A PAIR OF SCYTHIAN GOLD ‘WINGED GRIFFINS’ PLAQUES, CIRCA 5TH CENTURY BC

Each embossed in meticulous repoussé work with two confronting winged griffins, their front legs locking above a kantharos below, framed by a border of tongues, the corners perforated for attachment. (2)

Provenance: A private collection in Europe, 1980s, and thence by descent. With Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 29 May 2013, lot 176 (mid-estimate EUR 10,000 or approx. EUR 12,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Thereafter with Ariadne Galleries, New York and London. A distinguished American private collection, acquired from the above on 9 November 2017. A copy of a certificate from Ariadne Galleries, describing the present lot as a pair of plaques depicting Griffins and confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies this lot. Founded in 1972, Ariadne Galleries has established a reputation as one of the world’s leading dealers in the field of ancient art. With a prominent gallery in New York’s upper East side for many years, in 2014 Ariadne opened its second gallery in London’s historic art district, Mayfair. With nearly fifty years in the industry, Ariadne boasts of several important private collectors and foundations among its clients, as well as some of the world’s most celebrated museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard University Art Museums, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear and irregularities, few minuscule nicks and dents, occasional small surface scratches, light warping, minor losses, and signs of burial including encrustations.

Weight: 2.5 g and 3 g (excl. stand), 62.2 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Size 3.2 x 2.8 cm (each), 6 x 8.5 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated stand. (2)

From the ancient Greek perspective, the remote and vast territories of the Scythians—sometimes referred to as Hyperborea (the land “beyond the North Wind”)—made it a realm beyond sure knowledge, where fantasy and reality freely mixed. Herodotus wrote of a semi-mythical Scythian tribe of one-eyed men called the Arimaspeans who spent their time stealing gold from “gold-guarding griffins.” Griffins and Arimaspeans became a popular artistic motif in Greek art, as seen on an Athenian red-figure pelike (wine jar) from the fourth century BC (see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 06.1021.179). The figures on this vessel, wielding such non-Greek weapons as bows and axes and wearing headdresses with flaps and patterned trousers characteristic of Scythians, are usually interpreted as Arimaspeans. While mythical creatures were often associated with distant, unknown, barbarian lands in Greek thought, it is possible that the connection between Scythians and gold-guarding griffins in Greek art and literature shows that the Greeks were aware of the prominence of griffins in Scythian art. Indeed, following their conquest of large swathes of the Near East in the seventh century BC, the Scythians probably adopted the artistic motif of the lion-headed griffin from Mesopotamia. This hybrid creature could also combine the attributes of the lion and the eagle, as was common in Greek art; both animals were popular in the Scythian artistic repertoire.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related pair of gold plaques showing Scythians drinking in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 5 December 2001, lot 45
Price: USD 5,640 or approx. EUR 8,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two Scythian gold appliqués, circa 350-325 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related technique and similar border of tongues and size (4.4 cm).