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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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AUCTIONS:
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Greek Black Glazed Dish
4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With tiered foot, thick rim and ribbed upper face; old collector's ticket number '206'. 325 grams, 16 cm wide
From the 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 29. -
Greek Gold Amphora-Shaped Pendant
Circa 2nd century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Composed of a conical upper body with stylised dolphin-shaped handles and central suspension loops, the lower body of the vessel formed from three later coloured glass beads. 1.76 grams, 25 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Cypriot Redware Cup with Wishbone Handle
1450-1200 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Cup or bowl of spherical shape, unpainted, fitted with a wishbone handle. 96 grams, 14 cm
Ex P.A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s.
The presence of Achaeans in Cyprus, in late Cypriot II, also significantly influenced the life of the island from a ceramic production point of view. The social changes and new habits that developed among the elites of the main urban centres of the island included elaborate funerary displays, a means through which the emerging elite could express its identity and differentiate itself from other social groups. The ceramic forms were often cups intended for elaborate libation rituals, symposia, or ceremonies equivalent to Near Eastern marzeah, during which drinking services including kraters for mixing wine, cups and jugs were used. Alongside the more elaborate Achaean pottery, local Cypriot pottery (white-slip and base-ring) was still in use.