Etruscan Bucchero Chalice with Caryatids

7th-6th century BC. A Bucchero chalice composed of a carinated bowl, waisted stem and splayed foot, four standing caryatid figures to the circumference, supporting the bowl on their heads and steadying it with their arms and hands; wings, faces and anatomical detailing executed using a combination of raised and low relief. Cf. The British Museum, museum number 1853,0110.6, for a figure similar to those featured on the chalice; cf. Rasmussen, T., Bucchero Pottery from Southern Etruria, Cambridge, 1979, p.95; pl.28, nos. 128,129. 997 grams, 20cm high (8"). Private collection of Mr Robert Wilson (1941-), New York, USA; an American experimental theatre stage director and playwright, who has been described as one of the world’s foremost avant-garde theatre artists. Fine Arts Sign Company, 5 November 2017, lot 17. Private Australian collection. Accompanied by a copy of the previous collector's cataloguing document. The typology corresponds to the Rasmussen's typology of chalice 1a, the so called 'calici pentapodi' of Mingazzini, i.e. fitted with four supports and a central stem. Some scholar consider that the winged female caryatid may be linked to the goddess known as the Potnia Theron, or the Mistress of the Animals, derived from the Near Eastern goddess Astarte; in its Etruscan form, the winged goddess may be the prime female deity Uni.[A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website.]
Condition Report: Fine condition, repaired.