Parthian Gold and Garnet Earrings

A ceramic columnar stand with trumpet-shaped base, carinated balusters and broad upper face with dished centre; painted with running wave patterns to the baluster, base and top, the centre with a rosette; the base with the profile head of a lady of fashion with the earrings, necklace and diadem picked out in white. 847 grams, 25 cm high



French collection, 1990s-early 2000s. Ex Hampel Auctions, Munich, Germany, 1990s.

A carved marble head of Hermes with densely curled hair, stern facial expression beneath a broad brow, luxuriant curled beard falling in waves and cut square at the lower edge; mounted on a custom-made display stand; a Roman copy after a 5th century B.C. Greek original. 32.2 kg total, 52 cm high including stand

Slot to top of head.

with Chaucer Fine Arts Ltd, 1980s. English private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11615-199747.

This type of this archaic sculpture can be traced back to the original of which many copies and variants have been preserved: the Hermes Propylaios by the Attic sculptor Alkamenes, a pupil of Phidias, active in the second half of the 5th century B.C. According to some theories, the herma was created for the Propylaea of the acropolis of Athens, as patron deity of doors and entrances; according to others, this type of bearded Hermes is not to be located at the Propylaea, but in various possible places inside the Acropolis.

A high-quality silver wine strainer composed of a shallow bowl and broad flange rim, two integral scalloped handles with scrolled flourishes, tapering to a loop handle with swan head terminals with incised eye and beak detailing, perforated whirl within roundel to interior base; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 160 grams, 22.2 cm wide (526 grams total including stand)



Ex private South German collection, 1980s. with Christie's, New York, 8 June 2012, lot 86. 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.11578-198980.

Elaborate silver strainers, such as this present example, were used at symposia and festive occasions for the purpose of preventing the dregs of wine from entering the wine cup. This and other related silver utensils became popular in the later 4th and 3rd century B.C. These highly decorated wine strainers were fitted with dual handles forming loops in the shape of twisting animals, here a swan. Usually they took the form of a shallow dish complete with four rings of perforations in the centre in order to drain the wine. Strainers of this type were used to separate out sediments which could be found in the thick Greek wine. Examples similar to this one have been found in royal tombs in northern Greece, as well as the tomb of a monarch in Sudan.