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LOT 0541
Parthian Figural Silver Dagger Hilt
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
3 3/8 in. (66 grams, 86 mm).
Formed as a standing male figure with swept back, shoulder-length hair, hands held at the waist; mounting lug below.
Provenancewith a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
FootnotesThis hilt was probably for an acinaces blade, usually 14-18 inches long and used throughout a vast swath of territory encompassing the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and central Asia, by such diverse cultures as the Parthians, the Medes, the Greeks, and the Scythians.
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LOT 0541
Parthian Figural Silver Dagger Hilt
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Bow Fibula
8th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
The keeled bow with a central bulb, integral pin and large catch-plate. 29 grams, 89 mm
From the family collection of a Surrey gentleman since before 1960.
The function of the catch-plate fibulae was utilitarian and decorative, they were used for woollen clothing (Herodotus V, 87) and they have been found in houses, tombs and as votive offerings in sanctuaries. Our fibula is an early type, very often found in the graves of the Greek colonies of Southern Italy and widespread in the Magna Graecia. This typology was introduced there by the Greeks. Like all female fibulae, it functioned as a clothing fastener, usually worn as a pair on each shoulder. -
Hellenistic Terracotta Head of a Youth
3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £18,200
Tousled curly hair, strong aquiline nose and full mouth; the deep eyes marked by raised eyelids and prominent semi-circular eyebrows; the hair arranged in overlapping rows of locks; repaired; mounted on a later porphyry plinth. 1.40 kg total, 23.5 cm high including stand
From the estates of the late Adrian Stanford and Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley. with the previous owner since 1982. with Christie's, London, South Kensington, 22 February 2017, lot 10. 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 number no.11774-204595.
The head represents a Hellenistic portrait of a young man, whose characteristics seem to suggest a reference to a youthful portrait of Alexander the Great. Another possibility is that it represents the portrait of Alexander’s companion, Hephaestion. -
Corinthian Black-Figure Aryballos with a Lion
Circa 600 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
The squat oil flask with slender neck and broad everted rim, painted with rosette petals around the mouth and base, spots encircling the rim, horizontal stipes to the strap handle, vegetal motifs and the forequarters of a roaring lion to one face of the body. 41.7 grams, 55 mm
Acquired from Dr. Jean Lauffenburger, circa 1980. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11850-206480.