Polished Imperial Porphyry Gaming Pieces

Depicted as a standing nude female figure with hair dressed in a chignon, left hand clasped to the chest, and right arm bent; mounted on a tiered display stand. 448 grams total, 17.4 cm including stand



Acquired in the late 1980s. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12862-241687.

The girl is depicted in the act of girding her chest with a fascia, similar to the one illustrated in the famous mosaics of Piazza Armerina, where the band is worn together with a subligaculum that covers her lower parts. It is modelled after a real two-piece bath costume of the ancient Romans.

Fragment from a hollow-formed monument comprising a left hand holding the base of a cross fleury with hexagonal cross-section; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.97 kg total, 32.6 cm high including stand



Ex Arthur Richter (1925-2018), California, USA. Private collection, England. 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.13084-249671.

Here, the hand of what was once a colossal statue of a general or emperor brandishes an object that may be a cross, or the hilt of a commander's sword (parazonium). These monumental bronzes belong to the late period of the Empire, when the image of the victorious emperor or general was intended as propaganda demonstrating military strength, despite the Empire being surrounded by external enemies and devastated by internal strife.

Discoid in plan with intaglio profile bust of Hercules sporting a browband and thick beard; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.83 grams, 14 mm



Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, London, UK.