Loading, please wait...
_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 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.
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.
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.
-
.jpg)
Eastern Greek Bronze Standing Bull Statuette
Circa 11th-9th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
With thick ribbed neck, crescent horns and prominent genitals; mounted on a custom-made stand. 141 grams total, 86 mm wide including stand
From the collection of D. Smith, Sussex, UK, 1990s.
Like dozens of similar statuettes depicting animals or human figures, this bronze bull was probably offered by a worshipper during a sacrifice. A large number of statuettes were found in a thick layer of ash from the altar of Zeus at Olympia. In 2021, a similar statuette, with protruding horns, was found in the sanctuary. Bulls and horses were the favourite cultic animals in the Cretan, Achaean and Archaic Greek civilisations. The model of the long and narrow body was borrowed from the Near East. -
Indo-Greek Terracotta Forger's Mold Group
Circa 2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Group of discoid clay moulds for casting contemporary counterfeit coins. 40 grams total, 27-32 mm
Private collection formed in the 1990s. Acquired from a central London gallery. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
Graeco-Parthian Marble Head of a Divinity
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
With elongated face and large almond-shaped eyes; braided hair with openwork topknot and socket to accept an inset stud, gathered at the rear in a chignon. 639 grams, 11.6 cm
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11611-199026.
Several female figures, found in the Parthian graves of Babylonia, are represented in loose attire exhibiting unusual headdresses, which give us some notion of the costume of the period. Some of them show a headgear rising into two tall conical peaks, from which a veil is suspended. Nude female figures, probably representing Assyrian Mylitta or Venus, were extremely common during the Parthian period, having been handed down from antiquity. Similar figures are universal throughout the east before the Christian era.
