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LOT 0128
Late Roman Terracotta Lamp with Christian Fish
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/4 in. (146 grams, 14.5 cm).
Low discus with two filler holes flanking a low-relief fish in profile, a band of arched fish to the shoulder, lug handle to the rear and a low basal ring.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Tokyo, Japan, 1980s.
Private European collection, 2010.
For these lamps (Atlante type X; Hayes type II) cf.Bussière, J., Lindros Wohl, B., Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 2017, p.352ff., for the type.
FootnotesThe so-called Christian lamps in Terra Sigillata Africana (TSA) have been classified by Hayes into two major types, I and II. Lamps of Hayes types I and II, initially produced in Tunisia only, were broadly exported, then imitated throughout the Roman Empire for three centuries; consequently, they are extremely numerous.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0128
Late Roman Terracotta Lamp with Christian Fish
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Roman Glass Gem with Fortuna
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Biconvex in profile with intaglio Fortuna standing holding a cornucopia beside a nude male; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 1.37 grams, 15.61 mm
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Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
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A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 43 grams total, 16-23 mm
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The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term token is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
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From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
