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LOT 0064
Thracian Silver Twisted Torc
5TH CENTURY B.C.
7 3/4 in. (221 grams, 19.7 cm).
Penannular torc twisted around its axis with tapering finials.
ProvenanceAcquired in the early 1970s.
Private collection, Suffolk.
See Hoddinott, R.F., The Thracians, London, 1981, for dicussion.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0064
Thracian Silver Twisted Torc
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£300 (EUR 348; USD 405) +BP*
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Large Etruscan Statue of a Priest with Patera
2nd century B.C.Estimate: £18,000 - 24,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £9,000
Modelled in the round standing figure with palla draped over the left shoulder and from the hips, extending to calf-length; the head with aquiline nose and dimpled chin modelled with a wreath of large leaves around the brow forming a ; exaggerated eyes left blank to accept silver inserts; left arm bent, hand holding an incense-holder with cruciform design; right arm extended at shoulder-height with phiale mesomphalos offering dish; socket beneath left foot and screw-threaded post beneath right, repairs to both lower legs. 1.23 kg, 28.4 cm high
Sotheby's, New York, 17 December 1996, no.79. Private collection, New York, USA. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Sotheby's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13355-255463.
The figure is probably a devotee or priest of Diana preparing to make ritual observances with the offering plate and incense burner. A group of similar figures was recovered from the shallows of Lake Nemi south of Rome, close to the site of the Temple of Diana. -
Greek Campanian Bowl
South Italian, circa 4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Broad and squat with thick rim and carinated foot. 17.4 grams, 44 mm
From the collection of David Donlan (1947-2025), a dedicated and lifelong collector with a passion for the ancient world and the natural sciences, forming his collection from 1960s onwards, using many reputable dealers across the United Kingdom, including the well-regarded Coincraft and The Parthenon Gallery. -
Hellenistic Bronze Statuette of an Alexandrian Dancing Dwarf
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
In an active pose with both legs bent and left arm raised dramatically, head tilted to the left; exaggerated facial features, short trimmed hair, slim body with developed pectoral muscles and pronounced kyphosis; mounted on a columnar stand. 295 grams total, 15 cm high imcluding stand
Belgian private art collection of M.A., Brussels, Belgium, 1995. with Gorny and Mosch, 14 December 2011, no.82. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13330-258951.
Such figures are often described as ‘grotesques’, yet typically constituted overstated representations of people with dwarfism. Such individuals are invariably shown with exaggerated features such as pot bellies, hunched backs, bald heads, large phalli and angry facial expressions.