Description:

Ancient Greece, Athens, ca. 500 BCE. A striking black-figure olpe featuring Nike - the winged goddess of victory, speed, and strength - in composite profile, donning flowing garments with incised drapery folds and trims, her wings projecting outwards, assuming a victorious pose that certainly demonstrates her power. She is flanked by a pair of attendants, a male and a female, each one standing in profile, facing Nike, and holding a very long spear. The entire composition is beneath an attractive register of alternating striated and beaded bands. Size: 5.375" in diameter x 8.75" H (13.7 cm x 22.2 cm)

This vessel presents a wonderful example of Attic black-figure painting - a painting technique from the Archaic period. The artist first painted with slipware and then carefully scratched into it with a type of needle in order to incise the lines, thus creating delightful figures and patterns. In this case, the artist has depicted Nike, a popular figure featured in a variety of tablewares from this period.

Provenance: ex-Cincinnati Art Museum, acquired in 1884, (accession no.1884.219); Property of Cincinnati Art Museum; Antiquities, Sotheby’s, New York, 14 December 1994, lot 258.

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.

#129529

  • Condition: Missing handle. Surface pitting. Loss to base. Repaired from multiple pieces with area of restoration to lower right of central panel. Comes with old Sotheby's auction tag.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

February 15, 2018 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000