MAGNA GRAECIA, CLASSICAL TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400-200 B.C.

Details

A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A RADIATING CREST
MAGNA GRAECIA, CLASSICAL TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400-200 B.C.
19 ½ in. (49.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Axel Guttmann (1944-2001), Berlin, acquired in Krefeld, late 1980s-early 1990s (Inv. no. H335).
The Axel Guttmann Collection, Part 2, Christie's, London, 28 April 2004, lot 110.
Ausgesuchte Historische Objekte & Antike Helme der Sammlung Axel Guttmann, Auktion 49, Hermann Historica, Munich, 19 October 2005, lot 164.
with Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, acquired from the above (Art of the Ancient World, vol. XVIII, 2007, no. 88).
Acquired by the current owner from the above, 2008.

Literature

M. Burns, "Graeco-Italic Militaria," in M. Merrony, ed., Mougins Museum of Classical Art, Mougins, 2011, pp. 211, 216-217, fig. 87.
R. Hixenbaugh, Ancient Greek Helmets: A Complete Guide and Catalog, New York, 2019, p. 534, no. H261.

Exhibited

Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, 2011-2023 (Inv. no. MMoCA88).

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Hannah Fox Solomon Head of Department, Specialist

hsolomon@christies.com +1 212 636 2256

Lot Essay

Presented here is the most outrageous of the pilos helmets offered in the sale. It features a large plaque of Medusa on the sloping dome and the remains of bull's horns flanking a sizable cascading crest, which is adorned with a floral motif along its length, and supports five forward-curling rays. Originally it would have been attached to a tall plume-holder, such as seen on lot 22 and illustrated on Attic vases such as on lot 3. It has been suggested that they represent sun-rays arranged in a halo-like manner, making the connection to the sun-god Helios likely (pp. 216-217, Burns, op. cit.)

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