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LOT 0531
Hellenistic Terracotta Head of the Goddess Demeter
CIRCA 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
3 in. (74 grams total, 78 mm high).
Hollow-formed and with rounded facial features; wavy hair with central partition, dressed with a tall diadem. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection.
Acquired Spink, York, UK, 2009.
Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman.
Cf. Capano, A., 'Il culto di Demetra nella Lucania antica,' in Basilicata Regione. Notizie, 2017, pp.128-151, fig.23, votive head from San Chirico Nuovo.
FootnotesThe head is probably from a cult statuette of Demeter. Statuettes of the goddess, seated or standing, or even busts, are well documented in the south of Italy, both among the Greek colonists and the local populations; many have been excavated from regional sanctuaries.
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Cypriot Terracotta Figurine
6th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Modelled in the half-round, the figure wearing a conical hood with open front, detailed facial features and ribbed beard, left arm bent, right arm drawn across the body in the folds of a mantle, vertical border to the left chest; mounted on a custom-made stand. 48 grams, 83 mm (69 grams total, 10.9 cm high including stand)
Ex Julien Gréau (1810–1895) who was an omnivorous French collector with a predilection for antiquities. Collection of Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), Saint-Nicolas-lez-Arras and Rouen, thence by descent. with Millon & Associes Auctions, Paris, 6th December 2021, lot 41 [Part]. Accompanied by a copy of Collection J. Gréau, Terres Cuites Grecques, by H. Hoffmann, 1891, where this piece is published. -
Hellenistic Gold Earrings with Gemstones
Circa 2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £625
Matched pair of gold earrings, each wire hoop with hook-and-eye closure, ellipsoid shield with beaded rim and cell with carnelian cabochon, free-running dangle with filigree crocketting and granule cluster. 3.85 grams total, 40 mm each
From a collection of a London lady, acquired annually during 1990s-2000s. -
Hellenistic Decorated Silver-Gilt Bowl
Late 2nd-early 1st century B.C.Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,500
The bell-shaped bowl with everted flaring rim, raised from a single sheet with parcel-gilding; the inner rim with raised wreath ornament, a band of geometric motifs below; central band composed of an elaborate garland of leaves and flowers flanked by bands of volutes; the base with an eight-petalled flower with radiating large leaves; small repair. 246 grams, 20.2 wide (1.58 kg total, 28.5 x 28 cm including case)
From the collection of George Ortiz (1927-2013). with Mansour Gallery, early 2000s. Subsequently in a French collection. 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 search certificate number no.11936-210132.
Similar segment-shaped silver bowls with partial gilding, decorated on the inside with friezes in the form of garlands or wickerwork on the bottom, have been found in many nomad mounds of the Caucasus and in the territories once dominated by the Arsacid Empire. They are attributed to Parthian workshops by Pfrommer and M. Treister.