Loading, please wait...
LOT 0539
Greek Terracotta Protome Mask
LATE 6TH-EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.
4 1/8 in. (133 grams, 10.5 cm).
Modelled as a female head with rounded oval face, slightly bulging eyes and pronounced chin, indistinct smiling mouth with thin lips, outline of ears; low straight polos with fastening hole. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Van Rooijen, G., Goddesses of Akragas, a study of terracotta votive figurines from Sicily, Leiden, 2021, nos.96, 163, for similar.
FootnotesThe figure belongs to a common type known from mainland Greece and the islands. The head clearly shows the so-called 'Archaic smile' visible on the dedicatory protomes of the same typology. They were terracotta votive offerings attached with a nail to the shrine of a goddess for ex-voto or to receive the grace of the represented goddess (Demeter?).
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.
-
Parthian Hammered Silver Drinking Vessel
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Squat bowl with integral raised foot,incised line beneath the rim. 171 grams, 16 cm
London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. -
Hellenistic Bronze Ring with Flying Bird
Circa 4th-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
With carinated hoop, scaphoid bezel, intaglio bird in flight. 4.71 grams, 24.38 mm overall, 18.80 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R 1/2, USA 8 3/4, Europe 19.38, Japan 18)
Ex old English collection. London art market, pre 2000. Property of a London, UK, gentleman. -
Cypriot Painted Terracotta Amphora
Circa 8th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
In black-painted geometric buffware, with wide bands of black painted decoration on the ovoid body and on the rim, loop handles. 164 grams, 11.8 cm wide
Ex P.A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old typed catalogue slip.
The type is well known on Cyprus from 850 B.C. The simplification of the geometric ornaments in panels on the neck and shoulder suggest that the present specimen is later than the Geometric Period.
