Mercato Antiquario

Six amber pendants representing winged female figures come from the collections of the auction houses. The first amber belongs to Christie's antiquities collection and comes from a private Swiss collection. The context of origin is unknown, but the stylistic and formal features allow its attribution to the same workshop which created the female figures from Melfi. The carving and engraving processing involved all the sides, except the rear. The face is shown in the top left, in profile and looking back; the hair, made with fine engravings, is partially covered by a hat. At the center is a large wing with a sinuous profile, and the feathers are delineated by fine engravings. The find can be dated around the mid-fifth century BC. The second amber belongs to the collection of Geneva Phoenix Ancient Art SA, bought at Sotheby's in London. There are no data about the provenance and the context of discovery. The particular refinement of pendant's stylistic features allow its attribution to a workshop of the "Satyr and Maenad Group", and most likely comes from the Canosinan or otherwise Daunian territory. The carving and engraving workmanship involved all sides, except for the rear. The face, crafted with precise detail, is represented in the upper left, in profile and looking back; the hairs are partially covered by a headgear. At the center, there is a large wing with a sinuous profile and clearly defined plumage. The find can be dated between the late sixth and the first half of the fifth century BC. The third amber, belonging to the collection of London Timeline Auctions, was acquired from a private collection in London. It lacks any data about the place of provenance and the context of discovery. Although less refined in the rendering of details, the pendant can be considered a product of the workshops belonging to the Atelier of the "Winged Warrior Master," and it was probably found in a burial of the Daunian-Melfese area. The carving and engraving workmanship involved all sides of the pendant, except the rear. The face is represented in the top right in profile and looking back; all the particulars of the face are rendered in a highly detailed manner; the hair is partially covered by a hat. At the center is a large wing with a sinuous profile and clearly defined plumage. The find can be dated to the second half of the fifth century BC. The fourth pendant, belonging to Pierre Bergé & Associés galleries in Paris, was acquired from a private collection in Brussels. It lacks any data on the place of origin of the piece and the context to which it belongs. The particular refinement of the stylistic features of the pendant allows its attribution to one of the workshops of the "Satyr and Maenad Group," whose works are characterized by smooth flowing lines and a fluid molding, and most likely comes from the Canosinan area or otherwise Daunian territory. The workmanship in carving and engraving involved all the sides, except for the rear. The face, rendered in a very detailed manner, is represented in the upper right, in profile and looking back; the hair is partially covered by a hat. The figure wears a chiton made with fine pleats through a refined use of the relief technique. One edge of the chiton held by the left hand of the figure. To the left is a large wing with a sinuous profile and clearly defined plumage. The find can be dated about the midfifth century BC. The fifth pendant belongs to Artemis Gallery Auctions in USA (Erie) and was acquired from a private collection in Switzerland (Zurich). It depicts the profile of a winged sphinx with her head in prospect. It lacks any data regarding the place of origin of the piece and the context to which it belongs except a general provenance from South Italy and a chronology fixed at sixth century BC. The particular refinement of the pendant's stylistic features allows its attribution to one of the workshops of the "Winged Sphinx Master," whose works are characterized by the shape of the head, rather rounded, with hair made up in a swollen and compact bulk, framing the face with detectable circular lines and with defined features, very thin and minute, obtained through a skillful use of engraving. The female figure n. :;f, a siren, belonging to the collection of antiquities of Aphrodite Ancient Art auction house in New York (Lot. No. Mee), was acquired from an American private collection (which was built around the DCs). It was, however, formerly part of an European private collection. In this case, as for other pieces, useful data to determine the place of origin and the context of discovery are completely absent. The only known data are the generic provenance from southern Italy, the attribution to Greek workmanship, and the chronology, which sets the piece in the second half of the fifth century BC. The particular refinement of facial features and the different hair tresses falling behind and to the sides of the head make it a unique example comparable with a siren from a private collection in New York. The figure finds direct and punctual comparisons with the profile of a female head from tomb HG9 of Banzi, dated to the first quarter of the fifth century BC, which shows the same refined and well-modulated treatment of the hair on the forehead; the artifact is attributed to the workshop of the "Master of Winged Warrior." Said workshop was probably operated by cultured and refined artisans of different origin (Greek, Magna Graecia, and Etruscan), which would explain the presence of certain stylistic variations in amber sculptures produced within the workshop.