Lot 18A
Greece, Hellenistic Period, ca. late 4th century to 2nd century BCE. A beautiful, delicate silver handle, deliberately bent at an acute angle. One side branches into a wide area for attachment to whatever object - probably a vessel - it once served. The other side terminates in a curved swan neck and head. The use of silver for this piece means that it once belonged to someone elite; after the exhaustion of the Laurion mines the century prior to this period, silver became scarce in Greece. (75.6 g). Size: 5" L x 2.75" W x 2.1" H (12.7 cm x 7 cm x 5.3 cm)
The swan played a complex role in Greek mythology - as the attribute of Aphrodite and Apollo, said to sing a song of unearthly beauty as it dies, and as the form assumed by Zeus to ravish Leda, mother of Helen of Troy. The latter, based on the writings of Ovid and Fulgentius, was well known in the European Middle Ages, and inspired artists, including Michelangelo, during the Italian Renaissance. However, the ancient Greek artisan who made this piece was probably depicting the swan as a general symbol of passion and beauty rather than a direct reference to the Zeus and Leda story - the subject gained its later popularity, because in Christian Europe it was more acceptable to depict women in coitus with a swan than a man, while in ancient Greece there were no such restrictions.
Provenance: private New Jersey USA collection, acquired over twenty years ago
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#121271
- Condition: Cracks in the silver at the bend from use. Non-swan side has losses where it would have been attached. Slight tarnish on surface.
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