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LOT 0081
Greek Terracotta Venus and Triton Group
1ST CENTURY B.C.
7 1/8 in. (688 grams, 18 cm high).
Both figures represented facing with bare chests, Aphrodite sitting next to the triton and holding himation over her head with her right hand, her right leg raised and the left extended, the lower part of her himation covering the lower half of her body; the lower part of Triton’s body covered by marine foliage, from which the long serpentine tail emerges on the opposite side next to Aphrodite's right leg; possibly from Asia Minor; repaired.
ProvenanceEx French Sorbonne archaeology professor (deceased); 1960s-2000s.
Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.QED2323/FG-0201 from the QED Laboratory, Marseille, France.
Cf. Higgins, R.A., Greek Terracottas, London, 1967, pl. 55C, for a similar terracotta in Myrina style, representing Eros and Psyche; pl.52B, for a similar head of Aphrodite.
FootnotesMany of the Smyrna and Myrina figures are feminine, the heads modelled in late Hellenistic style. The bodies are often either draped in Tanagra-style robes, or represented as figures of Aphrodite, draped, semi-nude or naked. The association with Triton is linked with the Greek myth of Aphrodite born from sea foam.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek Apulian Blackware Pyxis
Circa 4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Black-glazed rounded body with two upright loop-handles, raised base, keeled edge with a thickened disc rim. 143 grams, 10.8 cm wide
Ex P. A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old typed catalogue slip.
This pyxis was once fitted with a lid for cosmetics, powder or jewellery. Greek pottery from southern Italy is most easily identified by its glossy black finish, as seen here. It was the product of the Magna Graecia, especially in Apulia, a region in southern Italy populated by Greek colonists from the 8th century B.C. onwards, which imitated the artistic workshops of Attica and developed its own style. -
Scythian Decorated Gold Bell
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Domed with a rolled rim and vent at the apex; decorative band above the rim with reserved lozenges on a pounced field each with an impressed dimple to the centre; cracked to one side. 19.47 grams, 48 mm
Cracked
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. -
Greek Terracotta Head of a Woman
3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
With elaborate band of curls to the brow; spout or hole to the rear of the head; mounted on a custom-made display stand with old lot sticker to base. 675 grams total, 19 cm high including stand
Private European collection. with Genève Enchères, 12th December 2017, lot 861. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11612-199036.