97 - A VERY LARGE TERRACOTTA FRAGMENT FROM THE RIM OF A VOTIVE BASIN, SICILY, 6TH-5TH CENTURY BC

A VERY LARGE TERRACOTTA FRAGMENT FROM THE RIM OF A VOTIVE BASIN, SICILY, 6TH-5TH CENTURY BC Published: Charles Ede Ltd, Ancient Terracotta Sculpture, Ancient Terracottas XVI, March 2000, no. 51. Magna Graecia, Southern Italy, Sicily. The slightly curved rim supported on three tapering feet, the exterior finely molded in relief with alternating panels separated by fluted architectural columns. One panel depicts a quadriga drawn by four horses, with the charioteer holding the reins and a dove in flight above; the alternating panel shows a winged silen running to the right, holding a goose in one hand and a wreath in the other. The scenes are framed by a band of hatched rectangles above and a band of zig-zags below. Provenance: Donati collection, Lugano. Charles Ede Ltd., London, 5 September 2000, lot 51. A private collection, United Kingdom, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. Donati Arte Classica was a longstanding family-run dealership specializing in Classical antiquities. The business was run by Ugo Donati (1891-1967), who operated as an antiquities dealer in Ticino. It was subsequently continued by his son Pino Donati, whose name appeared regularly in the provenance of important Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities from the 1960s and 1970s. Pino was in turn succeeded by Stefano Donati, who continued the business under the name Donati Arte Classica in Lugano. Stefano Donati (born 1954), graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in the late 1970s and became part of the Transavantgarde movement. After returning to Ticino, he started working as an antiquarian focusing on classical art. Charles Ede Ltd., founded in 1971 by Charles Richard Montague Ede (1921–2002), is recognized as one of the world’s leading dealers in ancient art, specializing in works from Egypt, Greece, and the Roman Empire, as well as early European art before c. 1000 AD. After early ventures in publishing and the arts, Ede turned his attention to antiquities, establishing the firm that now enjoys an international reputation and a prominent presence at major art fairs worldwide. Condition: Good condition with expected ancient wear, weathering and erosion, obvious losses, the feet with repairs, scattered small chips and nicks, and few encrustations. Weight: 10.6 kg Dimensions: Length 49.7 cm Literature comparison: Compare a closely related pottery lustral basin featuring a chariot with winged horses, Metaponto area, dated 7 th century BC, in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Metaponto. Compare a related fragment of a terracotta relief with two horses, Greek, southern Italy, dated 6 th century BC, 34.3 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 22.139.54. Compare a related Etruscan terracotta plaque fragment of horses and chariot, dated 500-475 BC, 22.3 cm long, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1963.677. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s London, 8 December 2021, lot 73 Price: GBP 47,500 or approx. EUR 71,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Greek marble relief with quadriga, Classical period, circa late 5th century B.C. Expert remark: Compare the similar subject. Note the material, high relief carving, and size (90 cm).