Bidspirit auction | EASTERN GREEK BRONZE RIBBED SHALLOW

EASTERN GREEK BRONZE RIBBED SHALLOW BOWL - Ca. 500 BC.A bronze basin or phiale, a special libation bowl used for holding wine, with a hollow, rounded, raised boss, known as an omphalos, in the centre. The omphalos is thought to have symbolised the navel of the Earth, the central point of power that all things revolved around. The lower part of the bowl is scalloped/fluted, above which is a corseted neck that flares outward into a wide, smooth mouth with an unpronounced rim. For similar see: Ancient Iranian metalwork, Ann C. Gunther and Paul Jett, fig. 2.Size: 45mm x 155mm; Weight: 200gProvenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1990s.