MAASTRICHT.- A remarkable example of a rare Greek stele will be the centrepiece of Mayfair antiquities gallery David Aaron’s TEFAF Maastricht exhibition this March. Dated circa 375-350 B.C., the stele is one of very few surviving examples dedicated to a Parthenos, a young Athenian woman of marriageable age who has not yet wed.

The marble grave stele from the historic Attic region is exceptionally carved in high relief, depicting a young female figure with her right hand raised elegantly towards her shoulder. Titled Stele of Medeia, a single line of inscription in the architrave identifies the subject of the piece as a young girl called Medeia.

The stele’s subject is recognisable due to her traditional chiton dress, a finely draped tunic belted around the waist with a back mantle fastened at the shoulders with large circular brooches, a distinctive marker for the attire worn by Parthenoi or unmarried young women.

What makes this work extraordinary is its rarity. The term Parthenoi refers to the brief transitional period between childhood and entry into adulthood through marriage making depictions on Greek stelae scarce. Swiss classical archaeologist Christoph W. Clairmont’s seminal research on Attic tombs further supports the rarity of Parthenos steles as they make up only 4% of the funerary reliefs examined in the eight volumes published by Clairmont. Their importance is reflected in the fine funerary monuments dedicated to Parthenoi; these monuments form the basis of art historian and archaeologist Linda Jones Roccos’ theory that the death of a Parthenos was significant from both a personal and societal perspective, as it removed the possibility of future children being born to support the Athenian cause.

Adding to this stele’s importance is its distinguished provenance. The stele was first recorded in the collection of Athenian art dealer Theodoros A. Zoumpoulakis, before being acquired in 1923 by renowned gallerist Joseph Brummer and remained with the Brummer family for more than half a century. Led by three Hungarian brothers - Joseph, Imre, and Ernest - the Brummer gallery business was established in 1910 and they rose to prominence as influential dealers of ancient and medieval art in Paris and New York across the 20th century.

Upon Joseph’s passing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a significant amount of his private collection. The Stele of Medeia was passed down to his brother Ernest, and then to Ernest’s wife Ella Laszlo Baché Brummer, founder of the cosmetics company Ella Bache which still operates today.

Salomon Aaron, Director, David Aaron, said: “This stele is exceptionally rare — a museum-quality monument whose beauty is matched only by its cultural significance. We look forward to presenting this unique example of funerary art at TEFAF Maastricht this March.”

The gallery will also exhibit significant pieces of antiquity with exceptional provenance and condition including an Egyptian Limestone Baboon from 664-343 B.C., 26th-30th Dynasty, Late Period and a Roman Torso of a Youth from the 1st-2nd century A.D. in contrapposto position, with softly suggested muscles indicating youth.

Research by David Aaron uncovered new provenance for the Torso of a Youth dating back to 1898, through historic images in gallerist Stefano Bardini’s innovative photographic archive.

Art dealer and restorer Stefano Bardini was famed for amassing an impressive collection of artworks dating from the Roman age to Baroque. What set Bardini apart from other antiquarians was his early adoption of photography, which he used to document his expansive collection, and as a tool to advertise his business to great success. Bardini worked with photographers locally and abroad to capture detailed photographs of each piece in his collection, forming an extensive archive in Florence, which enabled David Aaron to uncover images of the Torso of a Youth dated to 1898 – providing definitive evidence that the piece was with Bardini by this date.

Bardini rose to prominence as one of the most well-known dealers of the time and this success led to the gallerist purchasing the Piazza Mozzi in 1881 to display his collection of over 30,000 artworks. Upon his death in 1922, Bardini left everything in the piazza to the Municipality of Florence and his legacy lives on through the municipal museum established in his home in 1925, named the Museo Stefano Bardini today.