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LOT 0676
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, 4TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
35 3/4 in. (84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide).
Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
Ex David Read collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12080-214035.
See Peirano, D., ‘Iasos and Iasian Marble between the Late Antiques and Early Byzantine eras’ in Matetić Poljak, D. and Marasović, K., Asmosia XI, Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, Proceedings of the XI Asmosia Conference, Split, 2015, Split, 2018, pp. 123-130, figs. 1-4, for related examples; Rautman, M., Last Suppers at Sardis, Journal of Roman Archaeology, vol.34/2, 2021, pp.667-694, for examples related to domestic dining contexts; a decorated example with elaborated decoration along the edge, is in the Metropolitan Museum (sigma-shaped table with relief border depicting the Birth of Aphrodite and a Marine Thiasos, accession no. L.2020.6a–ii), but this latter was probably for domestic use; another similar specimen for liturgical use can be seen in the same museum under accession number 47.100.50.
FootnotesMarble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0676
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
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Roman Glass Pendant Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
A pair of bullae with integral loops, both showing iridescence. 1.29 grams total, 15-16 mm
Collected from 1970-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
Freeborn Roman boys wore bullae until they reached adulthood, being given them eight days after their birth, on the same day that they were named. This important marked boys acceptance into the family. Bullae made of gold would only have been affordable to the members of the elite, whilst the lower classes wore pendants made of less expensive materials. The feminine equivalent was a lunar (crescentic) pendant. -
Romano-Celtic Bronze Horse and Rider
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Modelled in the round, male with legs in straddling pose wearing a tight-fitting coat, left hand thrust forward and right arm raised with hand open; head with shoulder-length hair, horse in prancing pose with incised bridle, crupper and other harness and impressed pellets for medallions; provided with a contemporary stand. 113 grams total, 6.5 cm high
Private collection, Chichester, acquired before 2000. -
Late Roman Silver 'Huntsman' Bow Brooch
5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Comprising a circular headplate with pointillé tendril ornament, and three radiating lugs, each with a flared collar below; deep D-section bow with boar-head modelling including open mouth and tusks, bristles and pricked ears; parallel-sided chamfered edges, recurved finial with dog-head detailing and teardrop dangle in the mouth; spring and pin to the reverse. 28 grams, 65 mm
with Artemis Gallery, Münich, before 1998. Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2001. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12226-222179.
As the boar's mouth is modelled open, it is likely that it also had a dangle similar to that of the dog's head. The artistic effect of the brooch is to symbolise the chase, with the boar fleeing and the hound in close pursuit behind. This kind of fibula was used by the Romano-British people of Britannia, as attested by specimens found in Britain (BM inventory no.PRB 1954.12-6.1).
