Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0205
Historic Spartan Basalt Cut and Polished Green Porphyry Fragment
13 in. (6.19 kg total, 33 cm including stand).
Cut and polished section, mined in Greece, cut and polished on one side, probably recycled material mined in ancient Roman times; mounted on a custom-made metal display stand.
Provenance
Acquired on the UK art market since the 1990s.
From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman.
Footnotes
Also known as Lapis Lacedaemonius and Porfido Verde Antico, a type of green porphyry quarried in Greece. Spartan basalt is a form of andesite or volcanic rock known today only from a single source in the village of Krokees on the Peloponnese in Greece. In addition, ancient sources mention a quarry of Lapis Lacedaemonius in Taygetus.
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.
LOT 0205
Historic Spartan Basalt Cut and Polished Green Porphyry Fragment
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
RELATED LOTS
-
.jpg)
Large Roman Glass Gem with Apollo
1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Plano-convex in section with intaglio image of Apollo standing nude beside a column with his lyre; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.66 grams, 29.72 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 32 grams total, 15-20 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term token is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
Roman Silver Military 'Use This with Good Fortune' Belt Mount Group
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Group of belt fitting comprising: kidney-shaped buckle with tongue and square plate with studs; 'amphora-type' strap end with pierced and split upper end; silver letter-shaped plaques each with attachment studs to reverse: 'E' x 3, 'F', 'I', 'L', 'R', 'V', 'X' with suspension loop at the lower ends of the pars; the group may be assembled to read 'U[t]ere Felix' (use [this] with good fortune'. 63 grams total, 24-46 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
One letter 'E' is bronze, the 'T' is absent.
