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LOT 0084
Greek Terracotta Gnathian-Ware Alabastron
APULIAN, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY B.C.
5 1/4 in. (255 grams, 14.5 cm).
Piriform in profile with a carinated rim to the mouth, a low basal ring; horizontal bands and a hatched panel, concentric rings.
ProvenanceLouis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899) collection, France.
European private collection, 2009.
Cf. similar alabastron in the British Museum, London, inv.no.1836.0224.340 in Nicol, W., Old Catalogue, A catalogue of the Greek and Etruscan Vases in the British Museum, London, 1804, no.1472; another similar alabastron in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession no.161-D1A.
FootnotesAmong the shapes of pottery that are also mostly represented in the Gnathian style are lekanides, bombilyoi and alabastra. They were containers for ointments and perfumes, used in funerary contexts during the first phase of the ritual, when the body needed to be treated and prepared for the burial.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0084
Greek Terracotta Gnathian-Ware Alabastron
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
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Phoenician Terracotta Bulla with a Dolphin
5th century B.C.Estimate: £120 - 170 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £67
Plano-convex in profile with impressed dolphin and legend. 1.05 grams, 17.71 mm
Acquired in 1994. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This Phoenician terracotta bulla, decorated with a dolphin, reflects the strong maritime identity of the Phoenician world. Bullae were typically used to seal documents or goods, serving both a practical and symbolic function in trade and administration. The dolphin, a creature closely associated with the sea, would have held particular meaning for the Phoenicians, whose culture and prosperity were deeply tied to seafaring and commerce across the Mediterranean. Often seen as a symbol of protection, guidance, and safe passage, the dolphin adds an additional layer of meaning to the object, suggesting not only its use in everyday transactions but also a connection to the wider beliefs and environment of the ancient coastal world. -
Greek White-Ground Kotyle with Panther, Goat and Swan
Corinthian, 6th century B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
Squat in profile with lateral loop handles, vertical stripes to the rim, frieze with a grazing goat, a panther to its rear and a perching swan. 102 grams, 15.1 cm
Ex private collection, Tokyo, Japan, since the 1980s. Private European collection, acquired in 2010. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13227-249320.
In agreement with most scholars of the Corinthian pottery, Amyx and Payne used the term kotyle, rather than skyphos, to designate the distinctive group of deep cups with no offset lip, horizontal handles set near the rim, a convex tapering body and a narrow, echinoid foot. -
Greek Bronze Signet Ring with Portrait
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Discoid bezel with slender hoop, incuse profile bust with a stephane to the hair. 6.57 grams, 25.86 mm overall, 20.08 x 15.91 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
