FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

Details

A pair of rare Dutch Delft blue and white sphinxes
First half 18th century
Modelled in relief as two recumbent light-blue ground lions with a crowned female head bedecked with a headdress, the paws resting on a blue classical scroll, raised on a rectangular plinth (minor glaze frittings)
16 and 16.5cm high, 15cm wide (2)

Special notice

Christie's charge a buyer's premium of 20.825% of the hammer price for lots with values up to NLG 200,000. If the hammer price exceeds the NLG 200,000 then the premium is calculated at 20.825% of the first NLG 200,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of NLG 200,000.

Lot Essay

In ancient Egypt a symbol of power and vigilance, represented as a lion with a human head. In classical Greece it was given a woman's head and breasts, and wings, the form generally adopted in Renaissance and later art. The Sphinx was regarded by the Greeks as a repository of arcane wisdom. It is sometimes associated with lust.

See illustration

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