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Details
LOT 0084
Hellenistic Silver-Gilt Cup with Nike
2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
5 in. (96.8 grams, 12.6 cm wide).
A hammered, chased and soldered silver-gilt cup with central medallion of Nike in high-relief; the bowl formed as a truncated cone with a shallow foot comprising an irregular circular 'ropework' border enclosing a floral motif, or double rosette; the bust of Nike showing the goddess draped in a goat skin with knot and ungulate leg with hoof at right shoulder, wings spread, hair dressed in curls, torc at neck, gazing left; face with almond-shaped eyes, straight nose and full, closed lips; with the exception of the face, all elements of the central medallion were originally gilt; housed in a custom-made velvet-lined box.
Provenance
Private collection, Mainz, Germany, 1980s.
Acquired by the current owner from the above, 2006.
Accompanied by a copy of a seven page examination report number 114/2019 by Dr Habil Mikhail Treister.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12764-237139.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Literature
Cf. Carter, M.L., Arts of the Hellenized East, Precious Metalwork and Gems of the Pre-Islamic Era, London, 2015, for discussion; cf. Marazov, I. edn., Ancient Gold: The Wealth of the Thracians. Treasures from the Republic of Bulgaria, New York, 1998.
Footnotes
Nike was the winged goddess of victory. Goat-skin clothing was an attribute of Artemis, but here it is worn by Nike, attesting to the syncretic nature of the art embodied by this object. The workmanship of this piece suggests a local workshop in the Kuban basin.
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