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LOT 0090
Greek Terracotta Female Antefix
ARCHAIC, 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
10 1/2 in. (411 grams, 26 cm).
Mould-made figure of a female upper body with tall curved and conical headdress, hair dressed in braids falling to her shoulders and flanking her breasts, arms spread and right hand curled to grip a handle or sword-hilt; beneath, a tapering mounting peg for attachment to a roof.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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.12207-222349.
Cf. more elaborately modelled example in the British Museum under accession no.1884,1011.2.; see also Bleecker Luce, S. ‘Archaic Antefixes from Cervetri in the University Museum, Philadelphia, PA’ in American Journal of Archaeology, Second Series, Journal of the Archaeological Institute of America, vol.XXIV,1920, no.1, pp.27-37, figs.1,3,5 for more simple antefixes in the same style; Smithers, S., ‘Images of Piety and Hope: Select Terracotta Votives from West-Central Italy’ in Newman Bohn, C., Studia Varia, from the J.Paul Getty Museum, Volume I, Malibu, 1993, pp.13-33, fig.2, for similar, without helmet.
FootnotesThe antefix belongs to the typical decorative scheme of alternating figures decorating the tiles at the ends of the eaves of the roof, constituting a serial decoration. It has the form of a female head, the details of which were defined through finely detailed plastic and polychrome painting, now lost. The head is crowned with a helmet, which can help identify her with the warrior goddess Athena.
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LOT 0090
Greek Terracotta Female Antefix
Estimate £1,800 - 2,400€2,090 - 2,780 (for guidance only)$2,430 - 3,240 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Animal
Geometric, 8th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Modelled with a conical body and two stub legs, carinated back and neck, pierced for suspension. 11.5 grams, 43 mm
Ex collection Mr K.H., Germany. Private collection, acquired in 2012. -
Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group
Apulian, 4th century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,389
With reserved herringbone band beneath the rim, wave pattern to be the baseline; Side A: young man with thyrsus and pendant streamer holding a phiale, a loose mantle draped from the elbows; Side B: head of a lady of fashion with white accents to her stephane and hair drawn up in a chignon, a volute and window before her. 1.11 kg, 23.2 cm wide
Acquired on the art market between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Estate of the late Barry Paul Buxton (1944-2024), Oakham, Rutland. Acquired on the UK art market, 2025. 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 no.13071-249285.
Bell kraters were commonly used in regions of ancient Italy for mixing and serving wine during communal gatherings, thanks to their wide shape and flared mouth. These vessels also served as artistic expressions, reflecting the cultural tastes of the time. The Chevron Group is the conventional name for a group of ancient Apulian red-figure vase painters who were active in Southern Italy between approximately 335-310 B.C. They are named for their distinctive use of a band of chevron patterns to encircle the rims of the small kraters (mixing vessels) they decorated. -
Large Greek Red-Figure Skyphos with Owl
South Italian, 5th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,350
With mammiform body, pedestal base and two loop handles; each side with a facing image of an owl between laurel fronds. 239 grams, 17.5 cm
Swiss private collection, assembled in the 1960s-1970s. Private collection, acquired in 2013. Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.N126a14 from Oxford Authentication. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12854-241751.
Bubo was the holy beloved magical owl of the goddess Athena, and it was a common subject from the Greek ceramists. The owl-skyphos, originally produced in 5th century Athens, was extremely popular and was exported from Athens to other parts of the Greek world, including southern Italy and Etruria. Local imitations have been excavated at Corinth, and during the fourth century, or perhaps even slightly earlier, skyphoi similar to those from Athens were produced in Apulia and Etruria.
