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LOT 0095
Greek Terracotta Black-Figure Oinochoe with Fighting Warriors
ATTIC, LATE 6TH CENTURY B.C.
9 1/8 in. (487 grams, 23.2 cm).
With flared foot, ovoid body, tapering neck and scooped trefoil mouth; tall gusseted strap handle to the rear; painted frieze of a phalanx of hoplites wearing crested helmets and bell-shaped armour with round aspis and eight-shaped (Boeotian) shields, knemidai greaves, long spears and scabbarded swords.
ProvenancePrivate Swiss collection, 1980s.
Acquired on the European art market, 1992; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Jacques Chamay.
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.13220-249241.
Cf. archaic black figure oinochoe with battle scene in Gerhard, E., Auserlesene Griechische Vasenbilder, Hauptsächlich Etruskischen Fundorts, Zeiter Theil, Heroenbilder, Berlin, 1843, pls.CXXII,CXXIII; archaic black-figure vase with Homeric warriors carrying a companion (Ajax carrying Achilles) in Gerhard, E., Auserlesene Griechische Vasenbilder, Hauptsächlich Etruskischen Fundorts, Zeiter Theil, Heroenbilder, meistens Homerisch, Berlin, 1847, pls.CCXII,CCXIII; an archaic black-figure oinochoe with marching hoplites, in Gerhard, E., Auserlesene Griechische Vasenbilder, Hauptsächlich Etruskischen Fundorts, Viertel Theil, Griechisches Alltagsleben, Berlin, 1858, pl.CCLVIII; for the Greek military equipment and episemata of the period see D’Amato, R., La Battaglia delle Termopili (the battle of the Termopili), Roma, 2013, pp.225ff.
FootnotesThe scene depicts a succession of warriors, marching to the left at a rapid pace. Closely packed, one behind the other, they are confined within the figurative field and extend well beyond the upper and lower edges. It is a scene taken from the Homeric poems. The style of the oinochoe is characterised by the abundant use of thick white and burgundy highlights, resulting in a striking polychrome effect. There is a tendency to extend the figures beyond the frame, due to the subject being too ambitious for the available surface. The chequerboard motif on the neck is a very rare decorative motif. The vase's importance is reinforced by its exceptional state of preservation.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0095
Greek Terracotta Black-Figure Oinochoe with Fighting Warriors
Estimate £25,000 - 35,000€29,000 - 40,600 (for guidance only)$33,750 - 47,250 (for guidance only)
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Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,200
Carved in the round figure of the goddess standing nude with one hand raised and the other on her pudendum, her hair gathered into a chignon with lateral bunches on the crown and with voids to allow for the suspension of small gold earrings; putto at her left knee; left hand partly absent; remounted on a socle base. 1.2 kg, 32.7 cm
Acquired in the 1992. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12860-241669.
Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was one of the most widely worshipped deities in the ancient world, particularly across the eastern Greek regions of Asia Minor. In these areas, her image often blended traditional Greek ideals with local influences, giving rise to distinctive regional styles. Marble figures such as this would have served not only as works of art but also as expressions of devotion, reflecting both personal piety and broader cultural values surrounding beauty, fertility, and desire. The enduring popularity of Aphrodite’s image speaks to her central role in daily life, where she was invoked not just in matters of love, but also in marriage, prosperity, and well-being. -
Greek Bronze Horse Head Mount
Circa 4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Current Winning Bid: £110
Modelled in the round with large almond-shaped eyes and pricked ears. 34.8 grams, 38 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Scythian Bronze Stag Facing Back Mount
Circa 6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Formed as a crouching stag with its legs tucked underneath the body, head turned back and resting against the body, scrolled horns. 23.6 grams, 40.8 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
