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_900x900.jpg "Nuragic Bronze Head of a Tribal Chief")
_200x200.jpg "Nuragic Bronze Head of a Tribal Chief")
.jpg "Nuragic Bronze Head of a Tribal Chief")
LOT 0062
Nuragic Bronze Head of a Tribal Chief
CIRCA 8TH CENTURY B.C.
3 5/8 in. (55.8 grams total, 91 mm including stand).
The head covered by a small low-top cap; sharp and pronounced nose, prominent eyebrows and eyes, small swollen mouth; the hair divided into two braids; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceEx Frank Sternberg collection, Zürich, Switzerland, circa 1980-1985.
Property of an East Sussex, UK, private collector.
Cf. Lilliu, G., Sculture della Sardegna Nuragica, Nuoro, 2008, figs.4, 5, 7, 28, for similar heads.
FootnotesDespite being stylised representations, these bronzes detail the material culture of warriors, tribal leaders, priests, athletes, men and women
of the late Bronze Age and Iron Age Sardinian society.
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Gold Necklace with Agate Pendant
1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,500
A Graeco-Roman or Phoenician chain of loop-in-loop links and thick suspension ring, gold dome with bands of applied granules capping an egg-shaped banded agate drop. 26.19 grams, 48 cm long
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London 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 no.11935-210477.
Agate was appreciated in the Greek and Roman world for its magical virtues. A recently found agate gemstone from Imperial-era Anapa, which differs from the other similar agate stones in its spherical shape and large size, was inscribed with a text referring to traditional Greek expulsion rituals against evil and diseases, ending with a list of human head parts similar to the one found in the Hippocratic medical handbook. The gemstone was probably worn not only as an amulet, but also as a miniature handbook with instructions for making amulets. According to Pliny the Elder (NH, XXXVII, 47) a certain type of agate was protected against spiders and scorpions.
