomb of the Prince’, in Pella, cf. Touratsoglou, I., Macedonia, History, Monuments, Museums, Athens, 1996, p.240, fig.312.

Footnotes

Elaborate silver strainers, such as this present example, were used at symposia and festive occasions for the purpose of preventing the dregs of wine from entering the wine cup. This and other related silver utensils became popular in the later 4th and 3rd century B.C. These highly decorated wine strainers were fitted with dual handles forming loops in the shape of twisting animals, here a swan. Usually they took the form of a shallow dish complete with four rings of perforations in the centre in order to drain the wine. Strainers of this type were used to separate out sediments which could be found in the thick Greek wine. Examples similar to this one have been found in royal tombs in northern Greece, as well as the tomb of a monarch in Sudan.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0075

Greek Silver Wine Strainer

Estimate £20,000 - 30,000€23,200 - 34,800 (for guidance only)$27,000 - 40,500 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Greek Ring with Artemis Bee Gemstone
    Greek Ring with Artemis Bee Gemstone
    4th-3rd century B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £364

    A bronze finger ring with inset carnelian gemstone, intaglio bee with legs splayed. 3.77 grams, 24.34 mm overall, 16.02 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)



    Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Apulian Red-Figure Stand
    Greek Apulian Red-Figure Stand
    4th century B.C.

    Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £500

    A ceramic columnar stand with trumpet-shaped base, carinated balusters and broad upper face with dished centre; painted with running wave patterns to the baluster, base and top, the centre with a rosette; the base with the profile head of a lady of fashion with the earrings, necklace and diadem picked out in white. 847 grams, 25 cm high



    French collection, 1990s-early 2000s. Ex Hampel Auctions, Munich, Germany, 1990s.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Marble Head of a Female
    Greek Marble Head of a Female
    4th-1st century B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £715

    A head of a female carved in white marble, modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic facial features and hair tied back into a chignon at the nape of the neck. 163 grams, 59 mm high



    Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list