Large Greek Cycladic II Marble Spedos Head w/ Art Loss

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Exceptional Day 1: Antiquities & Asian Art

By Artemis Gallery

Sep 26, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-09-26 10:00:00 2019-09-26 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Day 1: Antiquities & Asian Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-day-1-antiquities-asian-art-4437
Day 1 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Viking, Russian, Near Eastern, as well as Asian Art from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma and India. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Ancient Greece, Early Spedos, Early Cycladic II, ca. 2600 to 2500 BCE. Finely carved from marble, this is the U-shaped head of a Spedos figure. The low relief nose is pronounced, and it is possible that other details originally may have been delineated with brightly colored pigments. The remains of a neck are still visible at the base. This head is most likely from the likeness of a female figure, typical of the sculpture of the Cyclades in the mid-2000s BCE. The name "Spedos" is derived from an Early Cycladic cemetery on the island of Naxos. This canonical type is characterized by a slender, elongated body with folded arms, a lyre- or U-shaped head, and a deeply incised cleft between the legs. Size: 2.5" W x 3.75" H (6.4 cm x 9.5 cm); 7.8" H (19.8 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  According to the curatorial team at the J. Paul Getty Museum, "The role and meaning of these figures in Cycladic culture is unknown. As the majority of figures are female, and are represented nude, with breasts and incised public triangles to indicate their gender, they may be linked with the idea of fertility and reproduction, which was often a focus of ancient Mediterranean religions. While these figures have been found almost exclusively in graves placed on their backs, it is not clear whether they were made specifically for burials. On some examples, the painted decoration has been refreshed, suggesting that the images were in use for a long period of time before being buried. Additionally, a few examples also come from sanctuaries, and would have served a ritual function. Since they could not stand, they may have been held upright in social or religious activities, such as processions."
  
  For a stylistically similar example of a head attached to the full figure, please see The J. Paul Getty Museum, object number 88.AA.79.
  
  A strikingly similar example, of roughly half the size as our example, hammered for GBP 47,500 ($59,028.25) at Christie's, London "Antiquities" auction (sale 15501, July 3, 2018, lot 49).
  
  Accompanied by Art Loss Certificate, reference number S00119828.
  
  Provenance: private Connecticut, USA collection; ex-private collection, Belgium, acquired in the 1990s; ex-N. Koutoulakis collection, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1965
  
  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.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #149801

  Condition

  This is a head from a larger marble figure. Chips and losses to areas of forehead and neck line, with repair to nose, and a couple of vertical fissures along neck and lower half of head. Nice earthen deposits throughout.
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