Loading, please wait...
LOT 0516
Parthian Green-Glazed Amphora
3RD CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
11 3/4 in. (1.67 kg, 30 cm high).
With broad columnar neck and everted rim, angled strap handles, vertical ribbing to the shoulder and body, bands of applied scooped discs to the handle and equator, feathered panels. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceHani Farsi collection, London, UK.
Acquired Christie's, King Street, London, circa 1990.
Ex central London gallery.
Cf. similar item in the Yale University Art gallery under accession number 1938.4835, from the excavations at Dura-Europos.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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.
-
Greek Tarentine Terracotta Head of a Youth
Mid 4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
Possibly depicting Ganymede or Paris, wearing a soft Phrygian cap with everted brim, the hair swept back from the face; almond-shaped eyes with pronounced eyelids, straight nose and fleshy lips; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.2 kg total, 25.3 cm high including stand
Acquired early 20th century. From the collection of Count Henri d'Epinay (1940-2017), Longuenesse, France. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.196149. 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.11824-207736.
The terracotta sculpture appears to have similarities with other Tarentine heads from the early Hellenistic Period. A marble head from Taranto, datable to the end of the 4th century B.C., presents similar elements. The visible character is clearly attributable to Graeco-Roman mythology. The only clue regarding the identity of the head is provided by the Phrygian cap, which narrows down the identification to few characters from Greek mythology: the Trojan prince Ganymede, abducted by Zeus for his beauty and named by him the cupbearer of the gods, or the Trojan prince Paris. There are many representations of Ganymede in a Phrygian cap (Hakanen, 2022, plates 6,12a). However, the third possibility is that the sculpture represents Attis, lover of the goddess Cybele. -
Greek Geometric Period Bow Fibula
8th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Central bulb to the keeled bow, integral pin and large catch-plate. 42 grams, 95 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. This typology was introduced in South Italy by the Greeks, and was widespread in the Magna Graecia. Like all female fibulae, it functioned as a clothing fastener, usually worn as a pair on each shoulder. -
Hellenistic Glass Gem with Goddess
3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Engraved with a goddess (Aphrodite?), facing right, peplos around her hips, her left elbow resting on a column and her left hand behind her body; the right hand outstretched and holding a sceptre; a snake(?) before. 2.52 grams, 22 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
In the famous Greek myth of the Gorgon, Aphrodite, jealous of their beauty, placed a curse on Medusa and her sisters, transforming their hair into snakes and making their gaze turn anyone into stone.
