EARLY
EMPIRES
14A001
ANATOLIAN FEMALE IDOL
Early Bronze Age, circa 2700-2100 B.C. Marble, Length: 8.5 cm.
Kiliya type. Wide, flat body with rounded shoulders, the arms separated
from the torso by deep, diagonal cuts. The body is lozenge shaped,
with small, knob-like breasts, an incised pubic triangle, and a
notch at the bottom indicating the two legs. Head broken off and
now lost. For comparison, see: J. Seeher, "Die kleinasiatischen
Marmorsta-tuetten vom Typ Kiliya," Archäologischer Anzeiger
1992/2, p. 161, no. 26; Thimme, Kunst der Kykladen, no. 562. Mounted.
$6,750
14A002
AXE BLADE
Luristan, circa 1000 B.C. Bronze, Length: 22 cm. Cast axe
blade with cylindrical hole for shaft. The blade is of an elegant,
roughly triangular shape, its upper edge curving downward and its
lower edge curving around in a 270 degree arc. At the back are five
straight ribs terminating in conical points. Raised extensions from
the first, second, and third ribs join and run onto the blade as
a single raised line terminating in an arrowhead. All of the extensions
and the arrowhead are decorated with incised patterns. For a nearly
identical axe blade, see P.R.S. Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient
Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum, 17. Elaborate blades of
this sort were used as parade weapons, as votives, and as attributes
of cult statues. They may have been associated especially with the
god Hadad. An extremely fine example. Mounted.
$2,200
14A003
BES ANTEFIX
Phoenician, 7th-6th century B.C. Limestone, Diameter 13.5 cm. This
round antefix has a semicircular projection at the upper back for
attachment. The decoration is a highly stylized head of the Egyptian
god Bes within a round frame consisting of a thin line surrounded
by heavy pellets. For another figure of Bes from Phoenicia, see
S. Moscati, ed., The Phoenicians, p. 115. Minor repair, otherwise
complete and interesting. $2,500
EGYPT
14A004
TWO-SIDED AMULET SOLD
Egyptian, Late period, 664-332 B.C. Blue and black faience, Length
(including suspension loop): 3.8 cm. Amulet in the form
of a trapezoidal plaque with raised edges. Side A: A god sits right,
holding a symbol of authority. Side B: The prenomen of Tuthmosis
III, Men-kheper-re. This name remained in use for centuries after
the reign of this great Pharaoh. Intact. $1,750
14A005
BES AMULET
Egyptian, Ptolemaic period, 332-30 B.C. Pale blue-green faience,
Height: 3.9 cm. An extremely well detailed head of Bes
in his feathered headdress. Arching eyebrows, incised wrinkles on
the upper eyelids and below the cheeks, a very wide nose, tiny teeth
visible between the thick lips, and the whiplash curls of the mutton-chop
beard give the face its vivid character. The headdress is drilled
through the sides for suspension. Of superb style, among the finest
executed amulets known. A choice example $5,500
14A006
HAND AND FOREARM SOLD
Egypt, early Ptolemaic period, circa 300 B.C. Wood, Length: 14 cm.
The finely carved hand is extended as if in supplication,
with fine details of the nails and cuticles clearly visible. The
lower end has a tenon for attachment to a statuette, presumably
representing a goddess. Traces of gesso and pigment remain. For
com-parison, see: W. Seipel, Ägypten: Götter, Gräber
und die Kunst. 4000 Jahre Jenseits-glaube (Linz, 1989), nos. 122
and 123. $2,200
14A007
STATUETTE OF ISIS-APHRODITE SOLD
Alexandria, 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D. Terracotta, mould-made,
Height: 29.7 cm.The sizable nude goddess stands facing,
her feet together and her hands at her sides. Her arms are adorned
with bracelets and she wears an anklet on her right leg. Her dark
hair is coiffed in long corkscrew curls. On her head sits an enormous
and elaborate headdress. The goddess wears a necklace with a pendant
indicated in red paint. A tasseled fillet hangs from her right shoulder,
passing between her breasts and under the left breast around her
side; red paint suggests a finer skein hanging from her left shoulder
and passing under her right breast. Most of the original polychrome
decoration has survived. Ex Port collection. For comparison, see:
Catalogue of the Ägyptisches Museum (Berlin, 1967), no. 1012.
Exceptional state of preservation. Mounted. $12,000
14A008
FEMALE MUMMY MASK SOLD
Roman Egypt, 1st-2nd century A.D. Stucco, Height: 31 cm.; Width:
16.3 cm. This very stylized head shows a woman with large
eyes, well executed painted eyelashes, and raised eyebrows in fine
detail, looking upward in an expression of spirituality. Her black
hair is dressed in long corkscrew curls which appear to be hollow.
On her head she wears a wreath of pink rose petals, made separately
and applied. Most of the original polychrome decoration has survived.
For comparisons, see: G.D. Scott, Temple, Tomb and Dwelling (1992),
no. 71; and D.L. Thompson, Mummy Portraits (1982), fig. 2. An extremely
attractive mask which may have resembled the deceased quite accurately.
$9,500
14A009
FRAGMENT OF A FUNERARY STELE SOLD
Roman Egypt, 1st-2nd century A.D. Limestone, Width: 36 cm.; Height:
34 cm. The design is carved in low relief by incising beneath
the surface of the stone. It depicts a distyle temple in which a
smiling man and his wife recline left on a couch. The husband holds
a sacrificial dish in his extended right hand, and the wife rests
her right hand around his shoulder. The god Anubis is present to
the upper left, in the form of a jackal reclining right on the back
of the couch. Red paint originally colored the pediment of the temple,
the capitals of the columns, and the back of the couch. There are
also traces of red on the man's face and foot, and of brown on the
hair of both spouses. The piece is uninscribed, as is usual for
Romano-Egyptian stelae. Mounted. $3,500
GREEK
14A010
STATUETTE OF ACHELOUS SOLD
East Greek, probably from Asia Minor or coastal Phoenicia, circa
470-460 B.C. Bronze, Height (from top of head): 10 cm.; Length:
12.3 cm. This sizeable and very rare bronze statuette represents
the river god Achelous, the divine personifi-cation of a river in
northwestern Greece. This figure was made to be free-standing, as
indicated by the flat, smooth bottoms of the hooves. The statuette
was solid-cast and has a dark green patina, with yellowish earth
adhering to the grooves and incised forms of the figure. Although
the human and animal forms are well articulated, they are not yet
represented in a truly naturalistic way. The single mass of the
beard, its patterned locks, the large eyes with heavy upper lids
framed with architectonic eyebrows, and the ab-sence of the so-called
archaic smile suggest that this artifact is late archaic (500-480
B.C.) or, more likely, an archaizing work of the early classical
period (480-450 B.C.). According to myth Achelous had the special
ability to assume different forms, such as a serpent, a bull or
a man with a bull's head. In contrast to the literary sources, artistic
representations of Achelous often show him as a bull with a human
head, bull's ears and horns. Such depictions can be found in a variety
of media in Greek, Etruscan and Roman art, where they may represent
local rivers. Although there are no known life-size statues of Achelous,
there are a number of small heads or figurines of him in bronze,
usually used to ornament bronze vessels, especially as handle decorations.
In Greek myth Achelous was one of the many suitors of the fair maiden
Deianira. Also seeking her hand was the hero Heracles, who challenged
the human-headed Achelous to a wrestling contest for the right to
wed Deianira. When Heracles was at the point of defeating Achelous,
the river god changed himself first into a serpent and then into
a bull, but he was nevertheless overcome. During the match Heracles
broke off one of Achelous' horns. The naiads, divine spirits of
the springs, streams and fountains, took the horn and filled it
with fruit, thus creating the first cornucopia or horn of plenty,
whose contents, miraculously, never had to be replenished. For comparison,
see the tetradrachms of the Sicilian city of Gela, G.K. Jenkins,
The Coinage of Gela (Berlin, 1970); a terracotta head of Achelous
that served as a roof ornament (LIMC I, pp. 20-21, no. 124*); and
a mid-5th century bronze ornamental figurine for a helmet from Orvieto,
now in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, (LIMC I, pp. 26-27,
no. 240*). A rare and desirable statuette.
Price on request
14A011
RED-FIGURED KANTHAROS SOLD
Apulian, circa 330 B.C. Height (with handles): 21 cm.; width (with
handles): 19.2 cm. Side A: Aphrodite, fully clothed, sits
left on a pile of rocks, holding a jewel box in her right hand and
a mirror in her left, with a fan lying across her knees. The goddess'
head is wreathed, and she wears a pendant earring, pearl necklace,
bracelets, and an ornamented girdle beneath her bosom. Side B: a
be-jeweled, winged Eros sits right on a pile of rocks, holding a
fan in his right hand and supporting two plates with his left. A
band of ovolo below, another on the rim. Details in added yellow
and white. Molded female heads where the handles join the rim. For
comparison, see: A.D. Trendall and A. Cambitoglou, Second Supplement
to the Red-Figured Vases of Apulia (London, 1992), no. 27/110k.
Intact but with some chips and loss of black glaze as shown. $5,950
14A012
RED-FIGURED FISH PLATE SOLD
Campanian, second half of the 4th century B.C. Height: 4.5 cm.;
Diameter: 18.8 cm. Flat dish on low stand, of fine light
brown clay with shiny black varnish and applied white. A ring of
exposed natural clay surrounds the central depression. Three fish
swim counterclockwise around the central ring: a two-banded bream,
a striped bream, and a red mullet. The rim of the plate is turned
down to form a vertical lip with a line of black waves against the
natural clay. The underside is decorated with two concentric circles
around the stand, which is also decorated with alternating bands
of black and exposed clay. Provenance: Dr. Wilhelm Hartwig Collec-tion,
Weinheim, Germany. Published: K. Deppert, Griechische Vasen (1984),
no. 23. For comparison, see: I. McPhee and A.D. Trendall, Greek
Red-Figured Fish-Plates (1987), pp. 93ff. A choice, completely intact
example. $6,500
14A013
STATUETTE OF APHRODITE SOLD
Tarentine, 4th century B.C. Terracotta, mould-made, Height: 20.5
cm. The goddess, arms now lost, bends forward from her
hips, resting her left foot on a low cippus. Her torso leans slightly
to her left, and she looks downward. Her upper body is nude, but
her legs are covered by a garment rolled thickly about her hips.
Brown paint adheres to her hair, and traces of pink and blue paint
remain on the drapery, with a pattern of stripes evident on the
part covering the left leg. This is a depiction of Aphrodite at
her bath, a theme made famous by the Cnidian Aphrodite of Praxiteles.
$5,250
14A014
FIGURINE OF AN ACTOR
Hellenstic Greek, 4th-3rd century B.C. Terracotta, Height: 12.6
cm. The actor stands with his right foot forward, resting
his right elbow on a low column draped in pink cloth. He wears the
grotesque comic mask of a slave, colored with brown paint. His head,
shoulders, and bulging belly are covered by a blue cloak. A pink
under-garment is visible across his upper chest and below the cloak,
where his phallus dangles prominently. Much original polychromy
remains. For other figurines of comic slaves, see M. Bieber, The
History of the Greek and Roman Theater, figs. 402-407 and 410-413.
Intact and very appealing. $6,750
14A015
"CAMPANA" RELIEF SOLD
Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century B.C. Terracotta, mould-made,
Width: 25.5 cm.; Height: 21.5 cm. A fragmentary relief,
moulded with a young satyr kneeling right beneath a large grape
vine with two large branches, sparse leaves, and many clusters of
fruit. The satyr picks grapes which he gathers in a fold of cloth
held before him. There is a large basket brimming with grape clusters
on either side of the trunk of the vine. Plaques of this kind are
named after Giorgio Campana, who first published them in the mid-nineteenth
century. They were used to decorate the upper walls of shrines,
public buildings, and unusually luxurious private homes.
$7,500
ROMAN
14A016
FEMALE HEAD
SOLD
Graeco-Roman, 1st century B.C.-1st cen-tury A.D. Bronze, Height:
8.4 cm.; Width: 6.3 cm. This object is the front portion
of a hollow cast head, from a sizable bronze statue of a goddess
or personification. The graceful deity wears a headband around which
her wavy hair is loosely rolled. Mounted.
$3,500
14A017
MESOMPHALOS BOWL WITH SILVER MEDALLION OF
ZEUS
SOLD
Roman East, circa 1st century A.D. Bronze, Diameter: 22.4 cm.; Discus:
6.4 cm. A shallow mesomphalos bowl with a central silver
medallion of a facing bearded head of Zeus in fine detail. Zeus
is superbly modeled in high relief, with an intense facial expression
framed by an aureole of wildly curling hair. This bowl would have
been used to pour libations in a temple. Very Rare. A stunning piece.
Body of bowl restored and strengthened in areas. $14,000
14A018
DOUBLE-HEADED HERM OF SOPHOCLES AND EURIPIDES
Roman Gaul, 1st-early 2nd century A.D. Marble, Height: 25.5 cm.
A provincial sculpture, in brown-patinated marble, pairing
two bearded male heads, one wearing a taenia. The bare-headed half
is akin to the third portrait type of the Greek tragic poet Sophocles.
The half with taenia may represent the tragic poet Euripides, and
is perhaps a reduced copy of the Farnese Type, whose original, dated
c. 270 B.C., survives today in Copenhagen (Ny Carls-berg Glyptotek,
inv. no. 608). Provenance: Professor Bruno Tausig Col-lection, Germany.
For comparison, see: R. Belli Pasqua, Museo Nazionale Romano (1988),
no. R 333; D. Bonamone, Museo Nazionale Romano (1987), no. R 13
(Euripides); G.M.A. Richter, The Portraits of the Greeks (1965),
pp. 130ff. (on Sophocles and Euripides); E. Voutiras, Forschungen
zur Villa Albani II (1990), pp. 168-170. $15,000
14A019
RECLINING LION SOLD
Roman, circa 2nd century A.D. Bronze, Length: 13.7 cm.Perhaps
a furniture attachment or chariot fitting, decorated with a lion
crouching in profile to the left, gripping the detached leg of his
prey with both forepaws. The lion's head is raised and turned toward
the viewer, at whom he snarls or roars. His thick mane falls in
luxuriant waves down his neck, over his shoulders and onto his torso.
An incised ribbed ridge runs along his back. Attractive green patina.
$3,500
14A020
HEAD OF A PHILOSOPHER SOLD
Roman Asia Minor, circa 170-190 A.D. White marble, Height: 19 cm.
This marble head shows a middle-aged man with a mustache
and tapering, curly beard of medium length. His curly hair grows
luxuriantly at his temples, completely covering his ears, with two
prominent curls on his forehead. His brow is creased and there are
scowl lines above the root of his nose, a typical iconographic feature
defining the so-called thinker's brow. Although the heavy-lidded
eyes, long, straight nose, and thin lips give the head a certain
individual appearance, all the seemingly individual features are
part of the typical iconography of a philosopher in the second and
third century A.D. This is the reason why this head, at first sight,
so much resembles the portraits of the "philosopher-emperor"
Marcus Aurelius. His image became an archetype for the self-portrayal
of the intellectually inclined upper classes of the Roman Empire.
A citizen who wanted to be seen as an intellectual might portray
himself in this fashion on his grave monument. This, in fact, is
the context of our head: its two-thirds life size shows that it
probably does not come from a free-standing figure but from a monument
like the well-known column sarcophagi from Asia Minor. There the
deceased is often depicted in the manner of a philosopher, wearing
Greek clothing and holding a scroll. The figures on these reliefs
are often nearly free standing, and the heads sometimes have no
connection at all to the background, so that no traces of an attachment
remain. The use of the drill, visible in the hair and beard of our
head, dates the piece to the late Antonine or Severan era, the period
of the main production of this type of sarcophagus. These sarcophagi
were standardized products, created to appeal to men of education
and wealth but not indi-vidually commissioned. Stylistically and
iconographically, the closest parallel seems to be a sarcophagus
now in the museum of Antalya where the deceased is portrayed twice
in the same manner and a similar type of drilling can be observed.
For comparison, see: H. Wiegartz, Kleinasiastische Säulensarkophage
(1965); W.H. Buckler, W.M. Calder, and W.K.C. Guthrie, Monuments
and Documents from Eastern and Western Galatia, MAMA IV (1933),
pl. 23-25; Antalya Museum (1988), p. 108, fig. 134. On the bourgeois
philosopher generally, see P. Zanker, Die Maske des Sokrates (1995),
pp. 252ff.An intense and powerful sculpture representative of the
late 2nd century A.D. Broken at the neck, with minor chipping. Some
areas of the surface weathered. $21,500
14A021
STATUE OF HYGIEIA, GODDESS OF HEALTH
Roman, 2nd-3rd century A.D. Marble, Height: 79 cm. The
goddess, headless, stands with her left leg slightly advanced, the
knee flexed and the toes of her large, sandaled feet peeking out
from beneath the drapery. Her himation falls in a series of graceful
scallops over her right hip, terminating in a bunch of parallel
folds that describe a smooth arc from her left shoulder to her right
calf. A broad folded sash crosses the himation below her breasts.
The goddess's right hand presses a thick snake against her body.
It coils around her arm, but its head is now missing. Her left hand,
also broken off, was originally extended before her body and held
a patera or other bowl from which she fed the snake. Ex Banca Nazionale
Collection, Rome. Published: S. Reinach, Repertoire de la Statuaire,
Vol. III (1904), p. 91, no. 8. $26,000
14A022
BACCHIC APPLIQUÉ SOLD
Roman, late 2nd-early 3rd century A.D. Bronze, Width: 14 cm.
This solid-cast, heavy appliqué to a much larger bronze vessel
takes the form of a vine leaf. In the center is the head of a satyr
in high relief, wreathed with ivy, with stubby horns and goat's
ears, malevolent eyes, a snub nose, and flowing beard. He is flanked
by two annulets on each side. $2,500
14A023
FUNERARY STELE OF MARKOS AKOUTIOS OPTATOS
Roman East, circa 3rd century A.D. Marble, Height: 59 cm.; Width:
55.8 cm.In the panel, four figures are carved in medium
relief, standing on a narrow ledge, a similar ledge projecting above
them. The three figures to the left, a woman, a boy and a man, are
dressed in formal Roman citizens' clothes, while the fourth much
smaller figure on the right is barefoot and in a simple tunic. An
inscription runs along the face of the upper ledge, and another
is in the background field above the youth, who looks out toward
the viewer, and between the heads of the woman and man, who direct
their gazes toward each other and toward the boy.
"M(arkos)
Akoutios Pamphilos and Sekonda Kapia
(To) M(arkos) Akoutious Optatos"
The stele may
have been commissioned by Markos Akoutios Pamphilos and Sekonda
Kapia, the parents of Markos Akoutios Optatos, on the occasion of
their son's premature death. The fourth personage is probably a
household servant or slave. Both men wear togas, so must be Roman
citizens, and the younger Markos holds the volumen, also symbolic
of citizenship. The mother's himation and veil, though, are standard
Hellenistic conventions, as is the father's thoughtful pose, with
left arm held across his body and his right hand raised to his chin.
This family may have only recently gained citizenship and newly
elevated status in their municipal community, only to see their
hopes for the future dashed with the death of their son.For comparison,
see: E. Pfuhl and H. Moebius, Die ostgriechischen Grabreliefs (197),
pl. 96-97. $35,000
14A024
LARGE STATUE OF VENUS
Roman Asia Minor, circa 3rd century A.D. Terracotta, mould-made,
Height: 55.4 cm. This terracotta figure depicts the goddess
at her toilette. She stands facing on a square base, flanked by
two pilasters, each surmounted by a winged Cupid carrying a basket
of fruit, and each decorated on the front with a second winged Cupid
holding grapes in his right hand and other fruits in the fold of
his garment. The goddess' arms are raised, her right hand holding
a comb and her left hand a mirror. Her hair is dressed in the melon
coiffure and partially covered by a pleated veil. She wears very
long pendant earrings, two bracelets on each arm, a broad necklace
with many pendants, and a mantle with a wide border, draped over
her left shoulder and around her hips, leaving her breasts and belly
exposed. Traces of the original polychromy are preserved throughout.
Published: E. Berger, ed., Antike Kunst-werke aus der Sammlung Ludwig
II. Terrakotten und Bronzen (1982), 194ff., Addenda 4.2. A large
and unusual depiction of this popular goddess. Some repair and minor
restoration $16,500
14A025
AUTUMN
Roman, late 3rd century A.D. Marble, Height: 59 cm. Autumn
is personified as a figure of tall, narrow proportions, with large
head and slight body. Her hair is adorned with fruits and flowers,
and more fruits and flowers repose in fold of her cloak. The arms,
feet, and some drapery broken off.Provenance: M.S. Aarau Collection.
For comparison: R. Palma, Museo Nazionale Romano I, 6 (1986), no.
II.6; EAA, "Stagioni" 458-473; LIMC, "Horae"
63. Broken and repaired at several areas of the statue. $5,750
14A026a
OIL LAMP SOLD
Roman, Tiberian to early Flavian. Orange slip. Discus: Leda standing
left, assaulted by swan. Length: 12 cm. BMC II, Q871. Rare.
$1,800
14A026b
OIL LAMP
Roman, 2nd half of the 2nd century A.D. Orange slip. Discus: Apollo
driving biga of griffins right. Length: 12.5 cm. For the common
motif of a single griffin leaping, see Deneauve 306-310. Rare.
$1,950
14A026c
OIL LAMP SOLD
North African, 2nd half of the 2nd century A.D. Red-brown slip.
Discus: Offering table supported by brackets attached to a Cupid
standing facing on a base, holding a flying dove; atop the table,
a basket and a box. Incised on the side TITAE DIORVM. Length: 15
cm. For the nozzle form, see Deneauve 1044-1049. Unique
motif. $2,500
14A026d
OIL LAMP SOLD
North African, 5th century A.D. Double nozzled redware. Discus:
Christogram. Length (from tip to end of nozzle): 16.7 cm. Cf. A.
Ennabli, Lampes chrétiennes de Tunisie, 1008. Rare.
Handle chipped as shown. $1,750
CRUSADES
14A027
SWORD POMMEL
SOLD
Crusader, circa 12th century A.D. Bronze with enamel inlay, Diameter:
5 cm. The pommel has the form of a roundel with fluted
edges, perforated from top to bottom for insertion of the hilt.
On both sides, the circles round the edge contain fleurs-de-lis,
defined by blue enamel paste. Side A shows a lion left in blue enamel
paste, against a background of twining vines and palmettes. Side
B shows a coat of arms on a similar background. The left half of
the shield bears a lion rampant right, silhouetted on light enamel
paste; the right side bears black bars on blue enamel paste. Found
in northern Israel. The First Crusade (1096-1102) established four
Frankish colonies on Cyprus and in the Levant, including the county
of Edessa, the principality of Antioch, the kingdom of Jerusalem,
and the county of Tripoli. The Crusaders who settled the Latin East
came from Flanders, Normandy, Languedoc, and Lorraine. Interesting
and very rare. $6,500 |
