Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Greek Silver Medical Implement with Snake Handle")
_200x200.jpg "Greek Silver Medical Implement with Snake Handle")
.jpg "Greek Silver Medical Implement with Snake Handle")
LOT 0533
Greek Silver Medical Implement with Snake Handle
4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
10 in. (68 grams, 25 cm long).
A silver and copper-alloy medical instrument, oval in shape, the handle formed as a snake with shallow hatched pattern on the body representing scales, stylised rendering of the snake's head.
ProvenanceAcquired mid 1980s to early 1990s.
Private family collection formed in London, UK.
Accompanied by a metal test assessment number 182971/HM1456 from an Oxford specialist.
Cf. Milne, J.S., Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman times, Oxford, 1907, pl.XI,4, for a spatula with a similar snake handle.
FootnotesThe use of this spatula (probe) for medical assessment can be confirmed by its snake-shaped handle, evidently a reference to the god Asklepios, whose symbol was a staff with a serpent wrapped around it. Such implements, called 'ἀπυρομήλη', were used in the Graeco-Persian world. The survival of the handle in this example makes it a rare find.
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.
LOT 0533
Greek Silver Medical Implement with Snake Handle
Estimate £450 - 650€520 - 750 (for guidance only)$610 - 880 (for guidance only)
-
Greek Cream Glass Ribbed Bottle
Late 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
An opaque cream-coloured glass bottle with vertical ribbing around the globular body, trumpet-style neck and mouth with rolled rim. 76 grams, 73 mm high
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998. -
Greek Heavy Bronze Bracelet with Central Bar
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
A penannular bronze bracelet with a facetted convex hoop, the arms tapering to an expanded bezel with raised vertical bar. 27.7 grams, 64 mm
Acquired 1990s. English private collection. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
Graeco-Roman Silver Frog Amulet
2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
A silver pendant with suspension ring formed as a frog modelled in the half-round with limbs splayed. 3.27 grams, 34 mm
London, UK, art market, 1980s. From the collection of G.M.R.H., London, UK.
