Post Medieval 'Thames' Glazed Terracotta Jar Group

Retaining its handle and featuring a stylised face in relief, three raised oval medallions to the equator displaying musicians playing string instruments; repaired. 2.3 kg, 31 cm high



Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

Hollow-formed copy of the Mars of Todi, a figure of an Etruscan warrior wearing segmented armour to the chest and shoulders, crested helmet, short tunic; the hands in animated pose with left hand open to accept a weapon; holes beneath feet for mounting. 7.6 kg, 61.5 cm high



French collection, 1960s-early 2000s. From an important Paris gallery, France. with Galerie Athena, Brussels, 9 May 2019, lot 393. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11691-199344.

The "Mars of Todi" figure is a large, almost life-sized bronze statue of a warrior in armour. It dates from the late 5th - early 4th century B.C., and is believed to have been produced by an Etruscan workman for an Umbrian patron. The figure was probably a votive offering for a religious sanctuary, perhaps sacred to Laran, the Etruscan god of war. It had been buried ritually and left undisturbed until its modern discovery in 1835. It lacks a helmet, and the hands are empty; possibly a patera plate was originally in the open right hand, and a spear gripped in the clenched left hand. The sculptor of the figure followed the Greek contrapposto posture accentuating the carefully modelled lamellar plate armour. The statue bears a short inscription in Umbrian "Ahal Trutitis dunum dede" (Ahal Trutitis gave this gift).

Depicting a wild bird perched in a trellis covered in fruiting vine leaves, crowned by an architectural capital, some restoration. 3.9 kg total, 13 x 13 cm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.