Greek Terracotta Protome Mask

Comprising: carinated rim fragment from a bowl with reserved siren, panther, rosette and other ornament; bowl base with reserved advancing nude male or satyr on a red field, sgraffito detailing; skyphos rim fragment with part of the handle, reserved egg-and-dart band. 106 grams total, 7.4-13 cm



From an early 20th century collection. By descent the property of a UK lady. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. Accompanied by a previous handwritten note including provenance.

The body of the panther resembles the style of the school of Sophilos, an Attic painter active circa 580-560 B.C. The naked image (a dancing satyr?) recalls the Attic black figure depictions of ithyphallic satyrs, with torso, arms, legs and incision for internal details in white paint, made around 500 B.C.

With flared foot, broad shoulder an trumpet-shaped mouth, strap handle to the rear; painted frieze with scene of two warriors fighting on foot with spears, watched by four silhouetted spearmen with pointillé detailing. 270 grams, 17.1 cm



Acquired in Germany, 2006. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12382-226969.

With strap handle positioned over the central hole; black-figure decoration with fired umber (reddish-brown) consisting of a broad band heightened with crimson and white round the upper part of the wall, and a wavy band on the reversed area below; broad band of black (fired umber) inside the ring and around the neck below the spout; groups of transverse lines with faded petals around the top, horizontal lines across the handle; intact. 349 grams, 16.5 cm



Acquired from Charles Ede Gallery, London, in 1982. Prominent Palm Springs, California, USA, collection. with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 14 July 2012, lot 30 (US$2,500-3,000). Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 14.08. Accompanied by detailed collector's catalogue pages including description and photograph.

Etrusco-Corinthian pottery is a local imitation of Corinthian pottery, made from the late seventh to the mid-sixth century B.C., with production concentrated on the southern Etruscan cities of Caere, Veii and Vulci. The forms predominately employed include various forms of jug (olpai, oinochoe) and unguent containers (aryballoi and alabastra) as well as amphorae and craters. The askos is the name given in modern parlance to a type of Greek pottery vessel used to pour small quantities of liquids such as oil. It is recognisable from its flat shape and a spout at one or both ends that could also be used as a handle; they were usually painted decoratively like vases and were mainly used for storing oil and refilling oil lamps. They were extensively traded in and around the Mediterranean, and local types emerge in Italy from the early Iron Age in Italy (cf. CVA Taranto – Museo Nazionale I, pl. 1.1 (Inv. 2400) – refer photo at 14.08 – 3); also CVA British Museum 7, pl. 4.4). The original meaning of ἀσκός is “wineskin” which can be seen in the shapes of early askoi. This askos has unique painted decoration for which a parallel has not been found to date. For an earlier variant of this type, see CVA Tarquinia – Museo Archeologico Nazionale III, pl. 27.7-8 (Inv. RC. 1892). Described as 'Italo- Geometric' and dated to third quarter of the seventh century. Neck is longer than on Inv.14.08, and with different decorations, but otherwise it is an early parallel. Another variant of this type can be seen in CVA Museo Civico d’Archeologia Ligure di Genova, I, pl. 1.2-3 (Inv. 1101). The groups of horizontal line decoration can be seen on earlier types, cf. late eighth to early seventh century footed cup in the Museo Archeologico della Maremma (CVA Grosetto Museo Archeologico I, pl. 26.3 (Inv. 24294)).