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Sensual Greek Hellenistic Terracotta of Aphrodite
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Pre AD 1000 item# 807465
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$2375.00
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This exceptional Greek Hellenistic terracotta was mold made from a light brown clay, and has traces of a thin white glaze. This piece dates circa 250-150 B.C. and is in superb condition, with no apparent repair/restoration. This piece is very voluptuous, and has a very sensuous body and beautiful face. There is no question that this piece was meant to portray a young Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love. This piece is likely from Myrina in Asia Minor, as this center produced the finest of Greek terracottas in the late Hellenistic period. (For the type see "Classical Terracotta Figures" by James Chesterman, Ward Lock Limited Pub., London, 1974, no. 85.) This figure has her hair set in a detailed "melon-type" coiffure, and she is seen seated nude with her hands at her side. This piece was likely votive as well, and/or was possibly a fertility offering. This piece is exceptional in that the molding, relative to the hair and the face, is very detailed as it is beautiful. This piece is approximately 4.7 inches high and sits on a custom black plexiglas stand. A beautiful exceptional example that is not often seen on the market in this quality. 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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Greek Terracotta Bust of a Goddess
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Pre AD 1000 item# 807349
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$285.00
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This Greek terracotta bust dates circa 3rd-2nd century B.C. and is approximately 2.25 inches high. This piece was mold made and probably represents Persephone, as the portrait is of a young woman. This piece was also votive. as the ancient Greeks believed that the restoration of this goddess to the upper world promised the faithful their own resurrection from death. Zeus decreed that Persephone must pass four to six months a year with Hades as queen of the Underworld, and the rest of the time on earth. This cycle also represents the change of the seasons and the cycle of birth and re-birth. This piece is complete, has some thick mineral deposits, and is mounted on a custom stand. 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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Greek Marble Cycladic Idol, circa 3rd Millennium BC
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Pre AD 1000 item# 581392
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$3,275.00
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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). Both of these examples 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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Rare Greek Archaic Marble Griffon Table Leg
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Pre AD 1000 item# 599951
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$5800.00
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This rare Greek marble dates from the 6th-4th century B.C., and is the upper torso of a griffon. This esoteric piece was part of a table leg known as a "trapezophoros" that supported a table top with several other identical legs. 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 griffon symbolized the destroying power of the gods, and during the 5th-4th century B.C., it came to represent an anti-Persian symbol. A number of Greek gold staters, minted by Alexander the Great, had this symbol on the Corinthian helmet of Athena that 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 finally smashed the Persian army by decimating over 65,000 Persians, and this battle forever defined the ultimate confrontation between the East and the West. In ancient Greek art, the griffon 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 stand it is 17.5 inches high. The piece is quite heavy, and it rotates on the stand as well. This piece has some chips to the mouth area and to the right ear, otherwise the bust of the griffon is nearly complete. This piece has a nice light brown patina and it is a very decorative piece. The griffon is seen with an open mouth and it exudes a lively look. An extremely rare piece with a great deal of symbolism. Ex: F. Hirsch collection, Munich, Germany. Ex: Private German collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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