Polychrome Terracotta Dove from Canosa

Culture: Greek/Canosan

Period: Late 4th to early 3rd century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 16.8 cm long

Price: Sold

Ref: 2346

Provenance: Old Belgian private collection. Thence with André Munter Archeologie, Brussels, Belgium. There acquired on 30 October 2005 by another Belgian private collection. Accompanied by an original certificate from André De Munter, Brussels, Belgium. On the back of the certificate a sticker with a stamp of a court inspection dated 26 June 2009 with the signature of the law clerk F. Coene N.

Condition: Intact

Description: Massive, hand formed terracotta dove with beautifully preserved painting, typical for the Apulian Canosa. After the firing the details of the feathers and eyes were applied in red and blue colour on the white primer. The head is small and raised, the wings are resting on the body and the tail horizontally protruding. A small perforation at the bottom indicates that the dove, with the help of a wood stick, originally served as a sculptural decoration of a vase. For the type of dove see the Leo Mildenberg collection, published in “Tierbilder aus vier Jahrtausenden. Antiken der Sammlung Mildenberg”, number 152, page 160.