Loading, please wait...
LOT 0149
Bronze Figure of a Zebu Bull
ROMAN IMPERIAL PERIOD, 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
7 7/8 in. (2.3 kg total, 20 cm including stand).
Modelled in the round in alert pose with head raised and slightly turned; hair texture to the forehead, neck and shoulders; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceArt market, Bavaria, 1990s.
with Christie's, New York, 7 December 2011, no.188.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00122050.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12962-245248.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 242, for type; cf. similar statuette in the Leo Mildenberg collection in Kozloff, A.P., Animals in Ancient Art, from the Leo Mildenberg Collection, Mainz, 1981, no.62; various parallels can be found in the Cincinnati Art Museum (inv.1956.13), in Walters Art Gallery (inv.54.1565) and in the British Museum.
FootnotesAfter the Roman annexation of Egypt, Egyptian cults such as that of the Apis bull were syncretised, becoming part of a distinctively Egyptian form of Roman polytheism. Representations of prancing Apis bulls, turned either left or right, have been found throughout the Roman Empire. However, it is also possible that this beautiful statuette is connected with the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus, where the armed god is usually standing upon a bull.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Romano-British Bronze Artefact Group
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14
Comprising a medical probe, and two brooches, both lacking a pin. 38.5 grams total, 3.2-12.6 cm
From a Kent collection formed in the 1990s. -
Roman Glass Cup with Wheel-Cut Lines
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
With biconvex body, dimple base, convex rim, wheel-cut circumferential bands. 131 grams, 95 mm
From an important London collection of glass, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This form is similar to beakers produced in Roman Cyprus. The rim and the wall of these objects are very thin; in one similar beaker in the Cesnola collection they are less than 0.1 cm thick. They belong to the Vessberg beaker type A.II.α. -
.jpg)
Roman Gemstone and Glass Pendant Collection
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Comprising: a fragment of a glass pendant with impressed image of an advancing lion, crescent moon above; a conical agate intaglio with a profile of theatre mask; an oval carnelian intaglio with a dove holding an olive branch; a jasper intaglio with standing Asclepius holding a snake-staff. 4.35 grams total, 10-17 mm
Norfolk family collection, 1940s-1960s; thence by descent.
