Magna Graecia, South Italy, Apulian, ca. 350 BCE. A ceramic fish plate of a classic pinax or pinakion (meaning tablet for its shape) form with three fish painted via the red-figure technique with added fugitive white and yellow details, the trio swimming around a central garum (fish sauce) recess with rays, the perimeter of the downturned rim adorned with a lovely band of spiraling waves, the dimpled disk from elevated on a raised pedestal. Size: 8.625" W x 2.625" H (21.9 cm x 6.7 cm)Fish plates were initially produced in Athens during the late fifth century BCE characterized by fish with bellies are oriented towards the outside rim of the plate. While in Athens the palette was limited to a red clay fabric and black gloss slip with only rare uses of white overpainting, later examples from Greek settlers in Southern Italy (Taranto, Paestum, Capua, and Cumae) were more colorful with added white and yellow pigments. The South Italian fish plates also departed from Attic examples in that they were characterized by decoration in which the fish's bellies were oriented inwards towards the sauce cup at the center of the plate, as we see in this example.Christies label on underside of pedestal foot. Also comes with sale ticket labeled "25-Oct-16 Sale 12257 Lot 78 Christie's" Provenance: Ex-private east coast, USA collection; Ex-Christie's, Oct. 25, 2016 auction (sale #12257), Lot 78. Condition: About a 5" section of downturned rim has been restored. Else, expected surface wear and minor pigment loss. 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. #121066
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Magna Graecia, South Italy, Apulian, attributed to the Strotgen Painter, ca. 340 to 330 BCE. A masterful Apulian red-figure volute-krater (mixing bowl) attributed to the Strotgen Painter, the vase of a monumental scale, presenting an elegant form with extensive iconography and elaborate decoration (see extended description below), all expertly delineated in red-figure technique with additional fugitive white, orange, and red pigments. An exceptional and important work displaying mesmerizing artistry and the utmost technique. Size: 17.5" W at widest point x 31.5" H (44.4 cm x 80 cm) Refined vases like this volute krater were not merely utilitarian pottery, but rather works of art in their own right, highly prized throughout the classical world. Furthermore, virtually no ancient Greek paintings have survived the tests of time. This makes the painted compositions found on ceramic vessels like this example invaluable sources of information about ancient Greek visual art. Red figure pieces in particular allowed for the development of more naturalistic imagery than black figure examples. This innovative technique involved creating figures by delineating them in the natural red of the vase, making it possible for the painter to then enrich the figural forms with black lines to suggest volume, perspectival depth, and movement, bringing those silhouettes and their environs to life. Beyond this, fugitive pigments made it possible for the artist to create additional layers of interest and detail. Side A of this volute krater features two figures delineated in added white pigment within a naiskos; the figure on the right sits upon a crimson mantle, and faces right; however his head is turned in three-quarter view, as he plays a kithara (a seven-string instrument of the lyre family) in the nude. Standing to his left is a youth, partially draped in an orange himation with cascading folds billowing over his physique, who leans upon a knobby staff. Surrounding this pair of figures and the naiskos are four offering bearers, three female and one male. Adorning the neck is a helmeted head, depicted in profile to the left, delineated in added white and orange, emerging from a stylized flower (or possibly patera) and flanked by a verdant surround of flowering sinuous vines, with a register of eight-petaled flowers above and a band of frets on the shoulder below. The volutes boast molded relief mascaroons in the form of frontal facing female heads with curly coiffures and gently smiling faces in added white, orange, and red pigments. Side B features four additional offering bearers, three male and one female, sitting and standing around a stele that is adorned with ivy vines on its base, a register of Greek key at the lower end, a ribbon at the center, and a cap of zigzags, striations, and trios of dots, with elaborate palmettes on the neck, framed by registers of wave, egg-and-dart, and laurel leaves above and a band of frets on the shoulder below. The volutes on this side present molded relief mascaroons in the form of frontal facing female heads of the same likeness as those on the obverse, though painted in black. Adding further interest to this impressive iconographic and decorative program are the elaborate palmettes beneath each handle and four plastic (completely in the round) swan heads emerging from the shoulders and flanking the handles - a pair of white swans above Side A, a pair of black swans above Side B, this black-and-white contrast (also seen in the mascaroons) perhaps symbolizing day and night, good and evil, or life and death. In the Classical world, the swan symbolized grace and beauty, and was oftentimes associated with love, poetry, and music - related particularly with lyres and instruments in the lyre family like the kathara featured on this piece. Furthermore, the swan was regarded as sacred to Aphrodite and Apollo. According to Greek mythology, sacred swans circled the island of Delos seven times when Apollo was born, because it was the seventh day of the month. Zeus showered his son with lavish gifts including a chariot drawn by swans and a lyre. Aphrodite also rode a chariot that is sometimes depicted pulled by swans, though oftentimes by doves, and she is commonly depicted riding a swan. Finally, in the story of Leda and the Swan, Zeus, assuming the form of a swan, famously seduced Leda. A remarkable vase of the so-called Ornate Style by the Strotgen Painter of an impressively grand scale, decorated with an ultra fine hand as well as in an elaborate manner with intriguing scenes and figures as well as a great deal of subsidiary ornament in added colors. A comparable volute-krater, with duck heads on the shoulders and a similar elaborate decorative/iconographic program sold at Christie's for $158,500 (7 December 2011, Christie's Special Exhibition Gallery, Lot 128) - http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/an-apulian-red-figured-volute-krater-attributed-to-the-5509164-details.aspx. Another example from Royal Athena Galleries, attributed to the workshop of the Baltimore Painter and with an arguably less sophisticated painting technique, is listed for $45,000. Follow this link - http://www.royalathena.com/PAGES/GreekCatalog/Vases/SouthIt/GJP0602R.html Provenance: Ex- Collection of James Farmer, Maryland, collected from major galleries and auction houses between 1995 and 2005; Ex-Christie's New York (7 December 1995, Lot 92); Ex-Leo Mavrovitis collection Condition: Restored from fragments, minor losses, repainting along fractures. 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. #121212
Near East, the Levant, Philistine, ca. 1200 to 1000 BCE. A ceramic frontally facing head of a lioness, nicely modeled and detailed, its visage presenting large eyes comprised of incised concentric circles, flared nostrils, an open mouth with protruding tongue, and pointed ears, emerging from the circular protome, with perforations on the upper end for attachment or suspension. Custom stand. Size: 4.375" W x 5.125" H (11.1 cm x 13 cm); 6.625" H (16.8 cm) on standThis piece was collected by the California Museum of Ancient Art which was founded in 1983 in Southern California to create the first museum collection focusing exclusively on the Ancient Near East. Representing the geographic regions of Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant from approximately 3500 BCE to 500 CE, the museum's mission is to share the stories of the peoples of the Ancient Near East and catalyze a better appreciation for the roots of Western Civilization. The goal is to bring these ancient peoples - from Sumer, Elam, Babylon, Assyria, Hittite Anatolia, Canaan, Philistia, Israel, Judah, and Egypt of the Pharaohs to the beginnings of Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity - to life. Provenance: Ex-California Museum of Ancient Art, ex-David Liebert collection Condition: Expected surface wear with abraded areas and small losses as shown. 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. #120953
Near East, Iran, Parthian, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A striking, wheel-made ceramic vase of a classic amphora form with a globular body, narrow cylindrical neck, flared rim, and twin, triple-reeded strap handles, all upon a short, round foot. The beautiful turquoise glaze presents lovely craquelure, its color, largely due to the presence of copper oxide in an alkaline base in the glaze, was most likely made to imitate Chinese celadon ware. Absolutely stunning! Size: 8.5" in diameter x 12" H (21.6 cm x 30.5 cm) Pottery manufacture has had a long and vibrant history in Iran. Because of its particular geographical position, being at the crossroads of ancient civilizations situated on significant caravan routes, almost every region of Iran was involved in the creation of ceramics and their wares were influenced by those of other locales. Provenance: Ex-private east coast, USA collection acquired in the 1960's; Ex-Christie's, New York, 9 December 2015, Lot 110; Ex-William Froelich, NY, acquired from Boris Mussienko, Upper Marlboro, MD in 1982 Condition: Intact with a bit of encrustation. Glaze shows stunning luster and craquelure. 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. #120787
Pre-Columbian, Colombia, La Tolita, Tumaco, ca. 500 BCE to 500 CE. Effigy graters (rollador) were utilized in the Tumaco region of what is now Colombia, by the Tolita culture, oftentimes taking the attractive stylized form of a fish or squid. Used to grate various vegetables, they were made with raised horizontal sections inset with sharp stones. This very fine example shows liberal remains of original red pigment. Custom stand. Size: 11.25" L x 4" H (28.6 cm x 10.2 cm); 6" H (15.2 cm) on standPublished on page 67 of Armand J. Labbe's "Columbia Before Columbus: The People, Culture, and Ceramic Art of Prehispanic Colombia" (originally publishedd in 1986) Provenance: Ex-Private Atlanta, GA collection Condition: Small loss just above the fish's mouth. Expected surface wear commensurate with age. Inventory number on verso reads ET012 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. #119886
Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Chorrera, ca. 1000 to 500 BCE. An impressive redware whistling stirrup vessel depicting a coatimundi, nicely delineated with round eyes, a pointy snout, small cup-shaped ears, limbs, and curvy tail, perched atop the shoulders of a rounded body. The Chorrera culture is known for its ceramic traditions, particularly animal and plant effigy forms, such as this coatimundi.The raccoon-like coatimundi (or coati) was easily tamed and its funny antics made it a great pet among the ancients of the Americas. Size: 7.75" in diameter x 8.5" H (19.7 cm x 21.6 cm)Pre-Columbian whistles and whistling vessels were first created in ancient Ecuador and spread to Peru, their northern neighbor, were they were created as early as 1000 BCE and continued to be created throughout history. A finely handbuilt and burnished redware sculptural work from this early Ecuadoran culture, impressive for both its function and form as well as its whistling mechanism! Provenance: Ex-John Smith Collection, Roswell, GA Condition: Stable crack runs from right foot to base. Near invisible nick to rim. Normal surface wear. Pierced hole above head presumably for even flow of liquid and whistling. Possible repaired probe hole on side of vessel body. 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. #119680
Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Veracruz culture, ca. 500 to 700 CE. An amazing, tall, hollow, buff ceramic figure with incredible iconography. The figure - who is of indeterminate sex - stands with feet slightly planted, hands down at sides, and head slightly raised. Atop the head perches a smaller human figure, hands holding tightly to the headdress of the larger figure. Size: 5.9" L x 9.8" W x 27.8" H (15 cm x 24.9 cm x 70.6 cm)Further details appear as you look closer: the taller figure wears a huge, hollow, curved pectoral with applied fired clay twisted to look like thick braided rope hanging over it and, underneath it, a longer, hanging curved piece. This is secured around the neck with further thick, twisted bands of ceramic, emphasizing its great weight on the wearer's neck. He/she also wears large spool earrings, bracelets at the wrist, and a knotted loincloth. Atop his/her head is a rounded, disc-shaped headdress that the second figure is using like a podium. The larger's figure's face is lifelike, with well-shaped features, and, most notably, with the eyes closed in a tight squint.The smaller figure, in contrast, has wide open eyes and a direct, forward-facing gaze. He/she is also of indeterminate sex, and wears a tremendous headdress that almost dwarfs his/her head. The headdress has a wide brim and a tall, flat crest and has applied ceramic elements that look like rough woven fiber around its brim and band. The figure also wears an elaborate, sleeveless robe, with applied, layered flaps on the back that might have been intended to look like feathers. Turning the figure around, you can see that the larger figure's headdress has a loop that encircles the smaller figure's lower body; a delightful detail of the piece are the tiny feet hanging down from under the robe, leaning against the larger figure's upper back. Excavations near the town of Remojadas have revealed two types of impressive, detailed pottery figures: the Sonrientes, the joyous "smiling faces" depicting people of all ages and sexes, and figures like this one, more serious, mostly adult females, with elaborate costumes, themes, and sometimes props that all seem to point towards religious or political ceremonies. These figures are often found with the bodies smashed into pieces and the heads largely intact - they were ritually destroyed as burial offerings.What is the meaning of this particular fabulous sculpture? Much of the religious practice of this culture and others in Mesoamerica involved shamans or priests entering an altered mental state, often through the use of strong alcohol or hallucinogenic drugs. Once in that trance-like state, they would become someone different. The closed eyes and tilted head of the larger figure here contrasted with the open eyes and forward-facing head of the smaller one suggest that this is a depiction of a religious trance. The tall figure has entered it and is now seeing the world through the eyes of the smaller figure. Published and exhibited: “East/West Ancient American Art from the Coastal Regions of Mexico” from January 25th through April 30th, 2000 at William King Regional Arts Center, Abingdon, Virginia Provenance: Ex-J. Smith Collection, Roswell, GA Condition: Repaired from multiple pieces, many of them large (especially on the lower body); repairs well done and many are largely invisible. Ceramics like these were often broken in ritual shortly after being made, as discussed in the description. Expected age wear to 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. #119782
Pre-Columbian, Mayan territories, ca. 500 to 950 CE. A magnificent example of a ceremonial hacha depicting an armadillo, hand-carved from a single piece of stone of red-brown hues. Most hachas represent human heads, although the skulls and heads of animals, such as jaguars, birds, bats, deer and monkeys, are also depicted. This representation of a complete armadillo, however, is quite rare and special; the endearing animal is curled up in a seated position and raising his paws so as to eat a tasty treat, its armored body meticulously delineated with horny plates. The word armadillo was adopted from the Spanish term meaning 'little armed one'. As an hacha associated with the Mesoamerican ballgame, the creation of an armadillo effigy is very apropos, as its armor of horny plates signified strength and protection, traits that would very much benefit any ballgame player, though the 'ballgame' was typically of a ritualistic nature. Custom stand. Size: 8.5" W x 10.625" H (21.6 cm x 27 cm); 13.5" H (34.3 cm) on stand Hachas were associated with the ritual Mesoamerican ball game, though they were not actually part of the player's equipment. Instead these were worn during ritualistic ceremonies related to the game. The name stems from the fact that they were believed to be axe-heads; hence the term hacha (Spanish for axe). Based on ceramic figurines and stone carvings, some authors have proposed that they were meant to be attached to yugos (yokes). Others suggest that some of the hachas could have served as ball court markers. While their actual use is still unclear to scholars, they are often associated with yugos in burials. Provenance: Ex-private east coast, USA collection; ex-Harry Franklin Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA 1974. Condition: Intact with nice mineral deposits. Natural surface recesses inherent to the stone. 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. #121158
Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Tairona region, ca. 1000 to 1550 CE. A charming large pottery effigy jar in the form of a pregnant woman. She sits with her arms and legs outstretched, her hands raised up in a pose we'd recognize as "jazz hands". Her eyes and mouth are narrow, with a small nose and pronounced eyebrows; small ears at the sides of her face are pierced, and most likely once had metal rings or possibly feathers or cloth through them. The top of her head is the round, flared rim of the vessel and her body is hollow, with nice details of breasts, belly button, and genitals. Size: 8" L x 9.625" W x 11.75" H (20.3 cm x 24.4 cm x 29.8 cm)The Tairona lived in circular house platforms with areas of the houses divided for labor by gender. Ceramic manufacture seems to have been the realm of the women in the household, and small burnishing stones used for smoothing the surface of pottery prior to firing have been found in their areas. Effigy jars like this one were made specifically to be placed into tombs. Provenance: Ex-John Smith Collection, Roswell, GA Condition: Well done, nearly invisible repairs to back and one arm. 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. #119655
Pre-Columbian, Colombia, between Magdalena & Cesar, Chimila, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A hand-built terracotta burial urn with an egg-shaped body characteristic of the Chimila style. The lid/head presents an abstract visage with slit eyes and mouth, applied ears and nose, and pierced marks arranged in linear patterns perhaps representing tattoos. Arms fashioned from long fillets of clay detailed with knobby elbows and five-fingered hands, as well as a five-stranded necklace of long, incised coils, adorn the body. Size: 10.5" W x 15.75"H (26.7 cm x 40 cm)In the valley of the River Magdalena, ancient rituals related to the preparation of the body of the deceased for its journey to the afterlife involved the practice of secondary burials in urns like this example. According to the curatorial department of the Museo del Oro Banco de la Republica, "There are two different stages in the secondary burial funerary custom: first of all a primary burial takes place, where the corpse is buried for a certain period of time established in the ritual, and then after this, it is exhumed for burial once more in an urn, possibly amidst a great collective ceremony. Urns have been found in well tombs with side chamber, with certain local and regional variations. The chambers contain between three and seventy urns, each holding charred bone remains, large fractured bones, and fragments of skull. Each is accompanied by pots, bowls and goblets, most of which were made exclusively for the dead person, for they show no signs of having been used. Spindle whorls, rollers and axes have also been found." Scholars argue that the custom of creating burial urns is related to the association of bones with the afterlife. According to Armand Labbe's "Colombia Before Columbus," "There is a widespread belief among many Indians of both Middle and South America that bones are a form of seed, from which new life will spring. Recall the Mexican allegory of the personification of the dual lifeforce, Quetzalcoatl, descending to the underworld to retrieve the bones of mankind to resurrect them to a new life." Labbe continues, "Within the Colombian context, the act of placing bones in cylindrical, phalliform urns, and placing these in the womb-like shaft-and-chamber tomb within the Earth Mother, seems to be an enactment of such beliefs." (Labbe, "Colombia Before Columbus: The People, Culture, and Ceramic Art of Prehispanic Colombia." (1986) Provenance: Ex-private Smith collection, Atlanta, GA Condition: Base repaired from multiple pieces. Lid intact. Expected surface wear commensurate with age. 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. #120766
Ceramic Teapots - two Rockingham style teapots; a Furnival Old Chelsea blue and white teapot; a Japanese blue glaze Oriental scene decoration; a Gibsons teapot commemorating Stapleford and Sandicare 1872-1922 Jubilee; Gampton and Woodhouse historical teapots including the Indian Temple teapot, a Chinese teapot; Art Deco Arthur Wood teapot; Melbourne cube style teapot; an Arthur Wood floral decorated teapot; a Delft style; etc; qty
Sale Item: CERAMIC REFERENCE BOOKS Vat Status: No Vat Buyers Premium: This lot is subject to a Buyers Premium of 15% + Vat @ 20% Additional Info : Lots purchased online with the-saleroom.com will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 3% of the hammer price plus VAT @ 20%
Sale Item: CERAMIC REFERENCE BOOKS Vat Status: No Vat Buyers Premium: This lot is subject to a Buyers Premium of 15% + Vat @ 20% Additional Info : Lots purchased online with the-saleroom.com will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 3% of the hammer price plus VAT @ 20%
A Victorian satin birch dressing table by W. Bertram of London, the rectangular top with a mould edge above a frieze drawer, flanked by two shorter drawers, on turned legs, with ceramic castors, the top drawer stamped W. Bertram, 100 Dean Street, Soho W, 138cm wide.rovenance: Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire.
Of ceramic and antique collectors interest, three volumes - 'Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain by William Chaffers, pub. Reeves and Turner 1891, cloth boards with impressed decoration; 'History of Ceramic Art' by Albert Jacquemart, pub. Sampson Lowe, Marston, Searle and Rivington 1877, blue cloth boards with centralised gilt ewer; and 'Kings Antique Gems, their Origin, Uses And Values', by Rev C.W. King, pub. John Murray 1860, morocco boards with gilt line decoration, ink inscription to front page. (3)
Two Hoscht Damm ceramic figurines, late 19th century, one figure modelled as a youthful Sultan in full regalia, his left hand on hip, his right hand holding a curved horn to his lips, on circular grass and pebble base; the other depicting a female Hurdy Gurdy player in traditional costume, on grass pattern base, both with blue wheel below 'D' mark to underside, 7½in. (19cm.) high. (2)
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