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LOT 0944
Large Roman Bronze Crossbow Brooch
4TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 in. (51.5 grams, 79 mm).
Onion-knop finials with silver inlaid wire below, gusset to the bow, chamfered sections to the foot, hinged pin to the reverse.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Beck, H. et al., Fibel und Fibeltracht, Berlin, 2000, fig.119(7), for type.
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:
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Roman Fresco Wall Plaster Collection
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Fragments of wall plaster with rendered surface painted with mainly Pompeii red, pale blue and white detailing; some with impression of timber laths to the reverse. 613 grams total, 6.2-10.3 cm
Acquired in the 19th century. Ex Jeger collection, Switzerland. UK gallery, early 2000s.
These small fragments, for analogies with the fragments of Pompeii, seem to belong to the second style of Roman painting, red panels representing highlight and shadow, decorated with vegetal interlaces. Some panels were probably framed by a red grenade fillet. A fragment shows alternate blue and red colour over a cream background, maybe pertinent to a socle. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 38 grams total, 15-22 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 Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Piriform in plan with volute nozzle, band of impressed pellets to the shoulder. 40 grams, 79 mm
Acquired at a London antiques fair in the 1990s. From the private collection of a Devon, UK, lady.
Some lamps, with or without a central handle, with one or more nozzles, either opposed or contiguous, could be of Corinthian production, representing a fine example of remarkable quality and finesse. On the other hand, some examples can be considered a local/regional production in the Eastern Roman Empire.
