Greek Terracotta Sculptured Head

Lentoid-section hoop with integral disc bezel, incuse profile bust of a bearded, balding male. 5.38 grams, 24.33 mm overall, 19.56 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)



Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

With applied yellow festooning and trails, knop foot and everted rim to the mouth. 35 grams, 12 cm high



Acquired on the UK art market, 1990s. Private collection, New York, USA.

A collection of necklace pendants and dress appliques comprising: a hollow bead with a truncated conical shape, featuring appliques for precious stone inserts; three studs with a hemispherical dome; a pair of appliques decorated with rosette and mask-shaped elements; a pendant in the form of a myrtle berry, and another fragment. 11.19 grams total, 10-31 mm



Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13023-246772.

The iconography of Hellenistic jewellery often incorporates vegetal motifs, reflecting the Greek value of fertility and a royal Greek female wearer’s obligation to produce heirs. With its heavy incorporation of plant motifs, including tendrils, blossoms, and a bursting pomegranate, the diadem design symbolises a woman’s reproductive potential and alludes to the female wearer’s social responsibility to produce offspring.