**First Time At Auction**
Classical World, Italy, Etruria, ca. 6th century BCE. A cast bronze ceremonial ladle known as a kyathos with a round bowl and a long handle that curves downward near its end to form 2 swan heads. Each bird's head displays a minimalistic form with a lengthy, flared bill. The ladle - in Latin, a simpulum or simpuvium - was used to make libations and to taste wines and liquors that were poured on the heads of sacrificial victims. It was also more generally just a utensil, shown in banqueting scenes on Greek and Italian vases aiding in the distribution of wine into cups. The hooked end of the handle is shown in a scene from an Etruscan tomb being held by a slave and used to hang the utensil from the side of a large wine vessel. The style of this example - with the round bowl and the curved handle terminating in animal heads - was common in Greece and in the Etruscan world. Swans and ducks were recurrent motifs in Etruria, although their meaning is mysterious today. Size: 5.5" W x 11" H (14 cm x 27.9 cm); 12.625" H (32.1 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: ex-Stair Auction, New York, New York, USA, August 6, 2020, lot 26; ex-Merrin Gallery, New York, New York, USA, acquired in 2002
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Condition
Intact and excellent with lovely patina.