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LOT 0107
Large Scythian Bronze Contorted Beast Mount
CIRCA 5TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
5 1/4 in. (72 grams, 13.2 cm).
Of openwork construction with flat-section loop to the reverse; a monstrous pouncing carnivore in profile with gaping mouth, its teeth and fangs emphasised; the forelimb with powerful muscles to the shoulder; the hind leg shown rotated so that the foot connects at the rear of the shoulder; small profile beast-head beneath the rump. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
For examples of 'twisted' animal designs, see Sadykov, T. et al., Expanding the corpus of the earliest Scythian animal-style artefacts in Antiquity, Volume 99, Issue 408, December 2025.
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LOT 0107
Large Scythian Bronze Contorted Beast Mount
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Votive Plaque with Inscription for Artemis Lochia
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £550
A flat rectangular plaque with a punched dotted inscription 'ΘΕΚΡΙΤΑ ΑΡΤΕΜΙ… ΛΟΧΙΑΙ' to one face, pierced to the top for suspension; an inked inscription to the reverse 'Afort 3024'. 107 grams, 12.2 cm
Collection J.R., New York, 1981. with Artemis Gallery Auction, USA, 14 October 2015, no.55.
The inscription at the top of the plaque, ΘΕΚΡΙΤΑ ΑΡΤΕΜΙ… ΛΟΧΙΑΙ, identifies it as a votive pinax dedicated to the goddess Artemis Lochia, the protector of pregnant women and women giving birth. Sanctuaries of Artemis Lochia are attested in Brauron and Pergamon. The plaque was folded several times in Antiquity. On the reverse, a ledge at the edge, indicating that the plaque was soldered onto something in antiquity. -
Iberian Bronze Figurine of a Man in Egyptianizing Dress
4th-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,111
Standing with arms held straight at the sides, short hair with neck-ring to rear, short-sleeved tunic with pleats to centre-front and rear, wide belt; perhaps a monumental fitting; gas permeation to rear right leg; mounted on a custom-made stand. 77.8 grams total, 10 cm including stand
Private collection, Paris, France, assembled in the 1950s-1960s. with Tessier-Sarrou & Associés, Paris, 2015. European private collection. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00107108. Accompanied by a copy of French cultural export passport no.167803. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12651-234613.
The youth’s broad shoulders are reminiscent of archaic Greek kouros figures, here in a specifically Iberian expression. The broad egg-shaped head has widely spaced, deep-set, flat oval eyes and lips of similar form. -
Etruscan Bronze Lion Head
Central Italy, late 6th century B.C.Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,500
A decorative fitting with roaring mouth and protruding fangs and tongue, the whiskers depicted in raised radiating ridges, with lidded, elongated almond-shaped eyes and small, round ears; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.11 kg total, 17.5 cm including stand
with Christie’s, New York, 8 June 2001, no.58. Donati collection, Lugano, prior to 1982. Collection of Banca della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, prior to 1986. Formerly in the Bourgknecht collection, Switzerland. Accompanied by Art Loss certificate no.S00123227. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13230-249992.
This head was probably, as was the parallel head of the Barberini Tomb, originally attached to a magnificent bronze cauldron. These large cauldrons of hammered bronze were realised with the heads and necks of two lions and two gryphons attached to the rim. The cauldrons were spherical in form and rested on a stand.
