Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0064

Large Greek Red-Figure Skyphos with Owl

SOUTH ITALIAN, 5TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.

6 7/8 in. (239 grams, 17.5 cm).

With mammiform body, pedestal base and two loop handles; each side with a facing image of an owl between laurel fronds.

Provenance

Swiss private collection, assembled in the 1960s-1970s.
Private collection, acquired in 2013.

Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.N126a14 from Oxford Authentication.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12854-241751.

Literature

See Johnson, F. B., ‘An Owl Skyphos’, in Mylonas, G., Studies Presented to David Moore Robinson on His Seventieth Birthday, vol. 2, St. Louis, 1953, pp.96-105.

Footnotes

Bubo was the holy beloved magical owl of the goddess Athena, and it was a common subject from the Greek ceramists. The owl-skyphos, originally produced in 5th century Athens, was extremely popular and was exported from Athens to other parts of the Greek world, including southern Italy and Etruria. Local imitations have been excavated at Corinth, and during the fourth century, or perhaps even slightly earlier, skyphoi similar to those from Athens were produced in Apulia and Etruria.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

With Thermoluminescence Analysis Report

LOT 0064

Large Greek Red-Figure Skyphos with Owl

Estimate £2,500 - 3,500€2,900 - 4,060 (for guidance only)$3,380 - 4,730 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Greek Terracotta Spindle Flask
    Greek Terracotta Spindle Flask
    Hellenistic, late 2nd-1st century B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £78

    With a narrow neck and carinated mouth, developing to a biconical body and flared foot; mounted on a custom-made stand. 24 grams total, 80 mm high, 93 mm including stand



    From a Scottish gentleman’s collection, Glasgow, formed from the early 2000s.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Gold Bead Collection
    Greek Gold Bead Collection
    4th-3rd century B.C.

    Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £750

    A collection of necklace pendants and dress appliques comprising: a hollow bead with a truncated conical shape, featuring appliques for precious stone inserts; three studs with a hemispherical dome; a pair of appliques decorated with rosette and mask-shaped elements; a pendant in the form of a myrtle berry, and another fragment. 11.19 grams total, 10-31 mm



    Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13023-246772.

    The iconography of Hellenistic jewellery often incorporates vegetal motifs, reflecting the Greek value of fertility and a royal Greek female wearer’s obligation to produce heirs. With its heavy incorporation of plant motifs, including tendrils, blossoms, and a bursting pomegranate, the diadem design symbolises a woman’s reproductive potential and alludes to the female wearer’s social responsibility to produce offspring.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Attic Red-Figure Kylix Fragment Depicting a Lyre Player
    Greek Attic Red-Figure Kylix Fragment Depicting a Lyre Player
    Early 5th century B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £234

    Irregular fragment depicting a draped figure playing a lyre, possibly Apollo; meander line to the reverse. 7.25 grams, 42 mm



    From the stock of a former UK antiquarian, acquired at trade fairs and from private collection formed in the 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Europe.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list