-
Etruscan Bucchero Pottery Kantharos, ca. 758-264 BC. A ceramic vessel with high handles, meant for consuming wine. Flanged border between the body and the foot displays dozens of incised grooves. The rim is smooth, and the upper and of each handle flows seamlessly into the body if the vessel. Bucchero is an Etruscan type of pottery named for the specific firing technique which results in a smooth, shiny black finish. Size: 21.6 x 13.3 cm. Portions os both handles repaired with some overpainting and light adhesive residue along break lines, One handle stabilized with some new material and overpainting along fissure line. Light earthen deposits within recessed areas. -
Underglaze cobalt blue and white porcelain plate decorated with a bamboo border, key fret above the blue ring, and a bush of chrysanthemums in the centre. The bottom is decorated with stylized clouds and flowers, a border of lotus petals and signed with a general mark in the centre. Diameter: 29.5 cm; Height: 3.5 cm. -
Footed plate with scalloped rim, centre decorated with running yak or another even-toed animal among flowers, jewel diaper pattern to the inner lip; foliage motif to the outside is bordered with foliage above and lotus leaves below. Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration. Ming Dynasty [大明] (1368 – 1644); Wanli Era (1572 – 1620); Late 16th – Early 17th century. Diameter: 25.5 cm; Height: 4.2 cm -
Moulded and sculpted earthenware horse with dark-blue, cream-dappled body, green and cream saddle pad, amber and cream saddle, and amber harness details. H: 28 cm. -
A vessel of flattened ovoid form supported on a tall splayed foot and surmounted by a short neck with the galleried rim. The shoulders set with a pair of loop handles, the body moulded on both sides with a Phenix surrounded with meandering floral and foliate scrolls. Covered with irregular splashes of green, amber, cream, and blue glazes, dripping down the foot. Foot bottom unglazed (beige body). China, the Tang dynasty [唐朝] (618 – 907). Height: 18.5 cm; Width: 13 cm -
Tin-glazed earthenware salt cellars decorated with winged creatures and grotesque paintings. Restored, losses. Size: 16 x 16 cm; Height: 2.5 cm. Attributed to Deruta, Italy, c. 1600. -
Pre-Columbian, South Coast of Peru, Nazca, ca. 22- BCE - 125 CE.Polychrome vessel of organic, phytomorphic form and thin walls finely painted with six slithering serpents and protruding floral motifs in hues of red, orange, cream, black, grey, and white.
Chips of base and rim. Pressure fissures on and a bit above the base. Surface wear commensurate with age.
Size: Diameter: 19 cm; Height: 16 cm; Mouth diameter: 8.5 cm.
-
Round plate with a blue and white design of blossoming bamboo and chrysanthemums in the centre with a border of lattice and floral sprays. Diameter: 34 cm, Haight: 5.5 cm. -
Underglaze cobalt blue and white Zhangzhou (Swatow) porcelain plate decorated vigorously and spontaneously with a bird in the landscape, and flowers in oval cartouches among waves or fish scale diaper. Sand particles on the base. Ming Dynasty [大明] (1368 – 1644); Wanli Era (1572 – 1620); Late 16th – Early 17th century. Diameter: 28.2 cm; Height: 4.0 cm -
Small amber-glazed marbled (Jiaotai) pottery tripod censer. Inside the glaze is monochrome because the clay itself is not marbled. Spur marks on the bottom. Small chip on a lip. China, Henan province, the Tang dynasty [唐朝] (618 – 907). Diameter: 6.3 cm; Height: 5.5 cm. -
Bowl with tapered sides, lavender-blue glaze and a large purple splash on the interior; yellowish rim; foot unglazed. China, the Yuan Dynasty [大元] (1279 – 1368). Diameter: 21 cm; Height: 9 cm. -
Tin-glazed earthenware footed lidded cup decorated with winged creatures and grotesque paintings, Bachus and Cupid inside. Minor losses Diameter: 16 cm; Height: 18 cm. Attributed to Deruta, Italy, c. 1600. -
Seller provided description:"Finely painted via the red-figure technique, an elegant pelike vessel of a classic globular form with a cylindrical neck rising to a flared rim, and twin fluted handles, all upon a raised, concave, disc foot.Side A depicts a winged Eros who stands in contrapposto facing toward the left, in the nude save sandals, bracelets, a beaded sash, and a stephane (wreath) holding a situla (pail) in his left hand and gesturing toward the seated maenad before him. Though with her breasts exposed, the maenad does wear a lower garment, and is bedecked with a stephane, multiple bracelets, and strands of pearls around her neck - all delineated in fugitive white and yellow pigment. She holds a mirror in her left upraised hand and leans upon a tambourine with her right elbow. Above and to the right is a maker's mark of a circular format with a central X that is further adorned by nested wedges and dot motifs. Side B presents two opposing standing draped male figures, the gent on the left leaning upon a walking stick. Complementing the figural program, is a lovely decorative program adorning both sides of the vessel, with bands of laurel leaves above and a repeating Greek key/meander below. An outstanding example, masterfully wheel thrown, so that we see absolutely no signs of any jogs in the transitions between the different elements of the vase. Moreover, it presents ideal proportions perfect for presenting the superb painted iconographic/decorative program. The painting was executed with the utmost skill and artistry - the red-figure technique enabling the artist to delineate the figures' musculature, facial details, as well as the cascading drapery folds with extensive fugitive paint embellishments.Expected surface wear with some scuffs and pigment losses commensurate with age, but the painted program is generally very well preserved. Area of repair/restoration to cloak of male on right (Side B). Minute nick to left of male on left (Side B). Nice root marks throughout and areas of encrustation. Thermoluminescence (TL) report: the piece has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. Equivalent age: 2400 +/- 300 years. Certificate of Authenticity from Artemis Gallery. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection. Greece, Southern Italy, Apulia, ca. 330 BCE.Size: 6.75" in diameter x 9.875" H (17.1 cm x 25.1 cm)Polina de Mauny, being both attentive and knowledgeable, was the first who noticed a possible mistake in the description above. It is highly probable that the woman on side A is not a maenad but Aphrodite herself, holding a mirror and leaning on a shield. Maenads were "often portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and intoxication". The situla, held by Eros, unequivocally alludes to Dionysian ritual, which has to do as much with maenads as with Aphrodite. The nature of two men on side B remain unclear. -
Round plate with a blue and white design of blossoming peony behind a fence with lattice and floral border; flowers to the bottom. Diameter: 33 cm, Haight: 4.5 cm. -
The pillow is moulded as a recumbent tiger, the details painted in dark brown and pale russet on a white slip and under a clear glaze, and the slightly dished top is painted with a winged beast. China, the Jin dynasty [金朝] (1115 – 1234). Dimensions: 12 x 34.5 x 19.5 cm -
Footed round dish depicting a gentleman in an urban landscape holding a halberd in a style of "Arlecchino di Montelupo". Unsigned. Chips to the bottom. Diameter: 32.5 cm; Height: 4.5 cm. Produced in Italy, in Montelupo, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of Florence. 17th century, probably the first half. "After 1630, the year of the great plague, the number of potters reduced considerably and in the second half of the 1600s production suffered a drastic slump, potteries that specialized in a more prestigious production disappeared completely leaving only the potteries that produced kitchenware and terracotta objects" [www.tuscany-charming.it]. -
Small six-lobed tripod censer with an outer surface decorated in a form of dragon skin, distant parts of the feet and centre of the bottom unglazed, a drip of blue glaze inside. China, the Tang dynasty [唐朝] (618 – 907). Diameter: 8 cm; Height: 7 cm. -
Pre-Columbian, South Coast of Peru, Nazca, ca. 400 - 600 CE. Polychrome double-spout, or stir-up vessel (jar, or bottle), decorated on both sides with designs of masked Mythical Spotted Cat (or the Cat Deity) with a trophy head. Colors: Black, Cream, Gray, Orange, White, Dark Red, Light Red (8 colors).
Size: 17.2 x 14 cm.
References:- A Sourcebook of Nasca Ceramic Iconography: Reading a Culture through Its Art. Donald A. Proulx. University of Iowa Press, 2006; pp. 88-91. [LIB-1556].
- The Archaeology and Pottery of Nazca, Peru: Alfred Kroeber’s 1926 Expedition. Alfred L. Kroeber and Donald Collier, edited by Patrick H. Carmichael with an afterword by Katharina J. Schreiber. AltaMira Press in coop. with Field Museum, Chicago, Il., 1998; p.121. [LIB-1557].
Ex Arte Xibalba, Florida; Ex Robert Dowling Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
