Late Roman Ring with Man Catching Fish

A redware ceramic fragment with moulded low-relief decoration of a victorious Auriga (chariot-driver) standing in his chariot with four rearing horses yoked to it; geometric detail to his tunic, a frond in his bent left arm and a whip in his raised right hand; incised bilinear lettering '-TA' to the left and 'PV- / TO[V?]-' to the right in Greek letters; modern mounting loop to the reverse. 74 grams, 90 mm



Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

The pottery fragment shows an image of a charioteer in the moment of victory, with his left hand carrying a palm branch. The iconography is visible in the monument of Porphyrios in Constantinople and the charioteers of the Baccano mosaics. The detailed representation of the Auriga shows the attributes of his work: he wears a close-fitting undershirt with sleeves (γυμναστικiον) and an ornamented sleeveless tunic over it, leaving the knees exposed as is typical for charioteers (αυριγαριον).

A bronze bowl with a squat, barrel-shaped body, broad rim and foot; concentric raised basal rings; old French collection label to the body. 335 grams, 78 mm wide



Ex collection of Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), France.

A white marble right forearm and hand, modelled in the round gripping a bird; simple detailing to the bird's head and to the folds of the skin on the palm of the hand and the nail beds; remains of iron rod inserted into the limb. 531 grams, 17 cm



New York art market, 1992.