Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Ancient World (292)

Rare alabastron of conical shape and flat base, disk mouth and strap handle.
Decorated with brown and reddish bands around the body. Near the bottom a reserved band with hooks (stylized running dogs). Brown tongues on neck and collar, brown bars on the handle.
Similar to the Egg of Columbus, this type of flat-bottomed alabastron needs no additional support to stand upright.
The rarity of Columbus alabastra is noteworthy.
For a related example, cf. accession no...

Free blown light green glass amphoriskos showing a tall cylindrical neck decorated with spiral trails.
Two rod handles applied to the edge of the shoulder.
The flared mouth with inward folded rim. The slightly concave base with a pontil scar.
Glass
Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, 3rd-4th century AD
H. 6 cm (2.4 in)
Intact with layers of silvery iridescence.
Swiss private collection Edgar A. Mills, prior to 1956...

Nicely modeled bronze figure of a horse with elongated body, stiff legs and long tail.
The head shows a flattened muzzle with incised mouth, domed eyes and alert ears.
The tail with hatched incisions. Suspension loop at the base of the neck.
Bronze
Luristan, 8th-7th century BC
L. 6.7 cm (2.6 in)
H. 3.8 cm (1.5 in)
Intact and fine...

Fine hand-modeled vessel with shallow body, rounded shoulder and short neck with slightly flared rim.
The ribbon handles arching from the rim to the edge of the shoulder. On each side applied molded ribs and a spiky knob at center.
The polished surface with traces of the modeling stick.
For a related example, cf. lot no. 180 in: Ines Jucker. Italy of the Etruscans. Mainz 1991.
Ceramic, Impasto ware
Etruscan, Villanova Culture, 750-650 BC
H...

Carefully polished impasto ware amphora of biconical shape. The handles span from the slightly flared mouth to the shoulder.
The shoulder area enhanced with molded ridges.
Hand-built dark brown impasto with carefully smoothed surface. Dendrite-like deposits.
For related examples, cf. CVA Warsaw, Musée National 6, 4345, pl. 38.5 (inv. 147348) and pl. 38.13 (inv. 147340). Beazley archive no...

Etruscan bowl of shallow form with two vertical ribs and false cord decoration on the inward sloping rim. The single handle is marked with grooves. Set on a high flared foot.
For a related example, cf. lot no. 194 in: Ines Jucker. Italy of the Etruscans. Mainz 1991.
Ceramic, Impasto ware
Etruscan, 7th century BC
H. to handle 12 cm (4.7 in)
H. to rim 9 cm (3.5 in)
D. 17.5 cm (6.9 in)
Intact. Reddish brown impasto with carefully smoothed surface...

Roman bronze eagle standing with outspread wings on the head of an antelope. The eagle is modeled in the round, tail and wing feathers are engraved. The head of the prey is worked as an attachment.
The eagle on the antelope head is associated to the worship of Jupiter Dolichenus, whose syncretic mystery cult was widespread among Roman soldiers since the time of Vespasian.
Publication record: Sonderliste V, December 1985 sale catalogue, lot no. 40. Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel. ...

Buff colored ointment vase with the characteristic wide mouth, globular body, and high conical foot.
The neck and most of the foot covered with red-brown glaze. Concentric bands around the upper part of the body.
For a related example, cf. CVA Cambridge (MA), Fogg Museum and Gallatin Collections, 13, pl. (339) 1.1. Beazley vase no. 1001443.
Ceramic
East Greek, 6th century BC
H. 11.2 cm (4.4 in)
D. body 7.5 cm (3 in)
Intact, surface slightly worn. ...

Hand-modeled female figure with bird-like facial features, including applied eyes and a pointed beak-like nose. At the nape a trapezoidal hair design fixed with a clay strip.
Her left arm placed over the chest, the other to her thigh. Wide angular shoulders. The neck enhanced with a collar of tiny beads.
The body in the shape of a simple column with slightly evert foot.
Terracotta
H. 10.4 cm (4.1 in)
Near Eastern, Syro-Hittite, 2nd Millennium BC
Intact ...

Rare amuletic pendant in the form of a herm with youthful bust to the top. The slender square section pillar shaped body with lugs to the side. A suspension loop to the back.
Herms were used as boundary markers on roads and borders. They were also placed outside houses to ward off harm or evil. In its amuletic form the herm was associated with fertility and good luck.
Bronze
Roman, 1st-2nd century AD
H. 3.3 cm (1.3 in)
Intact, fine condition. Soil deposits.

Pear-shaped flask decorated with concentric circles and cross-hatched diamonds on the body.
The tubular neck with folded rim was applied separately. Slightly pushed-in base with traces of a pontil mark.
Glass of dull amber in color with patches of iridescence.
Glass
Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, 3rd-4th century AD
H. 13 cm (5.1 in)
Intact. Weathered areas and silvery iridescence.
Swiss private collection Zurich.

The authenticity of ...

Slender bronze axe head with rounded cutting edge and eyelet on the narrow side.
The upper lobes bent inwards to better fit the forked shaft, which was fixed with twine or rawhide. Hook-like projections on the neck.
Palstave is the typical axe form of the Middle Bronze Age, 1500-1275 BC. Late palstave types tend to have narrower blades, as in our case.
For the type, cf. fig. 4.4.3, p. 83 in: Ulrike Weller. Äxte und Beile. Berlin 2018. The range of the type includes Central ...

Large lanceolate hand axe made of a flake of tan quartzite. Bifacial tool with carefully worked front side. The rougher back side with fewer removals. Cutting edges and surface weathered by sand and wind action.
This type of tool making stands for the presence of Palaeolithic populations in North Africa.
For the hominid evolution in the Sahara and North Africa, cf. Brown University Course ARCH 1616: Brett Kaufman. Between Sahara and Sea: North Africa from Human Origins to Islam. Pr...

Large ovate hand axe made of a flake of tan quartzite. Bifacial tool with neat front side, the coarser back side with some removal of flakes. The continuous cutting edge weathered by sand and wind action.
This type of tool making is characteristic of the presence of Palaeolithic populations in North Africa.
For the hominid evolution in the Sahara and North Africa, cf. Brown University Course ARCH 1616 (pdf): Brett Kaufman. Between Sahara and Sea: North Africa from Human Origins to ...

Large ovate hand axe made of a flake of tan quartzite. Bifacial tool with carefully worked front side. The rougher back side with fewer removals. The continuous cutting edge weathered by sand and wind action.
This type of tool stands for the presence of Palaeolithic populations in North Africa.
For the hominid evolution in the Sahara and in North Africa, cf. Brown University Course ARCH 1616: Brett Kaufman. Between Sahara and Sea: North Africa from Human Origins to Islam. Providenc...

Large black-figure skyphos decorated with reclining men facing rams. Female attendants on either side walk away as they look back.
The men rest on mats, their elbows propped on pillows, three loaves of bread at their sides. The men are of different ages, the older one has a beard.
Both wear the petasos, the hat of travelers and farmers, and are dressed in a white chiton and a heavy himation decorated with red dots.
The rams in front of them show incisions and details in appl...

Fine rim fragment showing the fight of Herakles against the snake-headed hydra.
The hero brandishes his club while three snake heads appear in front of his chest. The monster’s body winds around the hero’s legs.
Herakles is shown with a muscular body. His face is carefully rendered, as well as the fur of the lion’s skin or the knobs of his club.
The hydra shows tiny scales on the body and the snake heads.
The present Herakles scene comes from the same mold as ...

Votive figure of a naked woman, standing with her arms to the thighs. The head shows schematic features and a casket like wig. Schematic rendering of the body, crudely carved in the round.
Enhanced with red and black painted decoration. Red for the necklaze, the upper arm bracelets and the (decorative lines) around the shins. Remains of black on the hair and the pelvic triangle.
Freestanding figures are comparatively rare. Other variants show women standing within shrines or niche...