Thracian Decorated Silver Neck Torc

Comprising a bulbous body with narrow neck and handle to the rear; radiating petals on the neck with a band of volute scrolls below, the body showing a female in a dynamic pose, dressed in an elaborate long dress and holding a plate of fruit with her left hand, a seated female before her; attributed to the Meidian Painter; some restoration. 95 grams, 10.9 cm



Ex Prof. Dr Hans (1918-1984) and Dr Ines (1922-2013) Jucker, classical archaeologists, Bern, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12645-236462.

Dancing women are a characteristic of the Meidian Painter. They are depicted as young women, wearing Doric costumes, earrings, pearls surmounting diadems, and golden bracelets, holding a patera and (probably originally here too) a thimiaterion.

Comprising a wide and shallow body with everted rim; the internal wall and the upper face of the rim decorated with a procession of nude men in knielauf position, some holding a lituus in their left hand with their right hand raised up towards the sky, the other figures with both of their hands raised up, the figures alternating with figures of lions and antelopes; rosette to the centre. 9.4 kg, 44.5 cm wide



Acquired on the European art market in the early 2000s. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. 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 number no.12776-237862.

As can be discerned from the identifying marks under the vessels, Caeretan craftsmen used the potting wheel to produce the braziers, a technique introduced in Etruria in the 8th century B.C. They were usually decorated with one or more stamped friezes rolled onto the clay with a large cylindrical matrix before firing. The subjects of these friezes were adapted by the Etruscans from Near Eastern and Greek prototypes. Today, these braziers are found in chamber graves, but they were used in the daily life of Etruscans in domestic and sacred contexts, and employed as portable hearths. A famous example came from the Tomba Maroi III in the Banditaccia Necropolis at Cerveteri, now in the Museo of Villa Giulia, Rome (Pieraccini, 2003, fig.10). It was found perched on a stone seat, and within the burned brazier were burned remains, several eggs and three drinking cups.

Broad face with incised rings outlining the painted border of running vinescroll in red and white; with a shallow central socket outlined in red, broad carinated rim and low foot. 834 grams, 26.5 cm



Acquired at Auction, London, UK, 1990s, no.233. Private collection, Suffolk, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant catalogue page.

'Teano ware' is a type of ceramic produced in the late 4th century to the early 3rd century BC. Its modern name derives from Teanum Sidicinum, in northern Campania, the main centre of production. White and red pigment was used for the painted decoration on the black surface. It was probably used for votive or funerary purposes.⁣