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LOT 0057
Greek Terracotta Face of a Gorgoneion
6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
6 1/8 in. (142 grams total, 15.5 cm including stand).
With large eyes and applied pupils, accentuated nose and open mouth with protruding tongue, hair indicated with regularly disposed lines; repaired, western Greek workmanship; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceEx Mr M.Q.F, Horgen, Switzerland, 1971.
with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland.
A Gorgoneion was a protective symbol in ancient Greek art that depicts the head of the Gorgon, a mythical creature with snakes for hair and a terrifying gaze that could turn people to stone. The Gorgoneion was believed to have the power to ward off evil and protect the person who wore it or displayed it. The image of the Gorgoneion was often used as an apotropaic symbol to ward off evil or bad luck. It was often depicted on shields, armour, or even as an architectural feature on buildings. The symbol was also sometimes used in jewellery, such as amulets or pendants, and was believed to bring good luck and protection to the wearer. The most famous depiction of the Gorgoneion is probably the one on the aegis of the goddess Athena.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek Terracotta Cup
5th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Squat in profile with carinated shoulder and everted rim, rounded underside. 128 grams, 87 mm
From an English collection formed in the 1990s. Ex property of an Essex gentleman. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
Hellenistic Iridescent Pale Aqua Glass Bowl
Mid 2nd-early 1st century B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Conical in profile, aqua glass with three incised bands below the rim on the inner face. 374 grams, 15.7 cm wide
Dr Jutaro Kawabe, Nagoya, Japan, his collection formed in the 1960s-1970s. with Hoshigaoka Gallery until the late 1990s. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12949-245243.
On ancient glass, iridescence is the soft play of colour that develops as the surface ages and becomes silica-rich. Minute layers form over time and break light into shifting blues, greens and golds. It is not a modern finish but something time has drawn out of the material itself, so the pattern and palette are unique to each piece. Collectors prize good, stable iridescence because it lifts the form: ribs read more crisply, profiles glow, and simple vessels take on depth and movement. Museums now tend to preserve these surfaces rather than polish them away, recognising both their beauty and what they tell us about an object’s long life (though it is not, by itself, a dating test). For display, iridescent glass performs brilliantly under gentle, directional light, where the colours “turn” as the vessel is moved. Well-preserved, even iridescence of this quality is not common and adds materially to the presence—and desirability—of the piece. -
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Greek Glass Cameo with Dolphin
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Ellipsoid in plan and plano-convex in section with low-relief dolphin modelled in the half-round. 2.75 grams, 26 mm
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003 to present.
