Lot 19
  • 19

An Apulian Red-figured Calyx Krater, attributed to the Painter of Athens 1714, circa 375-350 B.C.

Estimate
60,000 - 90,000 USD
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Description

  • An Apulian Red-figured Calyx Krater, attributed to the Painter of Athens 1714
  • Terracotta
  • Height 16 1/4 in. 41.3 cm.
painted with the young Dionysos reclining on a richly embroidered couch, raising a kantharos in his right hand, and serenaded by a woman seated at his feet and playing the harp, the two attended by a maenad holding a thyrsos and thymiaterion, and a satyr holding a thyrsos and lightly touching the hand of Dionysos, a female theater mask above the scene, a table, basket, and brazier below, details in added yellow and white, a woman holding a casket and sash and flanked by two youths on the reverse.

Provenance

George Waddington (1793-1869), Dean of Durham Cathedral
The Chapter of Durham Cathedral, by bequest from the above, 1869
William Randolph Hearst, San Simeon, California, inv. no. 2351, acquired from the above in 1936 via Goldschmidt
The Hearst Corporation (Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, Works of Art, Furniture & Architectural Elements Collected by the Late William Randolph Hearst, April 5th-6th, 1963, no. 101)
acquired by Jan Mitchell in 1963, presumably at the above sale

Exhibited

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. nos. L 63.21.6 and L.1988.81.5), from 1963 to 2011

Literature

A.D. Trendall, Phlyax Vases (BCIS Supplement 19), 2nd. ed., London, 1967, no. (XXI), pl. 14b
E.W. Handley, "The Poet Inspired?", Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 93, 1973, p. 106, pl. 1b
A.D. Trendall and Alexander Cambitoglou, The Red-figured Vases of Apulia, vol. I, Oxford, 1978, p. 212, no. 152, pl. 67,1-2

Condition

Generally very good. The handle to the right of side A is a restoration, and there are signs that it was also restored or repaired in antiquity. The other handle is repaired at the base and restored across the top. The body and foot of the vessel are intact. The painting on side A is in excellent condition; note the small loss of white pigment on the mask. The black glaze on side B is lost in some areas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.