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_900x900.jpg "Roman Agate Cameo with a Julio-Claudian Portrait of an Emperor")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Agate Cameo with a Julio-Claudian Portrait of an Emperor")
.jpg "Roman Agate Cameo with a Julio-Claudian Portrait of an Emperor")
LOT 0093
Roman Agate Cameo with a Julio-Claudian Portrait of an Emperor
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.5 grams, 20 mm).
Oval cameo with a profile bust facing left, a laurel crown resting on his close-cropped hair; in the background, a second portrait visible 'capita iugata'.
ProvenanceUK private collection, acquired on the English art market in the 2000s.
LiteratureCf. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, John L. Severance Fund, 1991.154, for a fragment of a cameo depicting an imperial bust.
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
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0093
Roman Agate Cameo with a Julio-Claudian Portrait of an Emperor
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 33.9 grams total, 12-21 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
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' refers to a four-sided shape. 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. -
Roman Iridescent Glass Candlestick Unguentarium
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With a low conical body and a slightly convex wall, a tall cylindrical neck flaring to the mouth with a rolled rim. 32.9 grams, 12.9 cm
Acquired in the 1990s from London dealerships and auction houses. From the Lonson collection. -
Roman Red Ware Bowl
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Broad and squat in profile with inturned rim and external carination. 410 grams, 16.7 cm wide
From the collection of David Donlan (1947-2025), a dedicated and lifelong collector with a passion for the ancient world and the natural sciences, forming his collection from 1960s onwards, using many reputable dealers across the United Kingdom, including the well-regarded Coincraft and The Parthenon Gallery.
