Property from a Swiss Private Collection
A Black-Figured Amphora, circa 550-500 B.C.
Lot Closed
July 5, 02:39 PM GMT
Estimate
7,000 - 10,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A Black-Figured Amphora
circa 550-500 B.C.
painted in front with Herakles defeating an Amazon, the hero wearing the skin of the Nemean lion and advancing with club raised, the vanquished falling backward and defending with shield of Boeotian shape, and on the back with a striding Athena or Amazon, the details in added red, an engraved grafitto on the underside of the foot kappa rho alpha.
Height 20 cm.
Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), Saint-Nicolas-lez-Arras
French private collection, by descent from the above (Jack-Philippe Ruellan, Vannes, April 4th 2009, no. 22, illus.)
acquired by the present owner at the above sale
For similar treatments of Herakles smiting an Amazon see two small neck amphorae of the Uprooter Class, one in the Boston (Museum of Fine Arts no. 13.65; BAPD 331252) and another in a Milanese private collection (BAPD 306894). The former vase and another one of the Uprooter Class in Bologna (Museo Civico Archeologico no. 44, BAPD 331257, without figural decoration) both feature a kappa rho alpha graffito, as does a cup sold at Sotheby's, London, December 1982, no. 378 (A. Johnston, Trademarks on Greek Vases: Addenda, 2006, no. 14F, 8a).
The geographical origin of the Uprooter Class is debated. It is possible that the workshop which produced it was located in Attica, in another Greek region such as Boeotia or Euboea, or in Etruria.
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