Loading, please wait...
LOT 0704
Gallo-Roman Bronze Mercury Statuette
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 in. (43 grams, 59 mm).
Modelled standing nude with stylised anatomical detailing, stylised wings on the head, right hand shrouded beneath a flattened area with horizontal grooves holding the purse, the other clenched into a fist.
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s.
Ex UK collection.
Property of a Hampshire, UK gentleman.
See Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 90; Boucher, S., Recherches sur les bronzes figures de Gaule pre-romaine et romaine, 1976, pl.35, no.163, for comparable examples.
FootnotesLikely an ex-voto figure representing Mercury (Greek Hermes) holding a purse, clearly offered by someone to ask or give thanks for successful vows.
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.
-
Roman Bronze Spread Eagle Statue Base
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £56
Modelled with naturalistic detailing, wings spread with the feet of a statue standing on its tail. 44.5 grams, 50 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection. -
.jpg)
Heavy Roman Silvered Bronze Bowl
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
With wide flat bottom decorated inside with incised concentric circles, the internal concave surface retaining some of the silver coating; the central umbilicus still visible. 860 grams, 22.8 cm wide
From the family collection of a Surrey gentleman since before 1960.
This vessel (lanx) was part of Roman and provincial bronze instrumentum domesticum, i.e. culinary or domestic utility ware. Such cooking vessels are rare in such condition: some are found in central and northern Gaul, Italy, in Pannonia, Germany and in Britain. Specimens of precious metal, richly decorated and chiselled, sometimes adorned with reliefs, are mentioned by ancient authors such as Cicero (Ad Att., VI,1,13) and Ovid (Pont.III,5,20). -
Roman Bronze Bracelet Group
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising five with round-section bodies and squared terminals; the surfaces decorated with engraved lines and dots. 73 grams total, 63-66 mm
From the family collection of a Surrey gentleman since before 1960.
Bracelets were worn in Rome by ladies of rank, but it was considered a mark of effeminacy for civilian men to use such female ornaments (Suetonius, Caligula, 52; Nero, 30). The armillae (or psellia in Greek) were rings and bracelets worn by women in the Graeco-Roman world on both legs and arms. Homer mentions them (elikas) as being part of the hairstyle of the divine Aphrodite, thus giving an almost sacred character to these objects. There were different types, the most common consisting of a more or less thick metal wire, or a flat or cylindrical circle, like our examples.
