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_900x900.jpg "Larger Than Life-Size Roman Bronze Sandaled Foot")
_200x200.jpg "Larger Than Life-Size Roman Bronze Sandaled Foot")
.jpg "Larger Than Life-Size Roman Bronze Sandaled Foot")
LOT 0121
Larger Than Life-Size Roman Bronze Sandaled Foot
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
11 3/4 in. (5.84 kg total, foot: 30 cm wide).
Modelled in the round and originally part of a monumental statue, the naturalistic right foot encased in a trochades leather sandal with median reversed tongue secured with side straps and thick looped laces; the thick platform sole slightly curved, toes and nails well defined; mounted on a substantial custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceGerman art market.
European private collection, 1970s-early 2000s.
Acquired from the above; thence by descent.
Private collection, London, UK.
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.12176-221443.
Cf. Racinet, A., The complete costume history, from ancient times to 19th century, Köln, 2003, pp.52-53, nos.23 and 36; 76-77, nos.10, 24, 38, 44 for similar footwear; Sebesta, J.L., and Bonfante, L., The World of Roman Costume, Madison, 2001; a similar type of footwear appears on a Roman bronze statue, today in Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, acc. no. 1986.5, believed to portray Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the guise of a simple itinerant philosopher rather than as a general or a nobleman; another example appears on a huge statue from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, British Museum accession no.1857,1220.232, reconstructed from more than seventy fragments recovered from the site.
FootnotesThe detailed bronze foot with a possible variant of the Greek trochades sandal, known to be a traveller's sandal, is all that remains of the once monumental statue. The trochades was a sturdy traveller's open boot of Greek origin with a flat sole. In the Consular Age it was also used by officers and guardsmen. Roman sandals consisted usually of a leather sole attached to the foot with interlacing thongs.
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
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Roman Bronze Phallic Pendant
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Formed as a stylised phallus with lateral testes, suspension loop above. 16.9 grams, 40 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Ring with Lion
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
With ellipsoid bezel, incuse lion attacking a goat. 3.11 grams, 24.39 mm overall, 20.02 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Roman Marble Janiform Herm Head of Ariadne and a Maenad
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,050
Carved architectural element depicting a double herm comprising: a diademed female bust with long wavy hair framing the face, slender features with small mouth and raised lids; the other side with a diademed female with hair arranged in neat curls on the forehead, large eyes and small mouth, taenia shown on each side of the neck; base reworked with drilled sockets for mounting. 12.6 kg, 29 cm high
Old collection, acquired in the 1970s. Acquired by inheritance from Mr N.S. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12084-211893.
The head with elaborately curled hair and diadem could represent Ariadne, as shown by comparisons with a fragment of a two-faced herm with bearded Dionysus and Ariadne preserved in the Antiquarium Ostiense, dated to the lmperial Roman age. The heads could be interpreted either as Ariadne and a Maenad, or as two Maenads being characterised by the diadem and long taeniae. The association of these figures with Dionysus is congruent with the typology of the herm, which refers to rural places and theatres. Numerous herms in fact attest that this type of sculpture was used in contexts linked to Dionysus and his sacred procession as well as, obviously, the representation of Ariadne, his female partner and double. The example fits into the class of domestic sculpture with a decorative function, mostly used to adorn peristyles and viridaria; the type placed at the crown of columns and pillars is quite documented, in particular in the version with the head of Dionysus contrasted with that of Ariadne or a Maenad.
