Description:

Greece, Geometric Period, ca. late 8th to early 7th century BCE. A fascinating object, a long cast bronze wine stopper with the majority of its surface studded with projecting, discs that are closely placed. At one end is the openwork head of an abstract zoomorphic creature with eyes and snout nicely delineated; at the opposite end is a large projecting disc. Items like this one have been found in several areas of the northern Greek peninsula - from Macedonia to Boeotia - but their meaning is not fully known. For many years, people have believed that these were used as a form of stopper for a jug or amphora, however they no examples have been found with a vessel. Given this, perhaps we still have a mystery on our hands. Size: 3.875" L x .625" in diameter at widest point x 2.875" H (9.8 cm x 1.6 cm x 7.3 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#144180

  • Condition: Intact, with an attractive sea green patina. Light signs of wear commensurate with age. Areas of encrustations around the projections and visage as shown.

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August 6, 2019 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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