Greek Terracotta Kohl Vessel

Comprising a square base with a raised border and supported by four stub feet, each originally surmounted by poppy-head finials (some absent); a hollow-formed figure of a banqueteer reclining elegantly with his weight resting on his left elbow, his right leg drawn up beneath the folds of a finely pleated robe; in his right hand, a ram’s head rhyton and his left hand cradling a skyphos; his bearded head with a laurel wreath. 1.58 kg, 25 cm



Private New York collection, formed in the 1960s. Acquired on the North American art market, 1990s. with Cahn Auktionen AG, Basel, Switzerland, 13 November 2015, no.84 (CHF 18,000). 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 a search certificate number no.12379-226873.

The composition reflects the iconography of elite banquet culture in the ancient world, capturing both refinement and ritual in a single expressive figure. The Greek 'συμπόσιον' 'symposium' was the later part of a formal banquet which took place after the food had been consumed, when the serving of strong drink was accompanied by music, dancing, poetic composition or recital or earnest conversation. The custom has similarities with the Roman convivium and with the customs of many Mediterranean and Western Asiatic people. The Parthian Empire was culturally diverse and included many Hellenic groups; the Arsacid court adopted a range of aspects of contemporary Greek culture, among them Greek military structures and the Greek language as a lingua franca alongside the Parthian (Iranian) language and Aramaic.

A matched pair of sheet-gold model ram's horns, each curved with a narrow end flattened, ribbed body, flared rim to the mouth with applied granule detailing; probably from a representation of the χρυσόμαλλον δέρας or 'golden fleece' from the legend of Jason and his adventures with the crew of the ship Argo. 60.61 grams total, 10.5 cm each



From a private collection of seals and amulets, the property of a Canadian gentleman living in London; from his father's collection formed in the late 1960s to 1980s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13105-249639.

The legend of the Golden Fleece is referenced by several ancient writers, including Pindar, whose reformulation forms the basis of most modern retellings, but an earlier version was evidently familiar to Homer in the 8th century B.C. It appears as a pictorial theme on early Greek vases. The story refers to a celestial winged ram with golden wool, which was believed to live and be worshipped by the inhabitants of lands north of the Black Sea; this ram, in some versions of the tale, is transformed into the constellation Aries.

An interphalangial ring with a lentoid bezel with a stylised antelope facing right. 2.72 grams, 18.41 mm overall, 14.62 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G 1/2, USA 3 1/2, Europe 5.55, Japan 5)



Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

This category of rings shows a narrow band-like hoop and a slightly convex exterior surface, undecorated, retaining its width all around. The large bezel is in the form of a pointed oval.