Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0107
Greek Solid Gold Ring Idol
5TH-4TH MILLENNIUM B.C.
3/4 in. (0.66 grams, 18 mm).
Annular in form with pierced tab.
Provenance
Private collection, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent.
Literature
Cf. Mărgărit M., and Boroneanț, A., Beauty and the eye of Beholder, personal adornment across the millennia, Targoviște, 2020, fig.2p, for a similar gold ‘Ring Idol’ Pendant from Megalo Nisi Galanis.
Footnotes
During the Greek Neolithic, certain types of ornaments share common morphological characteristics; one such example is the so-called ‘ring-idols’. The prototype of these ring-shaped pendants seems to have been made out of gold, which began to be used during these late phases of the Neolithic in Greece and the Balkans, in general.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Greek Gold Amuletic Bird
5th-1st century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Comprising a sheet-gold hollow-formed avian figure with applied filigree detailing, and a separate beaked head; accompanied by a rectangular blue glass fragment. 0.57 grams, bird: 19 mm
Private collection, USA and Switzerland, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent. -
Large Greek Bronze Ring with Mounted Warrior
Circa 4th-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Featuring a slender round-section hoop and a large lentoid bezel with a warrior riding a lion(?). 3.69 grams, 23.07 mm overall, 18.79x18.55 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
.jpg)
Etruscan Votive Bronze Hand
Circa 7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Modelled in the half-round with D-section fingers, portion of cuff behind the thumb; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 187 grams total, 11.8 cm high including stand
Acquired on the German art market, before 1992; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13191-249245.
Votive offerings gained increasing popularity throughout Etruria, southern Latium and later northern Campania from the 7th century B.C. onwards. Most gods were thought to possess the power to heal, and the sick flocked to their sanctuaries for a cure or to pray for future health. Usually, these dedications depicted the parts of the human anatomy that needed healing. The area of Vulci offered many graves in which pairs of hands cut from a sheet of bronze, rolled up at the base to form the wrist, have been found.
