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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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Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa
6th-5th century B.C.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5,000
Each formed as a D-shaped fluted bar with the finials formed as grotesque Medusa heads (gorgoneia) in Archaic Greek style with protruding tongue and a pair of bearded snakes framing her forehead; mounted on custom-made display stands. 683 grams total including stand, handle: 10.9-11 cm wide
Ex private collection of Athos Moretti, Bellinzona, Switzerland, in the 1960s. with Christie's, London, 14 June 1978, lot 344. with Sotheby's, New York, 29 May 1987, lot 154. 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.11773-204596. -
Greek Bronze Ring with Standing Figure
Circa 3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £30 - 40 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Featuring a round-section hoop and a lentoid bezel with a stylised standing figure facing left, leaning on a short staff. 2.52 grams, 24.36 mm overall, 19.83 x 18.11 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Large Greek Terracotta Oinochoe with Swastikas
Geometric, 8th century B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (‡+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £1,200
With flared mouth, wide neck, bulbous body and ring foot, painted in brown and red matte glaze; geometric pattern spread over several registers separated by bundles of encircling stripes, triangles with hatching inside them, neck with metopes containing swastikas, rosettes and rhombuses with a band of rhombuses beneath; the shoulder with five line friezes arranged one above the other; the body decorated with meander and a band of rhombuses and triangles with hatching below, a broad black stripe (in places reddish as a result of misfiring) to the lower part; transition to the ring foot and ring foot painted black; wide strap handle attached to the shoulder and painted on the outside with a wavy line framed by dots, edge stripes and three small stars, the connecting bar patterned with stripes; museum-quality restoration. 2.04 kg, 35.5 cm
Ex Madame P., Paris. 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.12460-228686.
Vessels of the Geometric period (900-700 BCE) are easily recognisable by their abstract decorative designs, which had their origin in woven textiles and baskets. While early period pottery typically has sparse geometric motifs on a black background, the amount of decoration increased progressively to the point that objects from the late Geometric period are often entirely covered - in this example, even the strap handle.
