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LOT 0525
Parthian Terracotta Statuette Group
3RD CENTURY B.C.
6 1/4 in. (598 grams total, 15.5 cm each).
Hollow-formed, comprising: a rider on a rearing horse with chlamys extended in the wind, and wearing wide Persian trousers (saravara), red pigment in the field; Zeus enthroned, facing with an eagle at his feet, hole to the reverse. [2]
ProvenanceEx private European collection.
with Genève Enchères, 14 December 2017, lot 863.
Cf. Bel, N., Giroire, C., Gombert, F., Rutschowscaya, M.H., L'Orient romain et byzantin au Louvre, Arles / Paris, 2012, p.224, fig.205, for identical cavalryman (Louvre AO 10221).
FootnotesThe costume of Parthian nobles consisted of a tunic or wrapped jacket, trousers and boots/footwear, generally typical of a riding dress. Interestingly, the right side of the tunic was knee-length (such as those seen om early Sassanian noblemen depicted in the Persepolis graffiti) but the left side of the tunic, for many Parthian cavalrymen, appeared shorter and only reached to the upper thigh.
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Hellenistic Bronze Lidded Cosmetic Vessel
Circa 1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Elegantly proportioned miniature ewer with trumpet-shaped base, swept loop handle with recurved finial, hinged lid. 54.4 grams, 66 mm
Acquired on the German art market before 2000. From an EU collection before 2020. -
Greek Zoomorphic Bronze Hydria Handle Attachment
Circa 5th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Modelled as a skinned lion's head with fierce facial detailing; made for soldering to an articulated round handle. 98 grams, 51 mm high
Private collection, Germany, 1980s. Acquired on the UK art market 2010.
The handles were usually shaped as divinities or animals linked with gods (ie. lions for Herakles). A similar specimen can be seen in the Berlin Museum (inv.7491), from Athens. -
Greek Terracotta Protome Mask
Late 6th-early 5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Modelled as a female head with rounded oval face, slightly bulging eyes and pronounced chin, indistinct smiling mouth with thin lips, outline of ears; low straight polos with fastening hole. 133 grams, 10.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
The figure belongs to a common type known from mainland Greece and the islands. The head clearly shows the so-called 'Archaic smile' visible on the dedicatory protomes of the same typology. They were terracotta votive offerings attached with a nail to the shrine of a goddess for ex-voto or to receive the grace of the represented goddess (Demeter?).
