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LOT 0321
Greek Virgin and Child Hodegetria Icon
17TH CENTURY A.D.
10 7/8 x 8 1/2 in. (520 grams, 27.5 x 21.5 cm).
A tempera on wood icon depicting the Mother of God supporting the Child with her left forearm, his right hand raised and making the sign of blessing, left hand holding a scroll; the Virgin wearing a red maphorion with a light green veil and a blue chiton; both figures nimbate, the haloes tooled with foliate designs, gilt background with a red and white arch above.
ProvenanceProperty of a London lady, part of her family's collection.
LiteratureSee similar icon in the Princeton Art Museum, inventory number y1945-196, icon by an imitator of Emmanuel Lampardos, published in Princeton University Art Museum, Recent Accessions, record of the Museum of Historic Art, vol.4. no.2 (Autumn, 1945), pp.11-12.
FootnotesThe layout of the composition clearly indicates the icon's close link with Hodegetria type, the most typical iconography of the Mother of God in Byzantium since the 10th century. However, the type also recalls the iconography of the Virgin Psychosostria, i.e. 'Health of Souls'.
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:
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Bronze Head of a Man
19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
A hollow-formed bronze head of a middle-aged man with tousled hair, stern features, pursed mouth; mounted on a custom-made stand. 5.4 kg total, 39 cm high including stand
French collection, 1960s-early 2000s. From an important Paris gallery, France. -
Bronze Statue of an Etruscan Warrior
20th century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
A hollow-formed bronze copy of the Mars of Todi, a figure of an Etruscan warrior wearing segmented armour to the chest and shoulders, crested helmet, short tunic; the hands in animated pose with left hand open to accept a weapon; holes beneath feet for mounting. 7.6 kg, 61.5 cm high
French collection, 1960s-early 2000s. From an important Paris gallery, France. with Galerie Athena, Brussels, 9 May 2019, lot 393. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11691-199344.
The "Mars of Todi" figure is a large, almost life-sized bronze statue of a warrior in armour. It dates from the late 5th - early 4th century B.C., and is believed to have been produced by an Etruscan workman for an Umbrian patron. The figure was probably a votive offering for a religious sanctuary, perhaps sacred to Laran, the Etruscan god of war. It had been buried ritually and left undisturbed until its modern discovery in 1835. It lacks a helmet, and the hands are empty; possibly a patera plate was originally in the open right hand, and a spear gripped in the clenched left hand. The sculptor of the figure followed the Greek contrapposto posture accentuating the carefully modelled lamellar plate armour. The statue bears a short inscription in Umbrian "Ahal Trutitis dunum dede" (Ahal Trutitis gave this gift). -
Northern Italian Gilt Wooden Casket
18th-19th century A.D.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,000
An architectural gilt wooden casket with hinged lid; the exterior with billeting, egg-and-dart ornament and gadrooning, flowering vegetal schemes over the whole; the two principal faces each with a central heater shield painted with heraldic devices, flanked by robed standing figures holding a book each within a niche and with a palmette motif above; remains of polychrome to the shields and elsewhere. 69.5 x 44.5 cm
English private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11679-199810
The arms are quartered: or an eagle sable; sable a demi-lion rampant or issuant from a fess; sable a mullet of eight points or; or a lion's head erased sable; the repetition of the colours 'or' gold and 'sable' black may be due to the overall colour-scheme of the casket. The timber shows some old insect flight holes and we are advised that this piece has been recently treated with Permethrin, as a precaution.
