Expressive Greek Terracotta Protome of a Youth

Lot 15a

About Seller

686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States

Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more

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About Auction

Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Asia by Artemis Gallery

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Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Asia

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 25, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-10-25 11:00:00 2018-10-25 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Asia https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/antiquities-from-egypt-greece-italy-asia-3538 Featuring Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, plus Asian art from Central and Far East. If you love the classics, this is the sale for you. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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Lot Description

Greece, Archaic Period, ca. 6th to 5th century BCE. A mold-made votive head of a man with naturalistic features and an "Archaic smile", which has been taken by art historians to mean that the subject is intended to appear alive and peaceful. He has a broad face with a prominent chin and wide, fleshy lips. His hair is curled and his brow line is accentuated. The protome is a type of bust made by pressing a thin layer of terracotta into a single mold. These were first made in Rhodes, but from the early fifth century BCE onwards they spread throughout Greece. Originally, this piece would have been brightly painted. Size: 5.1" W x 6.2" H (13 cm x 15.7 cm); 7.25" H (18.4 cm) on included custom stand.

By the seventh century BCE, Greek art began to evolve from its embrace of geometric patterning, which was favored between approximately 1050 and 700 BCE, to a desire to create more naturalistic representations of the human figure. Most famous are the freestanding sculptures of two main types, the male standing youth known as a kouros, and the draped standing female kore. The earliest examples demonstrate an Egyptian influence in both pose and proportions, but over time sculptors created even more lifelike representations. These were placed in sanctuaries as well as cemeteries and served as grave markers and dedications to the deities. Protomes like this example demonstrate these developing naturalistic leanings of Greek visual culture as well, with that Archaic smile signifying life and representing the Archaic ideal. They would have been dedicated in an ancient temple to the local deity, perhaps to thank the god or goddess, or to assist in making a request.

Provenance: private Healy collection, Studio City, California, USA, acquired over the last twenty years

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#127236

Condition

Loss to lower corner as shown. Figure has been repaired and restored with overpainting on lower part, on and around the chin.
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