Large Roman Green Glass Bottle

Of Wirral type, the bow with three raised vertical panels with alternating enamelled cells in each panel, central panel with some blue enamel, the side panels with yellow enamel; rounded foot; pin and hinge absent. 13.09 grams, 54 mm



Found Thornton, Sefton, Merseyside, UK, in 2014. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.LVPL-BFF3DB. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The Wirral brooch is thought to have been derived from the trumpet brooch, and is called such as the earliest discovery of this type was from the Wirral. It is now thought that the main, and possibly only, production site was based in Wirral.

Well preserved rectangular tablet with a recessed panel inscribed with eleven lines of Roman cursive script, no writing on the reverse, the last tablet of a legal contract probably regarding questions of land ownership between a Crescentius and a Lanuarius into which also local elders, seniores, were involved; the text consists of highly developed legal formula, e.g. testati sunt …, and ends with the note: Actum Goretiano, which may be understood as ‘negotiated and decided at the Goretiano estate’; the fundus Goretianos is also mentioned in various other know legal documents. 27.4 grams, 14.4 cm



Acquired by Albert Sfez in the early 1950s. Formerly the property of Monsieur Alain Sfez, a Belgian collector; acquired by gift from his father Albert Sfez, in 1965. Acquired by a London dealer in 1973. From an important London collection since 1975; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Modelled in the round as a facing female, semi-naturalistic facial detailing and dressed hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 31.4 grams total, 55 mm including stand



with Arte Classica, Lugano, prior 2000. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00043014. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Some Roman metal hair pins had human figures as finials (Cool, sub-group A, p.168). Bone pin finials carved as female busts were relatively common in Britannia (see for example finds from Londinium or Rutupiae). Metal pins with human figures were rare, though where they occur they tended to be made in the late Roman period, such a similar example recovered in the Vermand area. The treatment of figures varied greatly, including 'Celtic' looking faces and 'Venus' types. This great diversity of treatment clearly suggests that these pins were the occasional products of a wide variety of workshops.