A Greek Hellenistic silver serving tray produced between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC is the lead lot of a sale at TimeLine Auctions in London with an estimate of £40,000-60,000 ($60,756-91,134).
The piece, which was formerly part of a major British collection, features sphinx forms at each corner - identifying it as likely originating from the island of Chios.
The tray likely originates from the Greek island of Chios |
The sphinx was the symbol of Chios and features heavily on coins and other artefacts from around the same time. The distinctive hairstyle and wings matches the island's official style.
A Western Asiatic bronze model of a hunter riding in a chariot is likely to prove another highlight of the February 13 sale, with a valuation of £6,000-8,000 ($9,134-12,151).
The rare lot dates to around the middle of the 3rd millennium BC and depicts a shirtless hunter armed with a bow, arrow and hunting dog.
It's an early depiction of the chariot, a technology that had only begun to spread in Eurasia around 100 years earlier. It would go on to be used in warfare by the Hittites in the second millennium BC.
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