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TWO SMALL GREEK RED-FIGURE SKYPHOI
Circa 4th Century B.C.
Including an owl skyphos, with the bird depicted on both sides, with large eyes and speckled feathers, flanked by foliate designs, 11.2cm diam including handles; and another with foliate and linear designs added in red slip, 10.5cm diam including handles, (2)
Provenance: Alexandre Nicolai (1865-1952) Collection, Bordeaux, France. Thence by descent.
£200-£300 *
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AN ATTIC BLACK FIGURE LEKYTHOS
Circa 5th Century B.C.
Depicting Dionysus, with a pointed beard and holding a drinking horn, seated between two seated attendants, wearing the himaition, with ivy tendrils in the field, a band of two rows of dots above, 21.5cm high
Provenance: Acquired from Bonhams, Antiquities, London, 13 April 2000, lot 157.
£800-£1,200 *
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AN APULIAN RED-FIGURE BELL KRATER
Circa 4th Century B.C.
Enlivened with white slip, side (a) depicting a winged Eros carrying a phiale in one hand and a wreath in the other, and side (b) depicting a female bust in profile, the figure holding a small pomegranate, with a heart shape and roundel in the field, a meander band below and palmettes under the handles, 22cm highProvenance: UK collection, formed between 20 and 25 years ago, acquired on the UK art market.
£800-£1,200 *
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A GNATHIAN WARE SKYPHOS
South Italy, circa 4th century B.C.
With ribbed body and enlivened with white slip with a band of ivy tendrils along the top of the rim, and dots around the foot, 17.8cm high, and another vessel, 14cm high, (2)
Provenance: Acquired from Bonhams, Antiquities, London, 13 April 2000, lot 194.
£600-£800 *
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TWO SOUTH ITALIAN POTTERY VESSELS
Circa 4th century B.C.
Including an oinochoe and a lidded lekanis, both enlivened with white slip and decorated with heads in profile of 'Ladies of Fashion', 11cm-22.5cm high, (2)
Provenance: Acquired from Bonhams, Antiquities, London, 28 October 2004, lots 194 (part) and 279.
£600-£800 *
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A GNATHIAN WARE VASE
South Italy, circa 4th century B.C.
Enlivened with white slip, with the profile head of a woman on the shoulders flanked by foliate design, the ribbed body with a central band of scrolling design, and the everted rim with wavy edging, 26cm high
Provenance: Acquired from Bonhams, Antiquities, London, 26 April 2001, lot 706.
£600-£800 *
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A PAESTAN RED-FIGURE CALYX KRATER
Circa last quarter of the 4th Century B.C.
Side (a) depicting a comic actor wearing a wreath, with a comic phallus, holding a phiale and ribbon, standing in front of a seated woman, half draped and holding a mirror, with vines above and below, side (b) depicting a seated woman, half draped, holding a basket in one hand and a staff in the other hand, scrolls below and a vine above, 28cm high
Provenance: English private collection, owned by the family for about 50 years.
Literature: For a similar depiction of a comic actor with a seated figure see the Asteas bell krater in the Museum of Fine Arts, Florida.
Dionysus was the god of both theatre and wine and so comic actors were a common motif on symposium vessels and as such this krater, used to mix the water and wine at such events, brings together both strands of Dionysian iconography. The men attending the symposium could see this scene and discuss a recent comedy they might have seen, laughing at the bawdy phallic humour and discussing the dark political satire, both rife in the comedies of Classical Greece.
£4,000-£6,000 *
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AN APULIAN RED FIGURE BELL KRATER
Attributed to the Schulmann Painter, circa 350-330 B.C.
Side (a) depicting a young female running to her left, holding a phiale in her right hand and a bunch of grapes in her left, she is chased by a young Pan-Satyr, who holds a flaming torch in his right hand and situla in his left, side (b) depicting two youths facing each other, both wearing himations and one holding a long staff, below the handles are palmettes supported by florals, a row of dots runs along the ground with laurel leaves beneath the rim, 35m high
Provenance: UK private collection, acquired from Sotheby's, London, Antiquities, 14 December 1987, lot 143. Previously from a UK private collection.
Published: A. D. Trendall & A. Cambitoglou, Second supplement to The Red-Figured Vases of Apulia, London, 1991, no.178b.
Exhibited: The national touring exhibition 'Drawing the Line', various venues (including Whitechapel Art Gallery, London), January - September 1995. Selected for the exhibition by the eminent contemporary conceptual artist, Michael Craig-Martin.
£3,000-£5,000 *
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A ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF THE EMPEROR TRAJAN
Circa 98-117 A.D.
Depicted with a stern expression, with thin pursed lips, deep smile lines, and furrowed brow, his hair falls characteristically over his forehead, 39cm high
Provenance: English private collection, owned by the family for about 50 years.
Literature: Trajan (Marcus Ulpius Traianus) was the thirteenth emperor of the Roman Empire, ruling from 98-117 A.D. and made huge steps in the expansion of the Roman Empire at large, the transformation of the landscape of the city of Rome, and the general reputation of the Roman emperors. He was clearly popular in antiquity, with the Senate officially naming him optimus ('the best') and he even became a bar by which future emperors would be measured, as they were inaugurated with the phrase:
Sis felicior Augusto, melior Traiano
('May you be luckier than Augustus, better than Trajan')
Trajan was unusual in that his family had settled in Hispania Baetica, part of modern day Spain, and he was therefore the first emperor ever to come from a Roman province rather than from Italy itself. As a military man, he ensured the loyalty of the vast and powerful Roman army and it was during his rule that the Roman Empire was at its largest, reaching even as far as Mesopotamia and Armenia.
Trajan's building programme in Rome was pioneering and impressive, especially with his famous victory column which still stands today. Trajan's column is an artistic phenomenon that has been copied, etched, and photographed by innumerable modern viewers since, with even a full scale cast in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and it shows off both his military prowess and artistic innovation.
Harking back to the idealised look of Augustus, this portrait shows Trajan's instantly recognisable haircut, as it falls straight down on his forehead and sweeps around his ears. His steely expression is robust and authoritative, with his strong brow, deep smile lines and pursed lips. This portrait wonderfully portrays the austere, stoic and dignified air expected of a thoroughly Roman emperor.
Trajan died very suddenly on 8 August 117 while he was away from Rome in Selinus, in modern day Turkey, which would subsequently be renamed Trajanopolis. His body was returned to Rome, cremated, and buried at the foot of one of his most notable achievements: Trajan's column. He may not give us as many juicy anecdotes as his scandalous predecessors, with Caligula's horse consul, Nero and his well-timed fire of Rome, and Tiberius' promiscuity, but he was the calm after many stormy years and his memory literally stands tall-in fact approximately 98 feet tall-over the modern city of Rome.
£8,000-£12,000 *
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TWO ANCIENT BRONZE HANDLES
Circa 3rd Century B.C. to 3rd Century A.D.
One in the form of Hercules' club and lion skin foot, with a duck head and leaf decoration, circa Hellenistic to early Roman, circa 3rd Century B.C. to 2nd Century A.D.; the other a Roman bronze handle decorated with a lion's head and the head of a youth, possibly a follower of Dionysus, circa 1st-3rd Century A.D., 10.5cm-13cm high (2)
Provenance: The first from a French collection, early 19th Century to early 20th Century; the second from an English collection, early 20th Century.
£80-£100 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE PANTHER
Circa 1st-2nd Century A.D.
The panther depicted with expressive features and mouth open, an ivy tether draped around the long slender neck, standing with tail curved behind its right leg, from a Bacchic group, with red collection no. M174, 3.8cm high
Provenance: American private collection, Midwest. The Leo Mildenberg Collection, Christie's, London, 26-27 October 2004, lot 206. Leo Mildenberg Collection, acquired in the 1970s.
Published: A. Kozloff, Animals in Ancient Art from the Leo Mildenberg Collection, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981, no.174, p.188.
£150-£200 *
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A HELLENISTIC TO ROMAN BRONZE CANDELABRUM TRIPOD FOOT
Circa 3rd Century B.C. to 3rd Century A.D.
Terminating in a lion's paw, 8.5cm high
Provenance: American private collection, Kentucky, formed in the mid-20th Century. Previously from a UK private collection, formed in the 19th Century.
£80-£120 *
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FIVE ROMAN BRONZE AND IRON KEYS
Circa 1st-4th Century A.D.
and one hook mechanism, 2.8cm-7cm long (6)
Provenance: Acquired from UK and French art market. Previously 19th and 20th Century collections.
£80-£100 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE BUST
Circa 1st-2nd Century A.D.
Wearing a Persian cap, possibly depicting Attis, with a nodule on the back for attachment, 6.5cm high
Provenance: with John A. Badman, The Monarch, Glastonbury, in the 1970s.
£100-£150 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE HORSE OR CHARIOT BRIDLE ELEMENT
Circa 1st-4th Century A.D.
Composed of a circular disc which is folded over and has knobs around the circumference, with a large central ring above, flanked by two smaller rings, 8cm high
Provenance: American private collection, Kentucky, formed in the mid-20th Century. Previously from a UK private collection, formed in the 19th Century.
£80-£120 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE VOTIVE FIGURE
Circa 1st-2nd Century A.D.
The draped figure wearing a diadem, holding a phiale in the right hand and a spherical object in the left hand, 9.5cm high
Provenance: UK private collection, acquired on the UK art market in the 1970s or 1980s.
£300-£400 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE OIL LAMP IN THE FORM OF A NUBIAN
Circa 2nd-3rd Century A.D.
With incised details of the face and hair, the burner of the lamp extending out of the mouth, with suspension hoops at the back and top of the head, 14.5cm long
Provenance: Acquired from Parthenon Gallery, London, 27 April 2012. Ex. Chalmers Collection, acquired from Charles Ede Ltd in 1967.
£1,500-£2,000 *
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A ROMAN MARBLE TORSO OF A MAN
Circa 2nd-3rd A.D.
Depicted nude, standing in contrapposto with his right shoulder raised slightly higher than his left and his left hip above his right hip, 41cm high
Provenance: Alexandre Nicolai (1865-1952) Collection, Bordeaux, France. Thence by descent.
£700-£900 *
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A ROMAN MARBLE FRAGMENT OF A LION
Circa 1st-4th Century A.D.
The foreparts of a lion, with a mane, incised eyes, and the mouth drilled, 9.5cm high
Provenance: Acquired from Hirsch Auctions, Germany in the last quarter of the 20th Century.
£80-£120 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE HEAD OF A MAN
Circa 2nd Century A.D.
With the hair arranged in snail curls across the forehead, 4.5cm high
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£350-£450 *
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A ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FRAGMENT OF A LION
Circa 4th Century A.D.
The lion carved with furrowed brow, and straight mane, with remnants of architectural carving below, 23cm high
Provenance: Property from the collection of Christopher Terry, Cumbria, acquired in the 1970s and 80s.
£500-£800 *
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A ROMAN LIMESTONE STELE FRAGMENT
Circa 2nd Century A.D.
Depicting a draped male figure reclining on a couch, with a slave and a three-legged table below and a pedimental structure above, 40cm high
Provenance: Acquired from the American art market, New York, 2000. Reputedly previously acquired from Sotheby's, New York. Accompanied by a copy of the Sotheby's valuation listing the piece, dated to 30 July 1984.
Literature: Images of the deceased reclining on a dining couch were a common motif in both Greek and Roman funerary art. It is often believed that these show the deceased dining in the afterlife, as if dining alongside the mourners at the ritual funerary banquet. For an example with similar iconography, see the marble cinerary urn for M. Domitius Primegenius in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Accession number 27.122.2a, b). It shows the same three-legged table, and couch with turned legs, and tiled background. The couch legs and three-legged table are also evident in the funerary relief of M. Aemilius Durises in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany.
£3,000-£5,000 *
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A GROUP OF GLASS VESSELS
Roman to Islamic Period and later
Including a large Roman glass handled jug, 16cm high, a Byzantine glass jug with heavy irridescenc and moulded chevron design, 11.5cm high, and Islamic bottle with applied horizontal trails around the body and folded rim, 10cm high, and two others, Not Ancient, (5)
Provenance: Dr Stanley I Batkin (1914 - 2015) collection, Scarsdale, New York. The Islamic vessel acquired in 1972, the Roman jug in 1978, the others in 1976. Each accompanied by a copy of the original collection card, all dated.
£400-£600 *
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A ROMAN PALE YELLOW GLASS BOTTLE
Circa 4th Century A.D.
With cylindrical body and everted rim, the broad ribbon handle joining the shoulder and neck, 14.5cm high
Provenance: UK private collection, acquired from Jonathon Markowitz in the 1970s.
£300-£500 *
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TWO ROMAN GLASS VESSELS AND A ROMAN GLASS STIRRING ROD
1st Century A.D.-3rd Century A.D.
Including an aubergine coloured blown glass perfume bottle, with a squat conical body and a flat base, an elongated neck with an applied rim, 6.2cm high; a clear glass flask with a narrow elongated neck enlivened with four concentric bands, decorated with a trail pattern on the squat, broad conical body, ring base, 15.2cm high; and a glass stirring rod in amber with thin lines of white glass spiralling down the rod, 15.3cm high, (3)
Provenance: The perfume flask is from private collection, Beverley Hills, USA, acquired prior to 1975; the clear glass flask was acquired from the collection of Dr Carl Kempe (1884-1967), Sweden (sold Bonhams 29 April 2004, lot 151); and the stirring rod is from private collection UK, acquired prior to 1983.
£400-600 *
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THIRTEEN LATE ROMAN AND BYZANTINE BRONZE BUCKLES
Circa 4th-9th Century A.D.
With loop and tongue, decorated with openwork crosses and geometric motifs, with hoops on the underside, 3cm-7cm long (13)
Provenance: Silk Collection, London, formed in the 1950s.
£100-£150 *
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A POTTERY OLPE
In the Corinthian style, the body with friezes of birds, panthers and flowers added in umber slip, with a handle joining the body and flaring rim, terminating in two discs with starburst decoration, 28cm high
Provenance: Ex German collection, acquired from Michael Schindler, Cologne, in 1979. Accompanied by a letter from Michael Schindler discussing the piece dated to 1979.
£100-£120 *
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THREE ROMAN RED-WARE POTTERY VESSELS
Circa 3rd-5th Century A.D.
Including a large platter with a central motif of alternating palm leaves and rosettes, with incised bands, 43.5cm diam, a bowl with two incised bands on the inside, 31.3cm diam, and another plate, 29cm diam, (3)
Provenance: UK private collection, acquired from the UK trade, Harrogate, prior to 2000.
£200-£300 *
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A ROMAN BRONZE OIL LAMP
Circa 2nd Century A.D.
With a leaf handle and ring below, and incised decoration around the extended spout, 13.5cm long
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£400-£600 *
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A GROUP OF ROMAN RED SLIPWARE FRAGMENTS
North African, circa 3rd-5th Century A.D.
Including one with a Chi-Ro, another with the head of a sea god, and various animals and a human head, 4.5cm-15cm long, (10)
Provenance: Ex Hans and Edith Abarbanell Collection, formed in London in the mid-20th Century. One from the Archer collection, formed in the 20th Century.
£30-£60 *
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A BYZANTINE BRONZE OIL LAMP
Circa 5th-6th Century A.D.
With a cross shaped handle with a hoop underneath, a flaring spout, and the base pierced for attachment, 14.5cm long
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£700-£900 *
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A BYZANTINE BRONZE CENSER
Circa 6th-7th Century A.D.
Hexagonal in shape, with three chains joined together with a cross and a hook for suspension, 35cm high (including the chain) x 10cm diam
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£1,000-£1,200 *
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TWO HELLENISTIC GOLD EARRINGS
Circa 4th-3rd Century B.C.
Each with a twisted hoop, hooked into a hoop at the end, with animal head terminals, one with the head of a bull and a gold bead behind the head, the other with the head of a ram or goat and a glass bead behind the head, 1.4cm-1.9cm diam, (2)
Provenance: The Thétis Collection, Geneva, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1970. De Clercq Collection, Paris prior to 1911.
Published: J.-L. Zimmermann, 'Collection de la Fondation Thétis', Geneva, 1987, pp. 78-9, no. 142.
£300-£400 *
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A MEDIEVAL SILVER RING
Circa 12th Century A.D.
The hoop with incised decoration, three ridges on each shoulder, scrolling designs on the shanks of the high bezel, which is octagonal with a gilded fleur de lys, ring size R ½
Provenance: Private collection of Christopher Jones, acquired in circa 1979. Found in South Switzerland.
£400-£600 *
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A ROMAN LAPIS LAZULI INTAGLIO
Circa 1st Century A.D.
Depicting a goat standing next to a cornucopia, mounted into a modern Geogian-style fob, 1.7cm diam
Provenance: UK private collection, acquired by the owner's grandfather during the 1960s or 1970s. Thence by descent.
£500-£700 *
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FIVE EUROPEAN BRONZE FIBULAE
Circa 1st-5th Century A.D.
Including a Romano-British bronze fibula, with central rib with leaves design on the arch, 6cm long; a Gallo-Roman bronze fibula in the shape of a phallus, with traces of enamel remaining, 3.2cm long; a Gallo-Roman bronze fibula in the form of a cicada, 2.7cm long; a European bronze disc fibula with enamel, 3.3cm diam; and a Romano-British enamelled fibula, 3.5cm, (5)
Provenance: The Romano-British fibula, found in Piercebridge, County Durham; the fibula in the shape of a phallus from a UK private collection; the cicada fibula from a UK private collection, acquired in 1991; the bronze disc fibula from a UK private collection, acquired in 1988; and the Romano-British enamelled fibula from a UK private collection.
£500-£700 *
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A GROUP OF GLASS AND HARDSTONE BEADS
Circa 2nd Millennium B.C. to Islamic Period and later
Including Phoenician and later glass eye beads; Islamic trailed and combed coloured glass beads; Ancient Near eastern carnelian beads; and a number of other coloured glass beads and an amber bead (a lot)
Provenance: Spanish private collection, acquired in the 1970s.
£300-£500 *
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A GROUP OF ANCIENT BEADS
Circa 3rd Millennium B.C. to Roman Period
Mostly Near Eastern and restrung together to form a long necklace, with some beads loose, composed of etched carnelian, glass, and shell beads, some in the form of animals, the largest bead 2.5cm wide, (a lot)
Provenance: UK private collection, London, acquired from John Hewett in about 1965.
£100-£150 *
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A GROUP OF GLASS AND STONE BEADS
Roman to Islamic Period and later
Including various mosaic glass beads, plain glass beads, and stone beads, including large black stone cylindrical beads, some strung together, the largest bead 2cm long, (a lot)
Provenance: Ex Donald Simmonds collection, London, formed in the late 20th Century.
£30-£50 *
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THREE ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 2nd-3rd Century A.D.
Each circular in shape with spouts, with moulded decoration, two depicting a leaping animal, the other with a floral decoration, 8cm-10cm long, (3)
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£120-£150 *
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SIX ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 1st-3rd Century A.D.
Including one example with moulded scrolling decoration on the spout, 9.5cm long; another with indistinct moulded decoration and a hoop handle, 9cm wide; another without a handle and with moulded circular decoration around the central perforation, 9cm wide; and three plain examples, one with red slip covering the top, 6.2cm-7.5cm wide, (6)
Provenance: Ex private collection, The Netherlands, acquired in the late 20th Century.
£100-£150 *
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SEVEN ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 1st Century A.D.
Each with moulded decoration, with radiating lines, scrolls extending from the spout, and groups of three circles on the body, with makers' marks underneath, 9cm long, (7)
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£300-£500 *
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THREE TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Late Bronze Age to 4th Century A.D.
Including a Levantine late Bronze Age pinched oil lamps on a ring foot, one with moulded decoration, with palm leaves on the spout, and another, 9cm-13cm long, (3)
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£100-£120 *
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FOUR ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 4th Century A.D.
Each with moulded design, with radiating lines, scrolling, and palm leaves, one with facial features on one side of the body, 8cm-10.5cm long, (4)
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£120-£150 *
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TWO ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 4th Century A.D.
Each with moulded decoration on the spout and body, and small handles, 10-11cm long, (2)
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£100-£120 *
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SIX ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 4th Century A.D.
Each with moulded decoration, with radiating lines, scrolling, and palm leaves, some with small handles, and one with a terracotta head of a woman added, 8cm-12cm long, (6)
Provenance: The property from a UK private collection, acquired between 1948 and 2000.
£150-£200 *
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FIVE ROMAN TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 1st-3rd Century A.D.
Each with moulded decoration, including one example with a central motif of a bird, possibly a goose, and a foliate vine surround the central disc, 9.5cm wide; another with a central motif of a palm leaf, with diagonal lines around the outside, 12cm wide; another with central motif possibly of a figure, 9.5cm wide; another with central motif of a leaping hare, with scrolling design surrounding, 11.5cm wide; and a final example with a bust of Serapis in profile on the central, and foliate design including a bunch of grapes surrounding, with maker's mark underneath, 12.5cm wide, (5)
Provenance: Ex private collection, The Netherlands, acquired in the late 20th Century.
£200-£300 *
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TWO BYZANTINE TERRACOTTA OIL LAMPS
Circa 6th-8th Century A.D.
Each with a single handle and moulded decoration on the shoulder and nozzle, 9cm-10cm long, (2)
Provenance: Acquired by the owner's family prior to 1956. Thence by descent.
£60-£80 *
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AN MARBLE FIGURE OF APHRODITE, AFTER THE ANTIQUE
Depicted nude, the fragmentary figure bent slightly over and the body in the curve of contrapposto,
Provenance: Sotheby's London, 3 December 1991, lot 376. Dr Barnet Fine Collection, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
£700-£900 *
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A GROUP OF SOTHEBY'S ANTIQUITIES CATALOGUES
Sotheby's, New York: 6 Dec 2012, 11 June 2010, 10 Dec 2009, 10 Dec 2008, 5 June 2008, 5 Dec 2007, 11 Dec 2002, 13 June 2002 (Antiquities and Islamic Art), 9 Dec 1999 (The Christios G. Bastis Collection), 10 Dec 1999, and 5 June 1999; and Sotheby's, London, 5 Nov 2002; AND A GROUP OF MISCELLANEOUS ANTIQUITIES AUCTION CATALOGUES, including: fourteen Timeline Auctions catalogues, with 11 from 2016 auctions, and then one each from 16 Dec 2010, 1 Dec 2011, and 15 Mar 2013; three Phillips Tribal Art and Antiquities catalogues, London, with two from 11 April 2001, and one from 10 April 2000; two Hirsch-Auktion catalogues, with no.228, 17 Sept 2003, and no.248, 6 Feb 2007; and Gorny and Mosch catalogue, no.194, 14 Dec 2010, (32)
£150-£200 *
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