**Originally Listed At $400**

Greece, Late Archaic period, ca. early 5th century BCE. A beautiful cast-bronze handle meant to accentuate the shoulder area of a high-quality hydria (or water-holding vessel). The handle itself is grooved and arches outwards from a lobed central disc, with the termini meeting two ovoid panels. Each panel displays two tangential, nubbin-shaped projections on either side of the handle terminal, with a stylized palmette comprising the majority of the surface and two outward spirals supporting the bottoms. The handle is covered in a lustrous layer of green and brown patina - a fabulous example from ancient Greece! Size: 7.5" W (19 cm).

For a similar example, please see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 38.11.11a-c: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253564

Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection; ex-Bonhams London Antiquities Auction, 8 May, 2013, part of lot 155; ex-Aldo Branca collection, Ascona, Switzerland, acquired between the 1960s and 1980s

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#133003

Age-commensurate surface wear and abrasions, minor nicks to ovoid panels and handles, and fading to some details, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits within recessed areas and great green and brown patina throughout.