Loading, please wait...
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.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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 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*
-
Mycenaean Glazed Terracotta Conical Shaped Stamp Seal with Animal
Circa 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £90
Conical body pierced through the top, the underside with an incuse seated beast with open wings facing back; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. 4.55 grams, 20 mm wide
UK private collection before 2000. London collection, acquired on the UK art market. -
Greek Fragmentary Terracotta Red-Figure Hydria
Paestan or Apulian, 4th century B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,200
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.
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. -
Proto-Corinthian Painted Terracotta Aryballos
7th century B.C.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £1,000
Comprising a piriform body and a tubular neck with a wide rim, a strap handle to the rear, the rim with painted polychrome petals, the pattern repeating beneath the neck and on the base of the vessel; the body decorated with fishscale decoration. 79 grams, 10.5 cm
Swiss private collection, assembled in the 1960s and 1970s. Acquired by the present owner in 2004. 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.30017-246794.
The aryballoi were used to hold perfumed oil, an essential item for the wealthy middle classes of the time. Similar piriform vases are fairly common in Corinthian contexts. There is utmost precision in both the potting and the execution of the incised scale pattern of the present example. The fish-scale decoration was realised with the incision technique, by executing the scales neatly with their ends meeting.
