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LOT 0044
Greek Terracotta Female Protome
EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.
7 3/4 in. (606 grams, 19.5 cm).
Mould-made female protome with oval face, graceful nose and typical "archaic" smile; forehead framed by snail-shell curls descending to shoulder-height; with a low polos with a central perforation and large disc earrings.
ProvenanceEx Herbert A. Cahn, Kunst der Antike, Basel, 1997.
with Paul and Vreny Vosseler-Studer, Riehen.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00057826.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12474-228714.
Cahn, H. A., Griechische und Etruskische Kunstwerke archaischer Zeit, 600 - 480 v. Chr. : Katalog 9 Januar 1998. Basel Cat.9, (Basel 1998) no.19.
LiteratureCf. for various similar examples in Capuano, A., 'Il culto di Demetra nella Lucania Antica' in Basilicata Regione Notizie, 2017, pp.128-151.
FootnotesThe presence of cults in Magna Graecia, although they fell within a well-established pantheon, in which the deity representing the Great Mother or Mother Earth, protector of fertility, natural and human fecundity, as well as health, was the most ancient, traces back to the figure of Demeter. In terracotta statuary, especially in Lucania, the goddess became the prevalent subject of votive or propitiatory offerings, reproduced in numerous variations of pose. The most common is the seated position, a distant tradition and widespread in the ancient world, the so-called 'goddess enthroned' with its multiple meanings, which allowed it to be adapted to various forms of worship. Demeter is a female deity connected to the earthly world and fertility, and therefore also present in Lucanian religiosity. The theme of the archaic protome—a head severed just below the neck—was transformed and expanded between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., into that of the bust, finished just above the waist.
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LOT 0044
Greek Terracotta Female Protome
Estimate £1,200 - 1,700€1,390 - 1,970 (for guidance only)$1,620 - 2,300 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£650 (EUR 754; USD 878) ‡+BP*
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Greek Black Figure Ware Kylix
Attic, circa 5th century B.C.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £900
Broad and shallow with two strap handles, an advancing figure holding a shield at the tondo, outside with a figural frieze of two robed figures in discussion, seated on churule chairs, an attendant behind the left figure, a rider on horseback on each side of the scene; restored. 373 grams, 26 cm
From a German collection, pre 1970. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13316-258818.
The present piece is a wide-bowled drinking cup known as a kylix - one of the most popular forms of pottery from the Achaean times (1600-1100 B.C.) through to the classical period (c.510-323 B.C.). It dates to an important moment in the development of Greek ceramics, just as the black-figure technique was being perfected by Athenian painters. Painted in black slip with details incised on top, kylikes usually had a frieze around the outside of the bowl as well as another scene on the tondo of the inside. -
Etruscan Bronze Figure of a Kouros
Late 6th century B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Depicting a youthful nude kouros standing frontally, with a long, slender body, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and arms hanging close to the sides; the head, slightly oversized, characterised by an oval face, large almond-shaped eyes, an Archaic smile, and finely modelled ears, the hair arranged in beaded locks framing the forehead and falling onto the shoulders, reflecting the influence of contemporary Greek Archaic sculpture; standing on an integral rectangular base provided with a long tang for attachment. 118 grams, 11.2 cm
Acquired on the European art market between 1960s and 1980s. English private collection, property of a gentleman. Bertolami Fine Art, London, Auction 54, 9 November 2018, no.88. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13320-258214.
The elegant proportions and linear modelling place the statuette within the widespread production of Etruscan votive bronzes of the Late Archaic period, probably intended as a sanctuary dedication. -
Etruscan Painted Terracotta Dish
Circa 7th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Low dish with everted rim and painted decoration on the inner face. 156 grams, 13.8 cm
From the collection of a Cambridge, UK, gentleman, by direct descent from his father, who acquired the items in London in circa 1960.
