Parthian Bronze Bowl

Cylindrical in profile with stepped foot, slender neck and flared mouth; radiating strokes to the shoulder, four blocks each of two palmettes with white painted detailing; strap handle to the rear. 104 grams, 13.5 cm



Property of a private Rutland, UK, collector, formed from at least from the 1990s.

Of Plain Style, comprising a broad mouth and neck with torus rim, vertical handles with central rib, bulbous body, stepped disc foot; laurel wreath on the neck and a meander pattern to the lower body; Side a) a youth wearing a himation and shoes, before him a woman carrying a basket and a fillet, wearing a sleeveless chiton, himation, and a sphendone (a fillet decorated by black dots), between the two figures a standing goose before a large flower, a suspended mirror above the figures; Side b) a draped young boy holding a ball and a strigil, the slightly taller youth dressed in a himation and leaning on a staff, a haunch of meat hanging between the figures. 2.49 kg, 33.5 cm



with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2000, no.167. Private collection, Suffolk. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12903-242647.

The haunch of meat (note the hoof), was a type of 'love gift' seen in Attic vase-painting. It could also refer to honorary shares of sacrificial meat: animal sacrifice had been a central part of Greek religious life since the Prehistoric era.

Comprising seven fluted beads, each formed from sheet-gold over a silver core. 19.61 grams total, 15 mm each



Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, UK.