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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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Daunian Ceramic Bell-Shaped Idol
7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A male figure with a bell-shaped lower body painted with horizontal stripes, an applied phallus above; column-like upper body and head with stylised facial features, tall conical headdress. 140 grams, 12.5 cm
Private collection of Mrs R.K., Basel, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. -
Greek Bronze Ring
Circa 4th-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Comprising a slender round-section hoop and an oval bezel. 2.53 grams, 25.76 mm overall, 19.02x21.72 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
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Graeco-Persian Gold Ram-Shaped Amulet
3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,500
Modelled in the round in the form of a ram lying with its legs folded beneath the body, head turned with hooked horns, collar to the neck with a large pellet pendant; ribbed suspension loop behind the shoulders, mounting lug beneath the trunk. 12.87 grams, 30 mm
Private collection, acquired on the European art market in 2002. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, 8 June 2004. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13204-249215.
The ram, a male symbol, was associated with various divinities. Turned into a ram as a child by Zeus, and a common sacrifice to the god, the ram was a symbol of Dionysus, which he shared with Aphrodite. Ram heads and pendants frequently occur in jewellery. In the animal kingdom, Eros favours the cockerel and the ram, both of which are indicative of sexual potency.
