Description:

There is a reserve on this lot... Greece, Athens, ca. 550 to 500 BCE. A captivating pottery belly amphora from the cradle of democracy, ancient Athens, featuring a characteristic continuous profile from lip to foot, round handles, straight lip to the mouth, and a gorgeous convex body, all enlivened by black-figure decoration with added white and crimson paint. The first side depicts a helmeted Greek warrior, possibly Achilles, holding a shield decorated with three white dots in his left hand, a spear in his right, flanked by two standing draped male attendants. Alternatively, the other side portrays a standing nude figure of a warrior holding a spear in his left hand, flanked by two further male attendants, with crimson bands above and on the groundline and rays emanating from the base. Size: 8" Diameter x 11.3" H (20.3 cm x 28.7 cm)

Ancient Athenian painters, including the painter of this vessel, took advantage of the large size of Attic vases which gave them more room to explore their techniques, overlap figures, present complex interactions between figures, create depth and attempt renderings of perspective.

Exhibited: On loan to the Antiquities Museum, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, October 1988 - April 2008.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection; ex-Bonhams London, United Kingdom, October 15, 2008, lot 5; ex-private Graham Geddes collection; ex-Sotheby's London, Antiquities, December 8th, 1986, lot 228

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.

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#190941

    Condition:
  • A few small chips to rim, periphery of foot, and paint in some areas. Age-expected surface wear as shown, but otherwise, intact and excellent with impressive preservation of pigment and detail. Nice iridescence to black glaze and scattered earthen deposits.

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January 9, 2025 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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