J.M. STRINGER GALLERY

Greek Bronze Illyrian Helmet Archaic Period, circa 550-500 BC. 10.5"h. Used by the ancient Greeks, Etruscans and Scythians from the 8th-5th century BC. A similar helmet was discovered in Stavroupoli in Northern Greece. The edge has a delicate pattern of raised dots and two lines of relief.

Circa 370 BC. 18"h. A monumental, exceptional, and perfect ancient Greek Attic Red-Figure Bell Krater, the classic wine mixing bowl. It shows a Dionysian scene on the front - featuring Dionysos and Ariadne - and three philosophers on the reverse. It has been attributed to the reverse painter.

Greek Amphora Circa 300 BC. 36"h. Large sea-salvaged terracotta transport vessel with shell incrustations. Used to transport wine from the island of Chios off the coast of Turkey, well known for its famous wine-production.

Apulia, Italy. Circa early 3rd century BC. 22"h. Decorative mold with standing woman as handle. Original polychrome, non-functional vase. Often found in funerary contexts.

Northern Apulia, Italy. Circa 3rd century BC. 8.75"h. In Northern Apulia, which in Classical Antiquity was named Daunia after a legendary King Daunus, people continued to live a prehistoric lifestyle even in Classical times. This had an effect on the style of their pottery, which remained Prehistoric in form and ornament starting as early as +/- 700 BC. This double situla is formed from two ovid jars with a flat base and glaring lip joined together with a high arching handle.

Holy Land, Roman Period, circa 1st century BC-last century AD. 15"h x 25"w x 11"d. Earthy red painted exterior with incised motifs on one side. Used in the practice of ossilegium, a secondary burial in a box like this one. After the soft tissue had decomposed, family members collected the deceased's bones and placed them in an ossuary in the family tomb. This was designed to ensure the purification of the deceased's soul. They were also frequently used when burial space was scarce.

Byzantine Era, circa 3rd-5th century AD. 34" x 27". Acquired in Beirut in the 1970, with square stone tesserae arranged in Tunisian zigzag motif. The diagonal pattern is reminiscent of woven cloth and may illustrate the influence of textiles upon mosaics (opus tessellatum). Mosaics are some of the most enduring images from the Roman world, exciting not only for their aesthetic beauty but also because they reveal the decorating styles for private and public spaces.

Tang Dynasty, 618-906 AD (TL-tested) With rider on saddle pack.

Circa Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. 21"h. Tri-color pottery, realistically sculpted with one ear reclining. Saddle intentionally left unglazed. Some original polychrome remaining. Striking, noble and elegant, it demonstrates the high position these powerful steeds held in the minds and lives of the Tang people. They were important not only in providing an efficient mode of travel on the Silk Road but also vital to the military forces defending the borders of Tang China.

Zhou Dynasty, circa 6th-5th century BC. 9"h. Bronze ritual food vessels found in Shanxi provence. Each on three legs, with lids and handles.

Late Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 AD. 8.5"h.

Circa 3rd century BC. 22.5"h (14"w base). Seated in dhyanasana with his hands in dharmachakra mudra, clutching the folds of his sanghati draped over the shoulder. Bow-shaped mouth and heavy-lidded eyes flanked by pendulous earlobes, hair in wavy locks pulled over the ushnisha. The facial features are very Greco-Roman, due to Alexander the Great conquering this area in the 3rd century BC. Very little Gandharan art remains due to the Taliban destruction of Buddhist art in Afghanistan.

Circa 2nd-4th century AD. 6"h.

Circa 2nd-4th century AD. 13"h. Decorated in a cascade of pleats, holding a vessel in his left hand.

Circa 2nd-4th century AD. 22"h (24.5"h with stand). Standing erect with serene expression, his powerful torso enrobed in an elegantly draped sanghati or mantle, the bodhisattva manifests a regal countenance. The abundance of highly elaborate jewelry represents the spiritual riches of the bodhisattva.

Circa 7th century. This Middle Eastern bronze pot with handle is stamped with Kufic inscription. Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Kufic developed around the end of the 7th century in Kufa, Iraq, from which it takes its name.

Italy. Circa 550-500 BC. 17"h. Large black vessel with flared body, used in religious ceremonies. Rare version with caryatids serving as a central pillar and molded relief of horses below the neck.

Circa 600-530 BC. 4.25"h x 19"dia. With stamped frieze of animals, similar to one in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Used for cooking and heating.

Archaic Period, circa 8th-7th century BC. 17"h x 13"w. Vertical etching around vase, with horses around the rim.

Archaic Period, circa 7th century BC. 11"h x 10"w. Etched geometric design.

Circa 13th-14th century. 12.5"h. Medieval Persian pottery occupied a geographical position between Chinese ceramics, then the unchallenged leaders of Eurasian production, and the pottery of the Byzantine Empire and Europe.

Circa 800 BC (TL-tested). 7.5"h. Unusual, rare terracotta figures - three horses with two riders. Decorative burial item.

Daunian Sifting Jug Circa 4th-5th century BC. 4.5"h.

Stone Buddha Head Circa Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911 AD. 8"h. With traces of gilding.