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LOT 0780
Hellenistic or Roman Bronze Statuette of a Grotesque Holding a Jar
ALEXANDRIA, 1ST CENTURY B.C.-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (73.7 grams total, 68 mm including stand).
Modelled standing nude in a contorted pose with legs spread, holding a jar or bag to his chest; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 211, for type; cf. also Bolla, M., ‘Nani e pigmei nella piccola plastica in bronzo dell’Italia Settentrionale’ in Leger, C., Raux, S., Des objects et des hommes, Ėtudes offertes a Michel Feugère, Drémil-Lafage, 2021, pp.163-171, figs.2-3-4, for similar.
FootnotesSuch figures are often described as ‘grotesques’, yet typically constituted overstated representations of people with dwarfism. Such individuals are invariably shown with exaggerated features such as pot bellies, hunched backs, bald heads, large phalli and angry facial expressions.
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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LOT 0780
Hellenistic or Roman Bronze Statuette of a Grotesque Holding a Jar
Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
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Cypriot and Other Terracotta Figure Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and theriomorphic ceramic figures in various poses, some on a ceramic base. 546 grams total, 6.1-10.5 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Cypriot Bone Idol
Circa 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Carved in the round with incised collar, belt and facial features, pierced at the top of the head. 2.12 grams, 47 mm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Parthian Reclining Banqueteer Holding a Skyphos and Rhyton
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £8,000 - 10,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £4,000
Furniture fitting comprising a square panel with raised border and four stub feet, poppy head finials (one absent); hollow-formed banqueteer reclining with weight on his left elbow and proper right leg bent beneath his pleated robe; right hand raised supporting a ram's head rhyton, left hand supporting a skyphos; wreath of laurel leaves around his bearded head. 1.58 kg, 25 cm
Private New York collection, formed in the 1960s. Acquired on the North American art market, 1990s. with Cahn Auktionen AG, Basel, Switzerland, 13 November 2015, no.84 (CHF 18,000). Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12379-226873.
The Greek 'συμπόσιον' 'symposion' was the later part of a formal banquet which took place after the food had been consumed, when the serving of strong drink was accompanied by music, dancing, poetic composition or recital or earnest conversation. The custom has similarities with the Roman convivium and with the customs of many Mediterranean and Western Asiatic people. The Parthian Empire was culturally diverse and included many Hellenic groups; the Arsacid court adopted a range of aspects of contemporary Greek culture, among them Greek military structures and the Greek language as a lingua franca alongside the Parthian (Iranian) language and Aramaic.
