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LOT 0760
Eastern Roman Bronze Female Bust
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
4 3/8 in. (195 grams total, 11.2 cm including stand).
Hollow-formed figurine fragment depicting a bare-chested female with a tight-fitting cap placed over her hair and row of curls escaping from beneath the brim, broad forehead above lentoid eyes and narrow nose, small pursed mouth; integral swag of beads to the upper chest above the conical breasts, left arm bent and hand clutching the left breast, right arm raised and forefinger placed on the chin; separate round-section ring added to the neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. statue in the British Museum under accession no.1824,0453.11, with similarly dressed Etruscan lady and male companion holding her breast.
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:
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Roman Bronze Horse Bow Brooch
Circa 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
With pricked ears, arched neck, D-shaped saddle and bobbed tail; the lower hindlegs developing into a headplate similar to a Roman crossbow brooch; the hinge-notch present on the headplate, the pin and catchplate absent. 29.8 grams, 47 mm
Acquired late 1980s-early 1990s. Ex private collection, Nottinghamshire, UK. Property of a Kent lady collector. -
Roman Gold Earring Pair with Bosses
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Comprising a matched pair of delicate earrings, each with a large circular boss with a central granule and fine filigree surrounding the perimeter, pyramidal cluster of granules to the base; twisted hook with a hook-and-loop closure. 1.01 grams total, 20 mm
From the collection of a London lady, UK. Accompanied by an old collection ticket. -
Roman Bronze Figure of the Goddess Flora
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
A rare depiction of Flora standing holding a separately cast garland in her left hand, wearing pointed shoes, a long tunica talaris and a himation as a veil over her head, her hair surmounted by a diadem decorated with rosettes and falling in long wavy tresses in front, the pupils of her eyes indented; mounted on a custom-made tiered base. 617 grams total, 25.7 cm high including stand
From an Egyptian family collection, Alexandria and Cairo, acquired in the early part of the 20th century in Egypt and Europe, and transferred from Egypt to northern European family residences in the early 1950s. Northern European private collection, by direct descent from the above in the 1970s. Acquired from the above by the previous owner in 2002. with Sotheby’s, New York, 5 June 2013, no.88. German private collection. Accompanied by copies of the German cultural export licence and copies of the relevant Sotheby’s catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12042-216438.
Statuettes like the present one were used in the service of domestic cults and reflected native Greek or Roman cult practices. The Roman household shrine, or lararium, receives its name from the lares, the guardian spirits of the house and household, who were frequently displayed in the shrine, either in painted or sculpted form.