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LOT 0589
Phrygian Bronze Bow Brooch Pair
IRON AGE, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
3 in. (108 grams total, 76 mm).
A matched pair with crescentic body, curved catch to one arm and remains of coiled spring to the other; domed studs attached to the arch through prepared holes. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
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:
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Greek Terracotta Seated Pan
Circa 400 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Hollow-formed statue showing a young pan wearing a short tunic and hooded cloak, holding pipes in his right hand; rectangular slot on the reverse. 205 grams, 15.8 cm
Private collection Mr T.B., Zürich, Switzerland, before 1970. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. -
Greek Terracotta Oil Lamp
Circa 3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Drum-shaped body with raised rim on the filler hole, long flared nozzle, lateral spur to sidewall. 68.5 grams, 84.4 mm
From the private collection of Mr Brian Edwards, New Malden, Surrey, UK, formed from the late 1970s-early 1980s; thence by descent. -
Lydian Silver Ribbed Jug with Spout and Handle
Archaic, 6th century B.C.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,000
Comprising a squat body with a median band of vertical ribbing, a short neck with a broad flared rim, and a thickened outer rim, a flared foot; fluted strap handle and a U-section spout flared at the outer end. 211 grams, 14 cm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13266-253452.
This jug can plausibly be placed in the Lydian world of western Anatolia during the Archaic period, when Lydia stood at the crossroads of the Greek and Near Eastern worlds. Far from being culturally isolated, Lydia was deeply involved in the exchange of artistic forms, luxury materials, and metalworking traditions that moved across the eastern Mediterranean in the 7th and 6th centuries B.C. The attribution, therefore, suggests more than geography alone: it points to a wealthy and outward-looking culture in which prestige objects in precious metal carried both social and economic weight. Silver was especially important in this period. Before coinage became widespread, it functioned as a recognised store of value and circulated in weighed forms across the Mediterranean and Near East. In Lydia, its importance is sharpened by the region’s close association with the early history of coinage: ancient sources and modern scholarship alike connect the Lydians with the development of some of the earliest coined money, first in electrum and soon after in distinct gold and silver issues. A vessel such as this would therefore have been more than a practical object. Its material alone marked it as a possession of consequence, while its workmanship placed it firmly within the culture of elite display.
