Sphinx Recovered
Almost missed this one as something for rogueclassicism (as opposed to the ANE section of Explorator) … from the Gazzetta del Sud:
Italian police on Thursday recovered an antique Egyptian sphinx sculpture that was about to be exported out of Italy. The sphinx, recovered near an Etruscan necropolis, measures 120 x 60 cm and is made of African granite. Police found the object already wrapped and packed in a box and hidden in a greenhouse. According to investigators, the sphinx was probably part of the decorations of an Etruscan nobleman’s tomb or country villa. Chance played a part in the find. Police uncovered the sphinx after a stopping a truck for a check and found it was carrying antique ceramics from an archaeological site along with a series of pictures which depicted the sphinx. After searching the driver’s house, other elements related to the sphinx were found, all taken illegally from archaeological sites. Aside from its possible economic value, the presence of the sphinx is, according to experts, an indicator of the thriving trade that took place among Mediterranean countries. Italy began importing objects from Egypt around the 1st century BC, when Rome conquered the North African country. Trade grew during the imperial years, in particular between the end of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century AD.
- via: Police recover ancient Egyptian sphinx about to be exported (Gazzetta del Sud)
… kind of nice that the attendant speculation on this one seems reasonable for a change.
Way Cool Winged Centaur at Sotheby’s
So it’s recess and I decide to page through the ecatalog of Sotheby’s upcoming antiquities auction … the first thing I come across of interest is described as an Etruscan black figure amphora, attributed to the Micali painter (6th/5th century B.C.) … Here’s a detail:
Check out the official photo … not only is this centaur interesting for having wings, but for having the proper ‘male anatomy’ on its forequarters. I once did a paper on centaurs in ancient art and as far as I was aware, this ‘proper forequarters’ thing came to an end in Mycenean times (maybe Dark Ages). This is an incredible piece and, alas, seems destined for a private collection, so make your screengrabs while you can.
