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_900x900.jpg "Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis")
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_900x900.jpg "Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis")
_200x200.jpg "Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis")
.jpg "Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis")
.jpg "Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis")
LOT 0131
Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
11 5/8 in. (1.4 kg, 29.5 cm high).
With luxuriant long wavy hair and characteristic vertical locks at the forehead, full beard with two large ringlets below the chin, wearing a chiton and a himation draped over the left shoulder, the head surmounted by a corn modius decorated with olive branch in relief, the bust supported on the back of an eagle standing atop an orb with spread wings, the eagle with its head slightly turned to the left, the feathers finely detailed; a finial from a staff or a ceremonial standard.
ProvenanceEx private collection, South Germany, 1980.
with Gorny and Mosch, Munich, 13 December 2003, lot 74.
with Christie's, New York, 8 June 2012, lot 239.
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.11789-206489.
Cf. similar bust in the Virginia Museum of fine Arts, inventory no.98.23; another similar piece, but with the eagle upon the polos, in Mitten, D.G., Doeringer, S.F., Master Bronzes from the Classical World, Exhibition, Fogg Art Museum/City Museum of Saint Louis/Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1967-1968, no.217; for a bronze bust without eagle see the bust of Zeus Serapis in the Saint Louis Art Museum, inv. no. 69:1923.
FootnotesThe Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.) modelled many of his portraits based on Serapis. But it was under Hadrian that the refurbishment of the statue in the Serapeum increased the demand for small-scale images, like this one, probably made during his reign and used atop of a processional sceptre or standard for the cult of the god.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0131
Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis
Estimate £80,000 - 100,000€92,800 - 116,000 (for guidance only)$108,000 - 135,000 (for guidance only)
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Late Roman Iron Branding Signaculum
5th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
Featuring an elaborate monogram composed of Greek letters M and O, supported by decoratively twisted prongs; tapering cylindrical socket. 521 grams, 37.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Branding stamps or signacula, in particular those with large single letters, were used for marking livestock to identify the ownership, the breed, the quality and other features of the animal. The signacula were usually made in bronze, but iron examples are also preserved. -
Roman Gold Earring Pairs
2nd-3rd century A.D. or earlierEstimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Two pairs of earrings with decoratively twisted hoops, domed plaques and pyramid bulbs embellished with granule clusters; one pair with gold wire spirals to the plaques. 16.97 grams total, 42-50 mm
Acquired between 1950-1970s. Ex Swiss private collection. -
Roman Glass Cotton-Reel Type Bottle
1st century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
A heavy squat unguentarium or perfume flask with tall, trumpet-style neck and everted rim. 20.2 grams, 42 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
