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LOT 0045
Large Etruscan Architectural Plaque with Bulls
6TH CENTURY B.C.
19 1/2 in. (4.66 kg, 50 cm).
For a temple pediment (sima), comprising a curved upper band with polychrome tongue-shaped grooves, a relief depicting a procession of bulls below, the bulls depicted in a dynamic pose with curving necks and raised tails, the horns painted in black; two attachment holes.
ProvenanceAcquired on the European art market between 1960s-1980s.
Property of a gentleman.
with Bertolami Fine Arts Ltd, Auction 66, no.1.
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.12162-218594.
Cf. Torelli, M., Gli Etruschi, Cinisello Balsamo, 2000, p.597 (Campana Plaques), for similar architectural examples; Wikander, O., 'The Archaic and Etruscan Sima' in De Puma, D., Penny Small, J., Murlo and the Etruscans, Art and Society in Ancient Etruria, London, 1994, pp.47-63, figs.48-49-50; see also Etruscan painted terracotta revetment plaques with chariot processions and running dogs from the Vigna Marini-Vitalini urban sanctuary, Caere, inv.no. HIN 29-30.
FootnotesTerracotta plaques like this sima were used in the pediments of temples (Minerva at Veii, Portonaccio Sanctuary, 540-530 BC), or decorated the architecture of tombs. The procession of the bulls recalls the style of painting on a similar slab with a procession of hunting dogs, probably from Caere.
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LOT 0045
Large Etruscan Architectural Plaque with Bulls
Estimate £5,000 - 7,000€5,800 - 8,120 (for guidance only)$6,750 - 9,450 (for guidance only)
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Chalcolithic Terracotta Female Fertility Figure
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Of approximately pyramidal form with stub arms, pinched head, suggestion of incised belt or girdle to the midriff. 165 grams, 89 mm
From the collection of a late London, UK, gentleman, 1979-1999. -
Etruscan Bronze Statuette of Herakles
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £18,200
Modelled in the round with a muscular nude body, his club resting on his shoulder and the hair dressed in rows of tight, close-set curls underneath the Nemean lionskin hood with cloak billowing over his left arm, the paws tied across his chest; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 290 grams total, 14.5 cm high (19.5 cm high including stand)
Fine condition, excellent uniform patina.
with Sotheby's, New York, 21 November 1985, no.60. Ex private New York 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.11794-206497.
The statuette assumes the position of the 'attacking Hercules', which characterises numerous Etruscan statues of the hero of the classical era, however, with a less aggressive stance. The type was probably an Etruscan creation of the 5th century B.C., based on Greek models, which lasted until the end of the Hellenistic period, when Etruria was by then incorporated into the Roman world. This statuette, despite certain anatomical stylisation and an impersonal characterisation of the face, is the result of a good artistic and technical quality. The comparison of the artwork with the group identified as ‘Trieste’ from Colonna shows that this specimen is more recent and should be dated to the end of the Hellenistic Age. These small statuettes were probably offered ex-voto by the Romano-Etruscan aristocracy of the period. -
Cypriot Burnished Terracotta Vessel Fragments
Bronze Age, 2300-1650 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Including fragments of storage vessel, cup, bowl and other items. 2.2 kg total, 3.5-23 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.
