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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.
ProvenancePrivate 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.
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.
FootnotesNike 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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Parthian Bronze Batillum with a Reclining Banqueteer Holding a Skyphos and Rhyton
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,000
Comprising a square base with a raised border and supported by four stub feet, each originally surmounted by poppy-head finials (one now absent); a hollow-formed figure of a banqueteer reclining elegantly with his weight resting on his left elbow, his proper right leg drawn up beneath the folds of a finely pleated robe; in his right hand, a ram’s head rhyton and his left hand cradling a skyphos; his bearded head with a laurel wreath. 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. 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.
The composition reflects the iconography of elite banquet culture in the ancient world, capturing both refinement and ritual in a single expressive figure. The Greek 'συμπόσιον' 'symposium' 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. -
Greek Terracotta Female Protome
6th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Head of a girl with long hair and curls framing the forehead; elongated, oval face with almond-shaped eyes, slender nose and round chin; the lips forming an Archaic smile; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 33 grams total, 79 mm including stand
with Herbert A. Cahn, Basel, 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075470. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Small mould-made heads were used for female divinities, sphinxes and sirens, or attached to pottery as ornaments. The figure was wearing a polos, a small, drum-shaped headdress designating in this period a divinity. -
Greek Archaic Bronze Phiale with Handles
7th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Broad and squat in profile with thickened rim, two lateral omega-shaped drop handles each mounted below the rim on a crescentic bar surmounted by a model bird facing inwards; base fragmentary. 915 grams, 44 cm wide
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12210-222327. 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.
