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LOT 0074
Scythian Electrum Torc
7TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
6 1/2 in. (169 grams, 16.5 cm diameter).
Formed as a simple penannular hoop from a single piece of electrum, tapering towards the terminals.
ProvenanceEx Jack Ogden, 1990s.
Accompanied by an expertise from Striptwist Ltd, a London-based company run by historical precious metal specialist Dr Jack Ogden, reference number [191101].
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13106-248042.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession Number: 47.100.13, for similar.
FootnotesPortable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis confirms the alloy to be electrum, with an average composition of approximately 62% gold, 34% silver, and 3% copper. The purity and metal ratios are consistent with ancient manufacture. The restrained form, lacking figural ornament, is characteristic of early Scythian metalwork and suggests a date prior to the 5th century BC.
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Greek Fragmentary Terracotta Red-Figure Hydria
Paestan or Apulian, 4th century B.C.Estimate: £4,500 - 6,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Comprising the upper two thirds of the vessel; on the shoulder a facing woman's head with diadem and half-veiled face; rosettes to left and right, with suspended ribbons and dots; vine motif around the body with floral ornaments; to the reverse, palmettes and vines; band of laurel with rosettes around the neck and wavy band at the mouth; reassembled from various fragments with three large areas of restoration, only the beginnings of the handles preserved; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.95 kg, 31 cm (2.6 kg total, 47.5 cm high including stand)
Ex Herbert A. Cahn, Basel, 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12475-228738.
The face-veiling gesture is a known marriage rite; the diadem may suggest that she is intended to represent Persephone. Alternatively, the veiled woman might be a dancer as many terracotta figurines of dancing women are shown with face-coverings. However, the floral ornaments could indicate a funeral or sepulchral context. -
Greek Lead Slingshot
Macedonian, 4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Lentoid type with reserved legend 'APOPOU' (of Aphoros). 37.3 grams, 33 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Cypriot Terracotta Jug with Decorations
7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Comprising a spherical body and flat base, trumpet-shaped mouth with biconvex collar and strap handle; painted circumferential bands. 67 grams, 91 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s.
