Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture")
_200x200.jpg "Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture")
_900x900.jpg "Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture")
_200x200.jpg "Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture")
.jpg "Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture")
.jpg "Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture")
LOT 0145
Large Roman Marble Bull's Head Sculpture
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY B.C.- 2ND CENTURY A.D.
20 in. (98 kg, 51 cm).
Life-size bull's head (bucranium) on a rectangular field with flattened upper face and small ledge overhang; modelled in the half-round with detailed eyes, muzzle and dewlap, plain background; tooled texture to the forehead and dewlap; Eastern Empire. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
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.12081-213373.
Cf. similar item in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.99.17; for various similar examples s. Mendel, G., Catalogue des sculptures grecques, romaines et byzantines, Constantinople, 1914, nos.1151 (381), 1164-1166 (300,1152,1139), 1282-1283 (2015-2016), vol.III, pp.493-494.
FootnotesThe bucranium was used as a prominent motif on the exterior of Graeco-Roman temples where it replaced the use of genuine severed heads from the sacrificial rites. Garlands were draped over the heads on feast-days and occasions of special religious observance. The flattened upper face suggests an architectural use, perhaps as a corbel.
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:
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.
-
Roman Bronze Dog Chariot Fitting
2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Hollow-formed fitting of a leaping hound with forelegs extended; segmented base with two fixing holes. 148 grams, 70 mm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Roman Bronze Duck-Headed Ladle
1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
With broad bowl and inturned rim, D-section handle, with one remaining hooked duck-head-head finial. 208 grams, 26.5 cm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent. -
Roman Lead Coffin Panel Fragment with Sphinx
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Decorated with a high-relief pattern comprising a sphinx reclining on a dais surrounded by laurel leaves; ropework and floral border strips with laurel leaves; raised lip below the upper edge. 3.3 kg, 38 cm
Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
This item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section were symbols of the outer-world, like gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples.
