Francesca Hickin
Head of Department
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Lot 56
A Greek black-glazed pottery phiale mesomphalos
1 December 2020, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £4,462.50 inc. premium
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Anna Marston
Associate Specialist
A Greek black-glazed pottery phiale mesomphalos
South Italy, Calenian, circa late 3rd-early 2nd Century B.C.
Depicting the apotheosis of Herakles, with four quadrigae around the centre, each driven by Nike with a seated deity as parabates, each followed by a flying Eros holding out a fillet to the deity, in one chariot, Herakles, bearded, with club in his left hand and lion's skin around his lower limbs, below the horses a fawn springing forward, Ares in the next, with helmet, cuirass, and shield, below the horses a boar, followed by Dionysus, with long chiton, himation, panther's skin, and thyrsus in left hand, below the horses a hind, a figure in relief on the body of his chariot, and Athena in the last, with crested helmet, long girded chiton, and shield with an aegis, under the horses' legs a coiled serpent, 21cm diam.
South Italy, Calenian, circa late 3rd-early 2nd Century B.C.
Depicting the apotheosis of Herakles, with four quadrigae around the centre, each driven by Nike with a seated deity as parabates, each followed by a flying Eros holding out a fillet to the deity, in one chariot, Herakles, bearded, with club in his left hand and lion's skin around his lower limbs, below the horses a fawn springing forward, Ares in the next, with helmet, cuirass, and shield, below the horses a boar, followed by Dionysus, with long chiton, himation, panther's skin, and thyrsus in left hand, below the horses a hind, a figure in relief on the body of his chariot, and Athena in the last, with crested helmet, long girded chiton, and shield with an aegis, under the horses' legs a coiled serpent, 21cm diam.
Footnotes
Provenance:
Bedfield Hall collection, UK, acquired in the 1970s.
For another pottery phiale mesomphalos depicting the same scene see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 96.18.144.
For a discussion on the connection between terracotta phiale mesomphalos such as the above lot to 5th Century silver philae with the same scene see Gisela M. A. Richter, 'A Greek Silver Phiale in the Metropolitan Museum', American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 45, no. 3, 1941, p. 363-89.