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LOT 0739
Eastern Roman Gemstone of Apollo in Gold Ring
1ST CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (13.26 grams, 31.15 mm overall, 19.61 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)).
Intaglio engraved with a profile bust of Apollo, the god of lyrical poetry, wearing a wreath; a kithara in the field; set into a later substantial gold ring with D-section hoop, a conical projection to each shoulder; separately made bezel with floral motif to the domed underside; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceEx Japanese collection, 1990s.
Private collection, England.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13166-249547.
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 123, for type.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0739
Eastern Roman Gemstone of Apollo in Gold Ring
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
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Large Lower Section of a Roman Marble Figure of the Goddess Isis
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,000
Statue fragment of a woman or goddess, including floor-length robe and right foot with sandal; modelled standing with the foot slightly advanced, wearing sandals, chiton and himation. 66.65 kg, 50 cm
American private collection, acquired in the 1980s-1990s. Acquired on the American art market in 2016. with Sotheby's, London, 11 December 2020, no.88. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13078-249667.
Both the stance and folds of the himation suggest an Archaistic statue, perhaps the goddess Isis. -
Roman Heliotrope Gemstone with Ibex and Two Erotes in Gold Ring
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Ellipsoid cloison with profile grazing ibex beneath a tree with two erotes; set into a later gold ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 9.93 grams, 22.82 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)
Private collection, England. -
Roman Bronze Phallic Dagger Quillon or Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With a rectangular plaque with central void, phallus to one short edge and a stylised fist to the other. 25.5 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
In the Roman world the phallus was symbol of luck or fertility, and it as well was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially from young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. This object can have been the quillon of a small dagger, but also hung as a charm from a tintinnabulum, a wind chime adorned with bells and intended to ward off evil.