85 - A GREEK TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF APHRODITE, HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 200 BC

A GREEK TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF APHRODITE, HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 200 BC Boeotia, Tanagra. Finely modeled, the youthful goddess depicted standing with her weight on the right leg, reaching down to remove the sandal from her raised left foot, while the left arm is lifted for balance in a graceful counterpoise. The folds of her chiton cascade softly over the body. The youthful face with delicately rendered features, surmounted by neatly arranged hair. Provenance: Spink & Son, London, United Kingdom, 1957. A private collection in London, acquired from the above and thence by descent. Sotheby’s London, 8 December 1994, lot 204, mid-estimate GBP 2,500 or approx. EUR 6,400 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A copy of the signed invoice from Spink & Son, dated 31 July 1957, confirming the dating and attribution above, accompanies the lot. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. As with the vast majority of Hellenistic terracotta figures of this considerable age, approximately 2,200 years, the present piece shows old breaks and associated repairs. Expected wear, firing irregularities, signs of prolonged burial, encrustations, occasional minor chips. Weight: 1.3 kg Dimensions: Height 32.4 cm The representation of Aphrodite removing her sandal before bathing was popular throughout the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman world and became a favored form of votive offering in sanctuaries dedicated to the goddess across the Mediterranean. Two principal types of the so-called sandal-binder are known: an earlier type with the right foot raised, and a variant with the left foot raised. The latter was particularly popular at Centuripe in Sicily, where examples have been found in tombs dating to the late 3rd and early 2nd centuries BC. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Greek terracotta figure of Aphrodite removing her sandal, date to late 4th-early 1st century BC, in the Archaeological Museum of Pella, Macedonia. Compare a related Greek terracotta female figure, “perhaps Aphrodite”, dated to the 3rd century BC, 21.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 11.212.25. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s London, 6 October 2011, lot 98 Price: GBP 6,000 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Greek terracotta Aphrodite, Hellenistic period, circa 3rd century BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and modeling, with similar pose, treatment of the drapery, and size (30 cm).