Phrygian Bronze Bow Brooch

Standing with arms held straight at the sides, short hair with neck-ring to rear, short-sleeved tunic with pleats to centre-front and rear, wide belt; perhaps a monumental fitting; gas permeation to rear right leg; mounted on a custom-made stand. 77.8 grams total, 10 cm including stand



Private collection, Paris, France, assembled in the 1950s-1960s. with Tessier-Sarrou & Associés, Paris, 2015. European private collection. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00107108. Accompanied by a copy of French cultural export passport no.167803. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12651-234613.

Depicting a ‘genius’ making a sacrifice, his head surrounded by a radiate crown or a wreath of laurel leaves arranged in rays; bare-chested with a cloak (tebenna) falling over his left shoulder, covering his back and resting on his left arm, enveloping his legs to below the knee; holding a patera in his right hand and an acerra in his left; accompanied by a display stand. 189 grams, 12.1 cm (367 grams total, 13.4 cm high including)



Anne Betgoner, Paris, by descent. French private collection, acquired in the early 20th century. Acquired from the above by the present owner. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13235-251199.

The figure represents a genius dressed as a priest according to the Etruscan tradition. He is celebrating a sacrifice by offering to the gods with a patera of precious liquids and perfumes, kept in the acerra or pyxis. Acerra was the name given to the casket in which the incense intended for sacrifices was placed (arcula turalis). A servant carried it to the altar, and the granules from the casket were scattered on the flames (acerra libare).

Comprising a bell-shaped thin-walled body with two strap handles and an everted rim, dark lip with a thin circumferential band below; each handle with a lentoid motif; narrow foot with two circumferential bands above. 206 grams, 16 cm wide



From the estate of a Swiss gentleman, Ticino, before 1970. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland.

Daunian pottery is characterised by unique shapes and decorative motifs, which include geometric patterns, plant and animal motifs, and human figures. The pottery is typically made from a coarse clay, and it is decorated with black or dark brown slip, a type of liquid clay that is applied to the surface of the pottery before firing.