Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Ancient World: Greek (152)

Head of a theatrical actor wearing a slave mask.
The mask shows a funnel-shaped mouth and arched eyebrows over beady eyes. The flattish nose with pierced nostrils, the hair combed back with scattered curls behind the elongated neck.
Superb modeling.
New Comedy mask of the hegemon therapon – the leading slave characterized as loudmouth and intriguer.
Terracotta
Greek, Hellenistic Period, 3rd-2nd Century BC
H. 4.9 cm (1.9 in)
H...

Paunchy figure of Silenus shown naked except for an animal skin, the ends of which he holds with his hands.
The slightly bent head shows a shaggy beard, beady eyes, an enormous nose and full lips.
The head shows the caricatural features of a philosopher.
Vivid visual appearance with great modeling...

Entirely hand-modeled terracotta lion resting with crossed forepaws. The elongated body with vividly rendered mane, the tail runs between the legs to rest on the back.
The missing head reveals the buildup of the figure. Excellent modeling.
The collector’s label is covered by a second one referring to Fischer’s 1941 sale and reads B1404-234-pe ist).
The ink inscription is illegible and indicates, as with other pieces of the collector, where the figurine was found...

Full-bodied young bovine standing on short legs. The massive head with short horns, protruding eyes and bulging muzzle. Skin folds around the neck, tail indicated.
Moldmade hollow figure, small vent hole between the hind legs.
White slip all over, remains of yellow ochre and pink pigment. Root marks.
The ink inscription on the bottom refers to Fischer’s 1941 sale and reads 234-B1404-ist pe.
Terracotta
Greek, Early Classical, 5th century BC
L...

Terracotta head of one of the Dioscuri wearing a pointed cap with bulged rim. Strands of wavy hair frame the face.
The head is almost entirely covered with a white slip. The details of the face such as eyes and mouth were rendered with additional colors.
The celestial twins Castor and Pollux, the so-called Dioscuri, were regarded as the patrons of travellers and sailors...

Pan is shown with a goat's head, hoof-shaped feet and the body and legs of a human. The ithyphallic god holds a horn in his raised right hand, a bunch of grapes (?) in his left...

Boeotian terracotta satyr reclining in lascivious pose. His right elbow is propped up on the couch, the right hand rests on the bent knee. The upright head with snub nose, goatee beard and pointed ears.
The potbellied figure is depicted with a long scrotum and a large phallus resting over the left calf.
The figure is almost entirely covered with soil deposits, with much white slip and pink pigment underneath...

Naked dwarf standing in squat position and holding his hands in front of his belly. The head with almond-shaped eyes, thick nose and nice archaic smile. The hair on the back with horizontal steps. The surface covered by a brown glaze.
This kind of paunchy dwarf figurines is thought to be inspired by the dwarf god Paitakos, the Egyptian patron of children.
Collector’s tag (117) behind covered by a second one referring to Fischer’s 1941 sale and reading (B1404-234-ist pe)...

Rare terracotta New Comedy mask of a hilarious elder woman. The elongated face with emphasized upper lids, hooked nose, and wide open mouth.
The hairdo parted with two buns on top. Tiny holes for suspension behind. Remains of white coating.
Comedic female character of the New Comedy, designed to make the audience laugh.
For comparable examples, cf. masks C6 and mainly C7, pp. 53-55, in: Luigi Bernabò Brea. Menandro e il teatro Greco nelle terracotte liparesi...

Handmade White Slip II ware bowl of deep, hemispherical body. With round base and wish-bone handle.
Made of red-brown clay covered with white slip (bluish tint) and decorated with brown ladder pattern. Hooked chain at the handle level, dot rows.
Old inventory number (161) written beneath the handle with ink. Museum card joined.
For an example from the same workshop, cf. reg. no. 1982,0726.1 in the British Museum database.
Ceramic
Cypriot, Late Bronze Age, 1375-...

Beautifully shaped oinochoe covered with a black metallic glossy varnish of excellent quality.
The flat shoulder decorated with radiating strokes in applied red. The body with a meander and a wavy line with circles in the interstices. The handle area framed by vertical lines.
The high swung handle arching from the trefoil mouth to the shoulder.
The concise modeling orientates on jugs made in metal.
For a closely related vase, cf. acc. no. 1971.11.14 in the Metropolit...

Thin walled terracotta plaquette with the head of the scary Medusa in relief. Appealing style, with round face and wavy locks of thick hair.
Medusa is depicted as a beautiful woman, in a sharp change from her monstrous appearance in earlier periods.
Pierced on top for suspension. The thin make points to an amulet rather than a loom weight.
Auction house tag (85) behind.
Terracotta
Greek, 4th century BC
D. 5.5 cm (2.2 in)
Intact, fine condition. Si...

Amphora handle with the name of the annual official Pausanias written around the Rhodian rose emblem.
The stamped text reads: ΕΠΙ ΠΑΥΣΑΑΝΙΑ ΣΜΙΝΘΙΟΥ – in the term of Pausanias, in the month Sminthios (March-April).
Three eponyms with the name Pausanias are known from Rhodian amphoras. Our example refers to Pausanias 3, who held office around 152 BC.
Pausanias 3 is associated with the Rhodian fabricant Timo 2, whose workshop was active from 175-150 BC. ...

Late Corinthian kylix decorated on both sides with geese flanked by griffin-birds. The geese turn their heads back. The griffins show crested heads, sickle-shaped wings and protruding tail feathers.
Black-glaze design on buff ground, incised details, red color on the wings and for some dots applied on the necks.
The kylix belongs to the Workshop of the Bird-Frieze Painter. The workshop began in 600-575 BC with quality-oriented pottery and shifted to coarser mass production around ...

Rare yellow-slipped patera with sculptural handle in the shape of a naked youth with arms upraised as if to support the shallow bowl upon his head.
The representation of the handle follows conventions prevailing since the Archaic Period.
‘Gilded’ pottery (ceramica dorata) is unusual in Apulia, but typically occurs in Canosa. Patera and oinochoe were there part of funeral sets to offer libations to the deceased.
For a set of patera and oinochoe in the Metropolitan Museum...

Rare pouring vessel in the form of a sphinx shown recumbent on a raised base.
The fantastic creature shows a beautiful female head with chubby facial features. The curly hair is entwined with ivy leaves.
The imposing lion body with powerful clawed paws and short wings attached to the sides. The cord around the neck is knotted between the breasts.
The figure is conceived as a pouring vessel. Next to the wing and the rear handle is a raised ridge with a sieve-like inlet. The p...

The head of Dionysos with almond-shaped eyes, a strong nose and a small mouth with pursed lips.
The broad beard with fine wavy strands. Undulated, slender moustache. The hairdo with strands of hair that end in curls, without the hair band above. Traces of red (carmine) pigment on the forehead and the beard.
Fine archaic style, excellent modeling. Mounted on an acrylic stand.
For a related example, cf. fig. no. C388, Staatliche Antikensammlung Munich.
Terracotta decor...

The panels with extraordinary depictions of a gender-based division of labor.
The hunting scene shows a naked man with a spear grasping at a bird hidden behind a large ivy leaf which may represent the forest grove.
On the other side a woman with diminutive head and outstretched arms. Assuming that plants are denoted by contouring dots, she is standing next to three trees in her garden.
Figural depictions on this type of pottery are rare. Ingenuous style in silhouette techni...