Phoenician Terracotta Bulla with a Dolphin

Comprising a bell-shaped body with narrow stem and stepped pedestal foot, broad rim with square loop handles and palmettes beneath, frieze to sidewall: Side A: Oscan warrior with cuirass, helmet, shield and spear standing beside an altar with a female holding a patera in her extended hand, diadem in the other at her side; Side B: seated female with a patera and wreath facing a standing cloaked figure with thyrsus. 2.38 kg, 29.5 cm high



Private collection, Geneva, acquired in the late 1960s. Private collection, acquired in Geneva in 2000. Accompanied by collector's notes and old images. Accompanied by an original copy thermoluminescence analysis report no.QED1412/.SG-0602 from QED Laboratoire. 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.13219-249314.

The krater offers an interesting glimpse into the local life of Campania in the 4th century B.C. Particularly noteworthy is the depiction of the Oscan Samnite warrior, fully armed in the style of Campanian, Samnite, or Lucanian mercenaries, performing a funerary sacrifice. The depiction of the Chalcidian helmet, with its central crest and twin lateral plumes (geminae pinnae), dedicated to Mars, is extremely detailed. The style and the way in which the figures are realised, the conformation of the women, the details of the warrior, seem to point to the workshop of the CA Painter, a Campanian red-figure vase-painter whose name is unknown. Nevertheless, consistent individual characteristics of style suggest the existence of a unique artistic personality. Trendall called him the CA Painter because he was the chief painter in the first stage of Cumaean red-figure vase-painting, the initials standing for Cumaean (C), first stage (A).

Ovoid body with flat base and a cylindrical neck with flared rim, two handles on the sides and three groups of circumferential bands on the neck and body; repaired. 1.22 kg, 26.4 cm



From the private collection of Mr Brian Edwards, New Malden, Surrey, UK, formed from the late 1970s-early 1980s; thence by descent. Accompanied by the original collector's data sheet with reference no.A83.

Plano-convex in profile with impressed dolphin and legend. 1.05 grams, 17.71 mm



Acquired in 1994. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

This Phoenician terracotta bulla, decorated with a dolphin, reflects the strong maritime identity of the Phoenician world. Bullae were typically used to seal documents or goods, serving both a practical and symbolic function in trade and administration. The dolphin, a creature closely associated with the sea, would have held particular meaning for the Phoenicians, whose culture and prosperity were deeply tied to seafaring and commerce across the Mediterranean. Often seen as a symbol of protection, guidance, and safe passage, the dolphin adds an additional layer of meaning to the object, suggesting not only its use in everyday transactions but also a connection to the wider beliefs and environment of the ancient coastal world.