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LOT 0505
Scythian Gold Appliqué
LATE 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 3/4 in. (33.78 grams total, 71 mm including stand).
Formed using sheet-gold in the shape of an animal bounding left, incised detailing to the coat; accompanied by a display mount.
ProvenanceEx Symes Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK.
Exhibited in 'Schythian Gold', pre 1999.
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AUCTIONS:
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Parthian Green-Glazed Amphora
3rd century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
With broad columnar neck and everted rim, angled strap handles, vertical ribbing to the shoulder and body, bands of applied scooped discs to the handle and equator, feathered panels. 1.67 kg, 30 cm high
Hani Farsi collection, London, UK. Acquired Christie's, King Street, London, circa 1990. Ex central London gallery. -
Greek Iron Ring with Figure
3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Composed of a D-section hoop with slightly splayed arms and a large sub-oval bezel, engraved with a figure advancing right. 7.81 grams, 23.00 mm overall, 17.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)
Ex old English collection. London art market, 1980s. -
Greek Tarentine Terracotta Head of a Youth
Mid 4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
Possibly depicting Ganymede or Paris, wearing a soft Phrygian cap with everted brim, the hair swept back from the face; almond-shaped eyes with pronounced eyelids, straight nose and fleshy lips; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.2 kg total, 25.3 cm high including stand
Acquired early 20th century. From the collection of Count Henri d'Epinay (1940-2017), Longuenesse, France. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.196149. 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 no.11824-207736.
The terracotta sculpture appears to have similarities with other Tarentine heads from the early Hellenistic Period. A marble head from Taranto, datable to the end of the 4th century B.C., presents similar elements. The visible character is clearly attributable to Graeco-Roman mythology. The only clue regarding the identity of the head is provided by the Phrygian cap, which narrows down the identification to few characters from Greek mythology: the Trojan prince Ganymede, abducted by Zeus for his beauty and named by him the cupbearer of the gods, or the Trojan prince Paris. There are many representations of Ganymede in a Phrygian cap (Hakanen, 2022, plates 6,12a). However, the third possibility is that the sculpture represents Attis, lover of the goddess Cybele.
