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LOT 0135
Eastern Roman Stone Relief of Medusa
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
21 in. (33.1 kg total, 53 cm including stand).
With a ledge to the base, carved high-relief mask of Medusa with complex banded hairstyle with diadem to the brow, lateral tresses framing the face developing to serpents forming a 'Hercules knot' beneath the chin; the face with deep-set eyes beneath a heavy brow, prominent nose above pursed lip; the base keyed to accept a plaster overlay; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceEx P.A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s.
LiteratureCf. similar in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession number 20.215.
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 Stamp for Octavian
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Formed as a tablet-shaped stamp (signaculum), with raised border above and below containing an inscription in Latin in reverse over two lines, reading: 'Q[UINTI] POM [PONII] CRE [SCONII} ? / OCTAVIAN[I]' possibly translating to: 'Of Quintus Pomponius Cresconius Octavianus', this latter being the owner; with a large loop to verso. 92 grams, 64 mm
From an old private collection formed before 1985. Accompanied by a copy of a previous dealer's certificate of authenticity including provenance.
Used to stamp documents and a broad range of different materials and food, signacula came into use in the Roman res publica during the 2nd century B.C., becoming both popular and widely used in many areas of everyday life during the Imperial period. These signacula were not exclusively used in the sphere of economy and property administration, but also in public and private sphere, determining the identity of their owners. The bronze stamp - also definable as a tessera, like the wooden one - was an instrumentum vicarium (auxiliary tool) of the annulus signatorius (seal ring), but compared to the annulus, it was much stronger and more practical, capable of leaving a better recognisable imprint. By analogy, the press note of a wooden or terracotta stamp also had an important certifying function, but the object that produced it only lasted a limited time, while the signaculum ex aere (bronze stamp) lasted a lifetime. -
Roman 'Midlands' Samian Ware Bowl Fragment
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
From a small bow with high foot and scrolled strap handle. 26 grams, 78 mm
UK private collection. Found East Midlands, UK. Acquired from Alan Cherry at the Birmingham Coin Fair, 2006. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. Accompanied by an illustrated identification card including provenance. -
Roman Bronze Lanceolate Nail Cleaner
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Of pendant type with ribbed loop, flat-section neck with chamfered sides, piriform plate extending to split finial; central vertical panel of engraved Late Roman military style zig-zag ornament. 3.23 grams, 49 mm
Acquired late 1980s-early 1990s. Ex private collection, Nottinghamshire, UK. Acquired on the UK art market in 2012. Property of a Kent lady collector.
