Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0061
Nuragic Bronze Head of a Tribal Chief
CIRCA 8TH CENTURY B.C.
3 5/8 in. (53 grams total, 91 mm including stand).
The head covered by a small low-top cap; sharp and pronounced nose, prominent eyebrows, small swollen mouth; the hair divided into two braids; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
Provenance
Ex Frank Sternberg collection, Zürich, Switzerland, circa 1980-1985.
Property of an East Sussex, UK, private collector.
Literature
Cf. Lilliu, G., Sculture della Sardegna Nuragica, Nuoro, 2008, figs.4, 5, 7, 28, for similar heads.
Footnotes
Despite 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.
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.
RELATED LOTS
-
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. -
Cypriot Terracotta Votive Horn
2100-1850 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Tapering square-section votive with transverse bands of dense linear hatching; repaired. 116 grams, 16.5 cm
From the celebrated personal collection of art formed by the famous anthropologist, artist, and television presenter Desmond Morris. with Christie’s, South Kensington, 14 May 2002, lot 19 (part). -
Greek Core-Formed Glass Alabastron
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
With fusiform body, slender neck and broad flange rim, applied ledge handles, decorated with white marvered feathering and spiralling trails. 79 grams, 15 cm high
Fine condition.
Paris collection, 1990s. From an important Paris gallery, France. Ex private Parisian collection.
A perfume bottle.