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Lot 1235
Antique Cast Bronze Twin Handle Dish With Figural Relief Circular bowl with central relief in the form of a goddess with shield and crook, the inner border and handles finished with embossed art nouveau floral and foliate design. Aged patina, unmarked to base, diameter, 10 inches, please see accompanying image
Lot 1290
Henri Picard French Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze Centrepiece The feet in the form of fern fronds; the column in the form of a dolphin surmounted by three putti forming an allegory of music terminating with fruits and vines. Adapted top, lacking bowl, full impressed marks to base, height 21 inches.
Lot 660
A small pair of Japanese bronze inlaid vases, Meiji Period, each with a cockerel on a flowering branch, signed to body, 11.5cm high; a Qajar gold damascened steel finial, in the form of a pear, decorated on the side with arabesque medallion, two leaves on the stalk,17cm high and a Chinese cinnabar lacquer type vase, 20th century, 32cm high (3)
Lot 1
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 22nd Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. A stunning bust of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, from a composite, hollow-cast bronze figure. The bust shows Osiris with large hands crossed atop the smooth chest and holding his symbolic crook and flail, each with several recessed grooves which at one time held attractive inlays of stone, glass, or precious metals. A multi-stranded broad collar hangs across his chest and presents incised registers of repeating beaded, fretted, and teardrop-form motifs. His stylized placid countenance is defined by almond-shaped eyes with elongated canthi beneath slender brows, a veristic nose and mouth, and large cupped ears, with a fragment of inlaid cornflower-blue glass within the left eye socket, and panels of paste glass as well as traces of gilding along the chin strap and corner of the right eye. Small tabs atop the head allowed for the attachment of a separate crown. Size: 6" W x 7.25" H (15.2 cm x 18.4 cm); 11.7" H (29.7 cm) on included custom stand.For a face of Osiris from a composite statue, preserving similar inlays, please see von Bothmer, et al. "Antiquities from the Collection of Christos G. Bastis." Verlag P. von Zabern, 1987, pp 33-34, no. 9.A stylistically-similar example of a pharaoh as Osiris - with no broad collar, crook and flail, or inlaid glass - hammered for $83,650 at Christie's, New York "The Morven Collection of Ancient Art" auction (sale 1466, June 8, 2004, lot 553): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-egyptian-gilt-bronze-bust-of-a-4287596-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4287596&sid=a61852ac-5eb8-4fa2-9292-b6cc683de83cThis piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2605, December 5, 2012, lot 126); ex-Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2232, December 11, 2009, lot 16); ex-Galerie Heinz Herzer, Munich, Germany, acquired in 1978 Condition: This is a fragment of a larger composite figure. Small fissure on back of left shoulder. Original crown and false beard missing. Losses to verso, lower body, inlays on crook and flail, glass and paste glass inlays, and gilding as shown. Softening to incised broad collar and facial details, with fading to gilded areas, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and brown patina throughout. One TL drill hole inside of head. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146163
Lot 11c
Egypt, Romano-Egyptian Period, ca. 30 BCE to 2nd century CE. A fine cast-bronze sculpture depicting a large cluster of grapes, of a rough diamond-shaped form with a projecting conical handle, a sloping shoulder, convex faces accentuated with dozens of ovoid grapes in repousse, and an open casting hole on the verso. The grapes exhibited in this example are an important symbol of Bacchus (Greek Dionysus / Dionysos), the god of wine, fertility, and agriculture. A fine example covered in thick layers of green, brown, and russet patina. Size: 4.5" W x 6.2" H (11.4 cm x 15.7 cm); 8.1" H (20.6 cm) on included custom stand.For a strikingly-similar example of a much smaller size, please see the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.80.203.59: https://collections.lacma.org/node/245546 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Repair to protruding handle on top with small fissures and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor nicks and abrasions to body, shoulder, and handle, with light encrustations within some recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits as well as great patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146690
Lot 14d
Ancient Europe, Northern Italy, Villanovan culture, late Geometric Period, ca. 725 to 700 BCE. A fabulous bronze horse bit comprised of two lengths of copper-silver alloy (20% silver) rods conjoined in the center with fused loops, and with reign rings hanging in the exterior loops. Both cheek pieces are in the form of a standing horse with Geometric characteristics such has a crested mane, a cylindrical snout with a flattened end, bulging eyes, and high-pointed ears, all atop a pair of ringed feet with a sinuous tail on the verso. Atop the hind quarters of the larger horses are smaller colts with nearly-identical characteristics as the larger animals. Fine layers of green, brown, and russet patina have formed across the composition, and the original golden-brown bronze color is visible in some abraded areas. Size: 8.25" W x 3.125" H (21 cm x 7.9 cm); 3.7" H (9.4 cm) on included custom stand; quality of silver in copper-silver alloy: 20%.For a stylistically-similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1977.187.6: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255590Another stylistically-similar example hammered for $17,625 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 9666, June 8, 2001, lot 23): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-villanovan-bronze-horse-bit-circa-8th-7th-2063316-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=2063316&sid=ae46a05e-8e66-40b9-9170-34deabd1f0ed Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Repairs to one outer ring, head of one horse, and tails of both horses, with light resurfacing and adhesive residue along break lines. Loss to ear of one horse, with minor nicks and abrasions to all horses and bit rods, and light encrustations within some recessed areas. Light earthen deposits as well as great green, brown, and russet patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146821
Lot 15a
Ancient Greece, Mycenaean Period, Late Bronze Age, ca. 14th to 13th century BCE. A lovely wheel-thrown bi-chrome pottery cup with a planar base, a cylindrical body with a flared neck leading to a broad rim, a single spout set 90 degrees to the loop handle. The body is decorated with three horizontal bands of iridescent black slip at the lower end; horizontal frets also delineated in iridescent black slip adorn the handle; swooping marks adorn the underside of the spout and the interior is covered in the same iridescent black slip. The underside of the base is unadorned. With its elegant form and decorative program, this mug is emblematic of this fascinating and almost-mythical period, immortalized in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Size: 5" W from end of spout to opposite side x 2.5" H (12.7 cm x 6.4 cm)The Mycenaean period is so named for the palace at Mycenae, famed in Homeric legend as the opulent seat of King Agamemnon - excavations there revealed an elite and long-lasting society with a great deal of wealth. This extended to the workshops of artisans who produced pottery like this mug both for use in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean world; shiploads of similar jars went out as far as the Levant and Spain, carrying oil, wine, and other commodities. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in the 1970s Condition: Remarkably intact. Scattered mineral deposits across the surface, more visible on the buff areas. Black slip has developed an attractive iridescence. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146169
Lot 24
Greece, Classical Period, ca. 5th to 4th century BCE. A striking Chalcidian helmet comprised of hammered tinned bronze, so named as this helmet form was initially depicted on pottery believed to derive from the Euboean city of Chalcis. This form of helmet is distinguished by its curved cheekpieces, attached here by thin bronze pins that form a hinge. A teardrop-shaped nose guard extends down from raised curves demarcating the eyes. The forehead has a sweeping central ridge and an overhanging brow line. Curves on the sides allow the ears to be left open, improving battlefield communication. Uniquely, this example has incised square motifs on the exterior of its earflaps - these look like a personal touch, perhaps made by the helmet's original owner as an identification mark. Size: 10.45" L x 4.75" W x 9.75" H (26.5 cm x 12.1 cm x 24.8 cm); 17.35" H (44.1 cm) on included custom stand.During this time period, Greece was divided into city states who warred with one another and foreign powers like Persia. Alongside the remarkable artistic and philosophical achievements that we remember today, innovations in weaponry and armor changed the nature of war. The Chalcidian helmet was an improvement over the earlier Corinthian style, allowing improved hearing and vision. Mass production of bronze items like this helmet and shields led to the creation of the phalanx, a wave of intimidating shielded warriors marching side by side. Each helmet of this style was made to fit its wearer's head. The interior would have been lined with leather to serve as a cushion against blows (and against the uncomfortable metal rubbing on top of someone's head!). The owner would have hung the helmet in his home and would have been buried with it after his death. When worn, it probably had some kind of adornment like a feather comb. This style was still being worn by some soldiers, notably hoplites, during the time of Alexander the Great.Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 6.See a nearly identical example in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA: https://art.thewalters.org/detail/22640/chalcidian-type-helmet/ Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 6; ex-private Texas, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s Condition: Piece has been repaired and restored, notably on the top of the head, one side of the neck guard, and the cheek guards. See the X-Rays in the photos for a view of this. Approximately 75% original material. Mottled pale green patina on surface. Hinges are present but very fragile. The helmet is slightly crushed along its vertical axis as a result of being buried. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146071
Lot 40b
Classical World, Etruria, ca. late 4th to 3rd century CE. A heavy, one piece, cast bronze helmet, preserved in excellent condition with a deep, glossy patina. The form is a single bowl, cast, hammered, and chased, with engraving forming decoration around the rim and neck guard, giving an impression of twisted rope. A thin finial rises from the apex, its disc-shaped, flat terminal decorated with a low relief, many-petaled flower. A narrow band below this flat face is decorated with further repeated petal motifs. On the lower body, rivets and two narrow tubes (all bronze) show where cheek guards and hinges once were. There is also a rivet in the middle of the neck guard, which on the interior includes two hinged loops, made for attaching chin straps. The neck guard was formed by pulling the "bowl" shape of the helmet back, and as a consequence the helmet is thinner at the lower back of the head. Size: 9" W x 8.2" H (22.9 cm x 20.8 cm); 15.2" H (38.6 cm) on included custom stand.Helmets of this type originated with Celtic people north and west of the Italian peninsula, but the Etruscans and Romans adopted the style, with the former particularly using it from the 4th to 2nd centuries BCE. Roughly 400 of these helmets survive today in museums and private collections. They were overwhelmingly popular during the 3rd century BCE, when Roman hegemony and centralization of arms and armor production erased many of the individual styles of smaller northern Italian polities. Helmets of this type have been found in Etruscan and Roman graves and in river deposits far and wide, such as one in Nijmegen, Netherlands, found in a river near a legionary encampment, probably deposited as a gift to the gods. It was made to be worn high on the head, with padding inserted, designed to give protection from Celtic slashing swords.Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 36.See a very similar example found in a tomb in Perugia and now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/684492; see one with cheek guards remaining at the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=399845&partId=1&searchText=montefortino&page=1 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 36; ex-private Texas, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s Condition: Intact and unrestored (see X-ray images). Rich, mottled patina on surface, with beautiful preservation of form and detail. Deposits on interior. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146226
Lot 40f
Classical World, Etruria, ca. 5th century BCE. Skillfully cast via the lost wax (cire perdue) technique, a sizeable and finely decorated bronze vessel handle, cast with an elegant veiled head in high relief at the upper end of the grip, facing outward from the lateral rim attachment which presents 'beaded' circular terminals with incised flower blossoms on the faces at either end. At the lower terminal of the handle grip is a stylized leaf or palmette form. Size: 4.875" H (12.4 cm); 6.625" H (16.8 cm) on included custom stand.This handle was probably created for a hydria. The hydria - a vessel used primarily for fetching and pouring water - derives its name from the Greek word for "water". Vase painters oftentimes depicted hydriai, painting scenes of ladies carrying water from a fountain. Two horizontal handles extending from hydriai were used for lifting and a vertical handle at the back was used for pouring and dipping. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Small loss to lower palmette terminal and periphery of one perforation at upper end of handle. Minute old nicks to peripheries that are difficult to see. Bronze has developed an attractive green patina. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146599
Lot 41c
Ancient Europe, Spain, Iberian Peninsula, ca. 6th to 3rd century CE. A lovely gathering of four cast-bronze figurines from ancient Spain. The smallest figure stands atop delineated legs, has hanging arms, and has a spherical head with faded facial features. The second figure stands with hands held against slender hips and wears a fractured suspension ring as a headdress. The third figure shows a pair of individuals wearing robes and holding small implements in their respective right hands. The tallest figure is nude and presents with a slender body above delineated legs, an erect phallus, one arm bent in front of the chest, and a spherical head boasting minimal facial features and perky ears. All four figures are covered in fine layers of green and brown patina. Size: 1" W x 3.2" H (2.5 cm x 8.1 cm); 3.4" H (8.6 cm) on included custom stand.Iberian statuette examples like this would have been placed in a sanctuary or temple - a change that occurred around the beginning of the later Iberian period, as prior to that votive human figures were placed into burials. This indicates a shift in belief systems, perhaps to a religious understanding where humans interacted directly with the gods rather than going through an intermediary like a priest. Bronze figures are particularly associated with the sanctuaries at Despenaperros and El Cerro de los Santos, while other sites had stone figures. Iberian figures from this period are always either very clearly male or female. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Repair to one arm of smallest and second-smallest figure. Losses to suspension ring of second-smallest figure and left arm of largest figure. All items have softening to some finer details, slight bending to overall form, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits as well as fine patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146613
Lot 41d
Central/Eastern Europe, Balkan Region (Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria), Celtic peoples, ca. early 1st millennium BCE. A well-preserved, curved, single-edged iron sword called a makhaira (machaira), also known as a sica, with a hammered flat tang studded with three iron sun ray-decorated bolts and a small pommel. It is accompanied by the sheath, which is cast from iron with decorative incised bands around its top and bottom and a flat, disc-shaped tip. The blade is wide below the thick tang before tapering to a point. Incised decorations on the surface show two birds - both of whom likely once had precious metal or stones inlaid as their bodies - and a sun-ray or sunburst motif between them, at the highest point of the blade when the dagger is held vertically. These incised motifs look very similar to ones on a machaira found in a grave alongside a sword and helmet at Montana in northwestern Bulgaria (see below for comparison). Size: 15.1" H (38.4 cm); 8.95" H (22.7 cm) on included custom stand.Curved, single-edged swords developed during the Bronze Age in southeastern Europe, with various groups around the eastern Adriatic coast using them. One notable example is from the late La Tene cremation burial at Most na Soci, Slovenia, where a cremation burial included a sword of this type, a spearhead, and a fibula. In that burial, the sword and fibula had both been ritually destroyed as most metal grave goods were by the Celts.See the similar example from Montana, Bulgaria, and several other similar examples from archaeological finds here: https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/curved-sacrificial-daggers/ Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Both items have oxidized patinas that have not obscured the details. The hilt and tip are lost from the dagger, while the sheath has a loss from its upper edge. Other small losses are visible elsewhere. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146589
Lot 45a
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A wonderfully-preserved cast bronze roundel, made to be applied decoratively to an item of Roman furniture or armor, featuring a striking face of Medusa. Medusa was the most famous of the three gorgons, human women with venomous snakes for hair. The concept of the gorgon, a frightening, beast-like, female creature, is at least as old as Homer and continued to be used as a monstrous symbol throughout the Roman period, especially popular as decoration on pottery. Here she is depicted as more beautiful than usual, with large, striking eyes that stare straight forward as you gaze upon her and her murderous locks. Size: 3.2" W (8.1 cm); 4.25" H (10.8 cm) on included custom stand.Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 13. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-William Froelich collection, New York, USA, collected in the 1970s; Exhibited in "Dressed to Kill in Love and War: Splendor in the Ancient World", February 1 - March 31, 2019, Academy Art Museum, Maryland, USA, published in the exhibition guide by Sarah E. Cox and Anke Van Wagenberg, fig. 13. Condition: Smooth, deep green patina and excellent preservation of details. Iron nail on back has encrusted patina. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146254
Lot 45c
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A cast-bronze phallic votive, quite naturalistic in form. Pendants such as this were often created for soldiers in the field as a sign of their manliness - or newlywed husbands hoping for virility. In addition, when depicted disembodied like this example, phallic sculptures and amulets were used as what Pliny described as a "medicus invidiae" to ward against the evil eye. Size: 3.125" H (7.9 cm); 4.5" H (11.4 cm) on included custom stand. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-William Froelich collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s Condition: Minor casting flaws, slight losses to peripheries, and normal surface wear. Wonderful deep green patina. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146194
Lot 46b
Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st to early 2nd century CE. A wonderful cast-bronze depiction of a throne with a slight forward lean, the legs with several raised ringlets and terminating with raised discoid bosses atop the rectangular seat, with a tall rectangular back protruding up from behind the seat with a pair of flush bosses near the midsection. Lustrous layers of green and brown patina envelop the composition, and thick earthen deposits create a polychrome presentation. A throne like this example was perhaps created as a votive piece representing the throne of the Roman god Jupiter (Greek Zeus) and was placed in a temple in order for one to receive good fortune. Size: 2.25" W x 4.625" H (5.7 cm x 11.7 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Slight bending to overall form of back and legs, with light encrustations, and minor abrasions, otherwise intact and very good. Nice earthen deposits as well as great green and brown patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146208
Lot 5
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 25th Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. A fabulous cast-bronze figure of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, standing in mummiform with fused legs atop an integral rectangular plinth. He holds his signature flagellum and short-handled heka scepter (perhaps indicating Thebes as the figure's place of origin) in offset arms held atop the chest, and has sloping shoulders which trace down to bent elbows. His serene countenance is defined by a broad nose with flared nostrils, pouty lips with indented corners, smooth cheeks, a plaited false beard, and cupped ears, with thin brows surmounting the silvered ovoid eyes. The head is capped with an Atef crown replete with a pair of broad ostrich feathers indicative of the Cult of Osiris, a pair of horizontal spiraling ram horns, and a frontal uraeus. Fine green and brown patina envelops this wonderful example from ancient Egypt! Size: 2.5" W x 10.25" H (6.4 cm x 26 cm); 12.2" H (31 cm) on included custom stand.For a stylistically-similar example from the Late Dynastic Period, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 61.45: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545802A strikingly-similar example of a larger size hammered for $20,315 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 1244, June 11, 2003, lot 28): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-egyptian-bronze-figure-of-osiris-third-4108080-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4108080&sid=08caacf6-c84c-416d-8ba0-d211fd786fd7 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Art for Eternity, New York, New York, USA Condition: Small loss to tip of one horn. Minor nicks and abrasions to body, arms, head, and crown, chipping to silvering in eyes, with light softening to some finer details, and extensive wear to legs. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and brown patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146191
Lot 52d
Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A stunning cast-leaded-bronze fulcrum in the shape of an elegant swan head with intricately-incised striations for feathers. The fluted neck has a semicircular groove with slanted sides along the bottom and a head which is turned nearly 180 degrees around to face the verso. The sensitive ovoid eyes are enclosed with heavy lids, the top of the head slightly bulging on the sides, and the enormous beak tapers to a narrow, rounded point above the incised mouth. Fulcrum attachments were placed on the fulcrums, or curved headboards, of the reclining couches that wealthy Greeks and Romans sat on during banquets. Because of the importance of wine consumption to these banquets, fulcrum attachments were usually related to either drunkenness or animals associated with the gods like, for example, the swan. Size: 3.5" W x 3.75" H (8.9 cm x 9.5 cm); 5.7" H (14.5 cm) on included custom stand. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: This is one part of a larger fulcrum. Minor abrasions to neck, base, and head, with light softening to some incised details, and light encrustations within cavity on verso, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and dark-brown patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #141480
Lot 63
Ancient Europe, central to northwestern region, Celtic, La Tene / Iron Age, ca. 4th to 1st century BCE. A simple yet elegant bronze torc (sometimes torq or torque) necklace of an open circular form with conical termini and flattened ends. The band of the bracelet narrows slightly between the termini, which are cast to have incised, simple decoration. Vaguely avian/floral motifs, each focusing on an eye, precede each terminal, which flares outward, resembling the trunks of great trees and terminating in flat bases. This style is known as the "vegetal" or "Waldalgesheim" (see below). The Celtic world spanned much of the central, western, and northern regions of ancient Europe, shrinking to a fringe area around the north and west as it came into contact with the Romans and other Germanic peoples. The Celtic culture is known for curved metalwork as is evident with this example. The size of this example suggests it was worn by a woman, or possibly a youth. Size: 5.4" W x 5.4" H (13.7 cm x 13.7 cm)This example is stylistically very similar to one made of gold, found in a chariot grave from ca. 4th century Waldalgesheim, near modern day Frankfurt, found alongside several matching armbands and believed to be the grave of a woman. This torc is currently held by the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn, Germany. Provenance: private California, USA collection; ex-Christie's, London, UK, 1990s Condition: Beautiful condition, with mottled deep green patina. Motifs are very nicely preserved as is the form. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146080
Lot 68a
Ancient Near East, central Anatolia (Turkey), ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A delightful miniature bronze chariot or wagon, pulled by two solid cast oxen, featuring four large, flat, disc-shaped wheels, a rectangular cart with a hinged shaft ending in an attachment for the oxen. Around the body of the chariot is a small railing/balustrade composed of multiple thin bronze wires fixed together. Similar examples - see the Christie's listing below - show that this item would have once had bronze wires that formed reins. Votive chariots like this one are found throughout the ancient Near East and western Asia from this time period, but the Anatolian ones, in contrast to horse-drawn war chariots found in the Levant and Mesopotamia, are drawn by oxen. Are these farm carts? Do they signify the importance of agricultural production in Anatolian society? Whatever the meaning, this piece was made to be placed into a temple, cache, or tomb as an offering. Size: 7.5" W x 2.45" H (19 cm x 6.2 cm)See a similar example that sold at Christie's in 2014 for GBP 50,000 (approximately $70,000 USD): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/an-anatolian-bronze-chariot-circa-mid-2nd-millennium-5776268-details.aspx Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: The piece is delicate, with some small losses/breaks on the railing on the top of the chariot. Rich, dark patina on surface with light deposits. Oxen are not attached to cart. Wheels still turn easily and the hinge of the yoke is also movable. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146692
Lot 68b
Ancient Near East, Anatolia, Syro-Hittite, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A fine gathering of two rare religious idol figures formed from copper. Each pair of figures stand atop an integral plinth, one bar-shaped and one circular, and both have a larger figure placing their left arm around the smaller figure next to them. The larger figure shows a slender male figure standing next to a shorter female figure, each with grooves incised across their shirts, and the male has his right arm held outward. The smaller pair of figures shows a very tall male figure standing next to a shorter male figure with one arm to his mouth, and the taller figure holds a small tool in his right hand. Each composition is covered in thick layers of citrine, green, and brown patina. Size: 1.75" W x 4.3" H (4.4 cm x 10.9 cm); 4.8" H (12.2 cm) on included custom stand.Bronze votive idols like these are known in a variety of fascinating forms throughout the pre-literate ancient world. From the truly abstract Kilia-type figures that are barely recognizable as human to the exaggerated feminine shapes of so-called "Venus" figures, people in the past, as today, had a clear desire to portray human forms and did not feel constrained by naturalism. There are some repeated motifs: outstretched arms, as on these figures, which researchers have interpreted to mean an act of supplication; similarly, the wide eyes on these figures are an often-repeated characteristic that researchers believe emphasizes that the figures depicted are attentive to the gods. Miniature figures like these seem to be portraying worshippers rather than gods, and we believe that they were small enough that, even though they were made of bronze, ordinary people could have owned them and kept them on home altars. Many people from the ancient Near East are found buried with items like these examples. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Small nicks and abrasions to both sets of figures, with light softening to some finer details, and light encrustations, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits as well as great patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146691
Lot 70a
Ancient Near East, northwestern Iran, Luristan, ca. 1100 BCE. A long iron sword with a nearly-flat triangular blade topped with an elaborate handle - a thick guard and flat hilt with what are perhaps abstract ram or ibex forms on either side. Luristan is famous for its bronze work, but its blacksmiths produced some of the oldest-known decorated tools and weaponry in the world. This piece may have been in imitation of the bronze work; hence the incredible handle on this example. This is remarkable because iron is a much less tractable metal to work with compared to bronze, and items like this sword had to be laboriously made from many separate pieces of low-carbon iron. Very few of these iron swords are known to exist. One was found with the lower part of a scabbard; another was inlaid with carnelian. Some of the leather in the scabbards has radiocarbon dates to ca. 1100 BCE, hence the date provided for this sword. Size: 2.8" W x 19.3" H (7.1 cm x 49 cm); 20.5" H (52.1 cm) on included custom stand.It seems that these pieces were made not to be used in battle, but instead to show status or as votive weapons; there is a strong tradition in the ancient Near East of swords and other weapons being associated with the gods. For example, there is a rock carving dating to ca. 1300 BCE from this region that shows a scene of the gods of the Underworld, including one who is holding a sword similar to this one. Similarly, a golden bowl excavated at Hasanlu shows three swords of similar form to this one that are associated with three deities from the Hittite pantheon. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Slight bending to overall form of blade, with small nicks and abrasions to blade, hilt, and pommel, light pitting holes, with light encrustations, and light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146587
Lot 77d
Near East/Holy Land, Byzantine Empire, ca. 6th to 9th century CE. A beautiful, fascinating object from a wealthy Byzantine home or church - a round, spoke-like component of a candelabrum. A symmetrical, segmented, openwork motif of crosses gives the piece a clock-like appearance, at least to the modern eye - but in antiquity, this bronze disc would have been held by its three openwork bronze chains, which are still present here, and suspended from a stand by the heavy hook. Candles or lamps would have been set into the round areas of the surface. Size with chains fully suspended: Size: 14" W x 30" H (35.6 cm x 76.2 cm)Bronze furniture was a luxury item in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, and the Byzantine Empire that followed, reserved only for the richest households. Even there, they seem to have been heirlooms; some scholars believe that they were passed down through multiple generations, gaining additions like crosses, new lids, or new feet to suit changing decorative styles. Imagine how the light would have played off of this when it was new and polished to shine! Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Janet Zakos collection, Switzerland, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Chain is in excellent condition with some slight bending to form. There are a few tiny notches in the edges of the base - possibly dents, possibly casting flaws - but otherwise this is in excellent condition with a beautiful mottled pale green patina. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146231
Lot 8b
Ancient Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. An ever watchful pair of ancient bronze and alabaster eyes and eyebrows, the alluring bronze eye rims with extended cosmetic lines, elongated canthi, and heavy lids, inlaid with alabaster sclera displaying black-painted irises. Eyes like these were placed onto wooden mummy masks before burial to allow the soul to 'see' during their journey to the afterlife. Size: 2.625" L x 0.875" W (6.7 cm x 2.2 cm); 4.5" H (11.4 cm) on included custom stand.Ancient Egyptians believed it was of the utmost importance to preserve a body of the deceased, because the soul needed a place to reside after the death. Preservation of the body was done via mummification - a process involving the removal of internal organs that were placed in canopic jars, wrapping body in linen, and then embalming. Death masks like these eyes would have adorned were created so that the soul could recognize the body and return to it. For this reason, death masks were made in the likeness of the deceased. The eyes in particular were used by the deceased to see in death. Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA Condition: All components have slight bending to overall form, with minor abrasions to eyes, alabaster sclera, and brows, with light encrustations, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout. Blue and blue-green patina has developed on the bronze components. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #138735
Lot 8c
Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A stunning cast-bronze statue of Sekhmet (occasionally Sakhmet, literally "the powerful one"), the lioness-headed goddess of war, healing, and the sun who was worshipped primarily in Upper Egypt. She is depicted here with her left leg extended in a striding pose atop an integral rectangular plinth, wears a long, form-fitting gown over her slender body, holds her right arm to her waist and her left bent in front, and has pierced hands which at one time held additional implements. Her fierce feline countenance boasts a stocky snout with incised whiskers, a thin mouth, almond-shaped eyes, and perky ears, with a sun disk and a frontal uraeus surmounting her head. Fabulous green and russet patina enshroud this figure and imbue it with a classic presentation evocative of ancient Egypt! Mounted atop a modern gold-painted plaster base. Size: 1.375" W x 6.25" H (3.5 cm x 15.9 cm); 7.2" H (18.3 cm) on included custom stand.A stylistically-similar example of a larger size hammered for GBP 23,500 ($30,366.58) at Christie's, London, South Kensington "Fine Antiquities" auction (sale 9088, April 25, 2001, lot 149): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-egyptian-bronze-figure-of-the-lion-headed-2034737-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=2034737&sid=3736f3dc-b1a3-4ad7-a359-0194ebd4a328 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Original hand implements missing. Figure is ancient, and plaster base is modern. Small chips to base, legs, and head, with light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and russet patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146598
Lot 97c
Sue E. Fuller (American, 21st century), "Innocence", ca. early 2000s. Signed behind one leg. Numbered 6/50. A fine cast bronze female nude torso with a rich finish of mottled cream and peach hues by this contemporary Colorado artist created in the classical tradition with her weight shifted in a naturalistic manner and a veristic approach to anatomy that captures human energy and life. Fuller is a masterful sculptor of nudes, a tradition that took root in Ancient Greece, was famously rebirthed during the Renaissance, and continued to be admired in the Modern era - August Rodin famously stated, "The body always expresses the spirit whose envelope it is. And for him who can see, the nude offers the richest meaning." Size: 15.375" H (39.1 cm); 23" H (58.4 cm) on included custom stand. Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection Condition: Overall excellent. Signed and numbered on back of one leg. Brass plaque on the museum-quality stand inscribed "Sue E. Fuller" followed by the title "Innocence". All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #145189
Lot 106
A BRONZE FIGURE OF RAMANUJA DECCAN SOUTHERN INDIA 18TH/19TH CENTURY the Vaisnavite acharya seated on a lotus throne his hands in namaskara mudra a pennant resting on his right shoulder Vaisnavite emblems on his forehead and body 15cm high Ramanuja who lived in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century and is traditionally believed to have lived to the age of 120 is one of the most important figures in the development of bhakti or devotional Hinduism. He spent much of his life as a priest at the Varadaraja Temple Kanchipuram
Lot 138
THREE KHMER GILT-BRONZE FRAGMENTS FROM A DEVOTIONAL IMAGE CAMBODIA CIRCA 12TH CENTURY probably from a monumental finial each of irregular abstract scrolling form with settings for gemstone inlay 21 x 25 x 8cm approx. and smaller Provenance: Private collection London For two gilt-bronze Garuda finials in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York with similar detailing see inv. nos. 1986.501.4 & 2015.500.4.26
Lot 140
A BRONZE ZODIAC BEAKER EASTERN JAVA CIRCA 14TH CENTURY of gently flared cylindrical form with figural designs in low relief comprising the twelve zodiac symbols below and eleven further symbols above 10cm high For a related beaker dated 1332 in the Norton Simon Museum Pasadena see inv. no. M.2010.1.98.S
Lot 150
A PRABHA FROM A BRONZE SHRINE JAVA CIRCA 10TH CENTURY in the form of a row of columns split in the middle to form an arched opening with three concentric layers each supported on either side by a makara a kirtimukha at the top the outer edge fringed with flames 34cm high Provenance: Private collection London
Lot 172
A COLLECTION OF INDIAN OBJECTS MOSTLY 19TH CENTURY comprising a bronze figure of Siva Nataraja a brass figure of a Hindu ascetic on a bed of nails a silver huqqa mouthpiece an articulated fish an amuletic pendant a puja spoon two copper gilt vases stamped ‘Mallett Bath’ two small brass lidded bowls an Egyptian brass bowl and a rattan fan with bone handle 40cm length of fan and smaller (12) Provenance: Private collection London
Lot 336
A PAIR OF BRONZE AND BRASS ‘STORK’ CANDLESTICKS THOMAS ABBOTT BIRMINGHAM SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY the opposing birds with crown collars each holding leafage below a leafy pan and foliate vase-shaped sconce on rocky mound bases with metal weights 40cm high Thomas Abbott listed as a |Lamp Maker and Brass Founder| of Birmingham in his will dated 12 March 1849 is primarily known for two patterns of wading bird candlesticks the present example and another of herons with fish in their beaks supporting similar pans and sconces and on the same mound bases. These are normally stamped ‘Abbott’ to the weighting under the bases probably replaced in the present lot.
Lot 344
ALFRED BOUCHER (1850-1934): LA FANEUSE (THE HAYMAKER) a French white marble figure circa 1900 the young female worker modelled leaning by her elbow on a bronze pitchfork circular base signed ‘A. BOUCHER’ 93.5cm high Related Literature: J. Piette Alfred Boucher 1850-1934: L’oevre sculpté catalogue raisonné Mare Martin 2013 pp. 190-195 no. A39
Lot 79
TWO BRONZE RITUAL BELLS TIBET & INDIA 19TH CENTURY the first with moulded kirtimukha and garland design on the sides the handle in the form of a half phurbu with closed vajra finial the other of plain ridged form with rope-twist loop and large bulbous clapper together with a Buddhist ritual drum (damaru) Tibet early 20th century wood and hide with cotton silk and shell attachments the drum in the form of two flattened hemispheres 19 15cm high (bells); 11 x 19.5cm (drum) Provenance: Private collection Germany acquired during the 1960s in India by the vendor while working in development assistance.
Lot 88
A BRONZE FIGURE OF NARASIMHA TAMIL NADU SOUTH INDIA 18TH/19TH CENTURY the lion headed avatar of Vishnu seated on a raised throne holding his consort sitting on his knee his two right hands in abhaya mudra and holding a cakra 8cm high; together with a small figure of a Hindu goddess possibly Lakshmi Tamil Nadu South India 18th/19th century seated in sattvasana on a lotus her primary hands in abhaya and varada mudra her upper hands holding conch and noose 5cm high (2)
Lot 94
A JAIN BRONZE FIGURE OF PARSVANATHA WESTERN INDIA DATED SAMVAT 1213/1156 AD seated in padmasana on a cushioned lion throne under a seven-headed cobra canopy flanked by chauri bearers and apsarases kalasa finial at the top inlaid with silver and copper devanagari inscription on the reverse including date 18.5cm high Provenance: Private Collection Italy. Acquired from Ethnoarte Milan about ten years ago. Typical of earlier Jain bronze shrines is the sense of movement in the attendant figures something which is not seen in the more rigid compositions of 16th century shrines. For a closely related Parsvanatha shrine just 20 years later in date in the Victoria and Albert Museum London see inv. no. IM.2-1939. Parsvanatha is the 23rd of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras and the easiest to identify with his protective cobra canopy which represents very similar iconography to figures of Buddha being sheltered from the great storm under Mucalinda.
Lot 97
A PAIR OF BRONZE FIGURES OF THE BHUTA MAHISANDAYA KARNATAKA SOUTH INDIA 19TH CENTURY the two bull figures standing with their heads raised each with long crescent shaped horns 22 21cm long The cult of bhuta or spirit worship is centred in Western Karnataka and the bull Mahisandaya also known as Nandigona is best known from the distinctive masks which occasionally appear on the art market as well as wood figures such as the example in the Museum of Art and Photography Bangalore (inv. no. FAT 00062). As so often in India there is a tendency for local cults to merge with mainstream Hinduism and an illustration of this can be seen with the crescent emblem on the bulls’ heads implying a link with Siva and his bull vehicle Nandi. For a mask of another bhuta deity Panjurli previously sold in these rooms see 27 May 2017 lot 151.
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