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Rare Archaic Greek Marble Griffin Table Leg
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Sculpture:
Pre AD 1000 item# 599951
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$5675.00
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This extremely rare Greek marble dates from the 6th-4th century B.C., and is the upper torso of a griffin. This esoteric piece was part of a table leg known as a "trapezophoros" that supported a table top with several other identical legs. The "trapezophoros" types are usually designed with panther or lion heads, and the rarest type is the griffon type, and only a handful of these examples are known. This piece has a bird-like mouth and tongue, with cat-like short ears and eyes, and eagle feathers seen on each side of the neck. For the Greeks, the griffin symbolized the destroying power of the gods, and during the 5th-4th century B.C., it came to represent an anti-Persian symbol. A limited number of Greek gold staters, minted by Alexander the Great in Asia, had this symbol on the Corinthian helmet of Athena, which was seen on the obverse of this coinage. This symbol was also prevalent on Greek armour at the battle of Gaugamela in September 331 B.C., where Alexander the Great finally smashed the Persian army by decimating over 165,000 Persians, and this battle forever defined the ultimate confrontation between the East and the West. In ancient Greek art, the griffin was also applied in the decoration of friezes, and the Romans followed this tradition, with one of the finest examples seen at the temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome. This piece is approximately 14.5 inches high, and on the custom wooden stand it is 17.5 inches high. This solid piece is quite heavy, and it rotates on the stand as well, allowing one to easily display this piece at different angles. This piece has some chips to the mouth area and to the right ear, otherwise the bust of the griffin is nearly complete. This esoteric piece has a nice light brown patina and it is a very decorative piece. The griffin is seen with an open mouth and it exudes a lively look. An extremely rare early Greek piece with a great deal of symbolism. Ex: F. Hirsch collection, Germany. Ex: Private German collection. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Rare Greek Marble Cycladic Idol: 3rd Millennium BC
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Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Sculpture:
Pre AD 1000 item# 581392
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$2,875.00
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This esoteric piece is a fragment of a Greek Cycladic idol of the "kiliya" female type, Early Bronze Age II, circa 2700-2400 BC. This torso fragment is about one third of the complete piece that it once was, and the breaks are at the lower neck/upper shoulder and below the waist of the figurine. This piece matches the scale and type of a complete piece that is seen in Sotheby's Antiquities, Dec. 2004, no. 223 (This piece sold for $764,000.00 including the buyer's premium). The piece noted above and the example offered here, both display three lines in the form of a triangle that defines the waist and the female abdomen. This highly stylized type of piece is a fusion of geometric forms, with relatively massive heads carved in the round atop long and slender necks, broad shoulders that slope in graceful curves that end abruptly at the elbows, and arms that are set off from the torso by oblique cuts. There are about 30 known complete examples of this rare marble type, and generally range in height from about 6 to 7 inches. This torso fragment is approximately 2.8 inches high, and if complete, would fall within the range of a complete example as noted above. The "Kiliya" name comes from a site near Gallipoli, where a figure now in the American School of Classical Studies in Athens was reputedly found. This type of piece is also known as a "stargazer" type, as the heads are all turned upwards and appear to face up to the sky. This type of piece is also thought to be western Anatolian in origin, with examples known from the Troad and from Mysia, Caria, and Lycia. This piece has heavy calcite mineral deposits seen on the backside and some lighter deposits on the front side, indicating a burial pattern. Authentic pieces like this with provenance are simply not on the market today, and even fragments like this are extremely rare. (A fragment of this type, size, and proportion was offered in New York in NFA Classical Auctions, Inc., Dec. 1991, no. 62, $6,000.00-$8,000.00 estimates.) For additional related examples see J. Thimme, "Art and Culture of the Cyclades in the Third Millenium B.C.", Chicago, 1977, no. 560-566; and "Kunst der Kykladen", Karlsruhe Museum Exhibit 1976, no.560 and 565. Ex: Bomford collection. Ex: Private German collection. (Additional documentation is available to the purchaser.) I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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