Loading, please wait...
LOT 0883
Polished Imperial Porphyry Gaming Piece Set
ROMAN, 4TH-6TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
1 in. (273 grams total, 25 mm each).
A group of large twelve hand cut and hand polished globular gaming pieces. [12]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1990s from the Bath Antiques Centre, Somerset, UK.
From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman.
TimeLine 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 Phallic Dagger Quillon or Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With a rectangular plaque with central void, phallus to one short edge and a stylised fist to the other. 25.5 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
In the Roman world the phallus was symbol of luck or fertility, and it as well was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially from young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. This object can have been the quillon of a small dagger, but also hung as a charm from a tintinnabulum, a wind chime adorned with bells and intended to ward off evil. -
Roman Red Jasper Gemstone with Mercury
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £240 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £120
Ellipsoid in plan with incuse figure of Mercury standing, holding out his coin-purse. 1.13 grams, 16 mm
From the Fadel family collection, London, UK, 1970s. -
Roman Marble Face Fragment
1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Plano-convex in section with exaggerated puffy cheeks and small pursed mouth; possibly from a putto in a figural frieze. 1.21 kg, 15.5 cm
Acquired in the 1992. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
