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Lot 20
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Greek Canosan Pottery Female Standing Contraposto
Greek Canosan Pottery Female Standing Contraposto
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Description:

Magna Graecia, South Italic Colonies, Apulia, Canosan, Hellenistic Period, ca. 4th to 2nd century BCE. A mold-formed pottery statue of a standing contraposto woman dressed in flowing garments, and remains of pigments that once highlighted her graceful form are scattered throughout. Her head displays a naturalistic visage capped by an elaborate coiffure. Female figures like this one played an interesting role in Canosan funerary practices as they were placed into tombs as replacements for large red-figure krater amphorae. Mourners carried these figures in funerary processions, the figurines overseeing the rituals carried out around and inside the tomb. Nearly all of the statues known from Canosan tombs depict women, and scholars believe that they represented goddesses or mourners rather than the gender of the deceased individual since young women played a major role as mourners in this society. Size: 3" L x 2" W x 8.5" H (7.6 cm x 5.1 cm x 21.6 cm)

The Canosans, like other members of Classical society, believed that the spirits of the dead remained at the tomb and watched over the living. Canosan tombs were frequently re-opened to entomb deceased members of the same familial lineage, and this suggests that these statues were perhaps reused to maintain the spiritual connection between the living and the dead.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#175736

  • Condition: Repaired, head reattached with infill to break line. Rest of body is excellent with good remains of painted pigments. Old inventory number on base.

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December 15, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000