Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0659

Greek Terracotta Female Protome

6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.

3 1/8 in. (33 grams total, 79 mm including stand).

Head of a girl with long hair and curls framing the forehead; elongated, oval face with almond-shaped eyes, slender nose and round chin; the lips forming an Archaic smile; mounted on a custom-made display stand.

Provenance

with Herbert A. Cahn, Basel, 1990s.

Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075470.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Literature

Cf. late Dedalic bust in Kingsley, B.M., The Terracottas of the Tarantine Greeks, Malibu, 1976, fig.1.

Footnotes

Small mould-made heads were used for female divinities, sphinxes and sirens, or attached to pottery as ornaments. The figure was wearing a polos, a small, drum-shaped headdress designating in this period a divinity.

CONDITION

VETTING:

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.

LOT 0659

Greek Terracotta Female Protome

Sold for (Inc. bp): £390

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Greek Fragmentary Terracotta Red-Figure Hydria
    Greek Fragmentary Terracotta Red-Figure Hydria
    Paestan or Apulian, 4th century B.C.

    Estimate: £5,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £2,778

    Comprising the upper two thirds of the vessel; on the shoulder a facing woman's head with diadem and half-veiled face; rosettes to left and right, with suspended ribbons and dots; vine motif around the body with floral ornaments; to the reverse, palmettes and vines; band of laurel with rosettes around the neck and wavy band at the mouth; reassembled from various fragments with three large areas of restoration, only the beginnings of the handles preserved; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.95 kg, 31 cm (2.6 kg total, 47.5 cm high including stand)



    Ex Herbert A. Cahn, Basel, 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12475-228738. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

    The face-veiling gesture is a known marriage rite; the diadem may suggest that she is intended to represent Persephone. Alternatively, the veiled woman might be a dancer as many terracotta figurines of dancing women are shown with face-coverings. However, the floral ornaments could indicate a funeral or sepulchral context.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Corinthian Piriform Terracotta Aryballos
    Greek Corinthian Piriform Terracotta Aryballos
    Circa 625-600 B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £260

    Comprising a piriform body with small flared foot, narrow neck and broad flat mouth, strap handle to rear. 59 grams, 10.3 cm



    From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Terracotta Head of a Goddess
    Greek Terracotta Head of a Goddess
    5th-3rd century B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £845

    Hollow-formed moulded head of a goddess with band of rosettes above; mounted on a custom-made stand. 149 grams total, 16 cm including stand



    Acquired on the European art market in the early 2000s. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list