Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0111
Etruscan Gold Fibula with Amber Disc
CIRCA 4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
3 in. (12.42 grams, 75 mm).
Bow brooch with hollow-formed head, foot and bow; the head formed as the head of a goat; bow enclosing an annular amber panel.
Provenance
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Lead Sling Shot Projectile Collection
1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £585
Comprising ten lentoid-section glandes, five with impressed stylised 'fulmen' (thunderbolt) of Jupiter. 384 grams total, 18-36 mm
Acquired in Europe in 1990. European private collection.
The missiles of ovoid shape belong to type Ia of the Völling classification. The sling (funda) with its lead missiles (plumbea pondera or glandae) and stone (lapides) was used by special funditores, illustrated on Trajan’s Column where they are simply dressed in broad tunics with no armour, but carry a shield. A fold in their cloak, or sagulum, acted as an ammunition bag. The effectiveness of the slingers was unquestionable and much appreciated, especially against elephants. Celsus, writing towards the end of the 2nd century A.D., described how a slingshot wound was more dangerous and harder to treat than one inflicted by an arrow. -
Roman Inked Wooden Tablet for a Contract Between Bassus and Neronianus
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £15,600
A reused tablet with a recessed panel on one side, the last tablet of a legal document which consisted of two (diptychon) or three tablets (triptychon); ten black inked lines of New Roman cursive script, the end of a record of a transaction in formulaic legal language, probably a sales contract, between the buyer (emptor) Bassus and a person called Neronianus; traces of text (perhaps in rustic capitals) to the reverse. 40 grams, 15.1 x 13.9 cm
From an important London collection since 1975. Accompanied by a collection of two 1970s photographs of the the tablet.
The contract follows standard Roman legal formulae. -
Roman Gold Ring with Mani in Fede Gemstone for Aiax
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Comprising a hollow-formed hoop with rounded shoulders, inset garnet intaglio with clasped hands and 'AIAX' inscription. 2.79 grams, 21.00 mm overall, 14.90 mm internal diameter (approximate size British E, USA 2 1/4, Europe 2.41, Japan 2)
Acquired in Europe in 1992. with Million Cornette de Saint Cyr, Hotel Regina, 12 December 2009. European private collection.
The Romanised name 'Aiax' is given to the hero Αἴας of the Trojan war, who carried off the body of Achilles and fought Hector. The subject of two clasped hands (dextrarum junctio) symbolising the fides (loyalty, trust), was very popular on Roman rings and gems. It was mainly used on marriage rings, sometimes with the equivalent Greek inscription 'OMONOIA'. Sometimes it was used in terms of military loyalty between commander and army. In this case it is most probable the name of the groom (AIAX).
