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LOT 0722
Roman Agate Gemstone with a Combat Scene with Gryphon
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.44 grams, 12.71 mm).
With intaglio scene of a man and a winged beast in combat; inscribed to verso 'OωKA / PAKA'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
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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Large Roman Deep Blue Glass Date Flask
1st century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,111
Mould-blown with elliptical body, short neck and thick everted rim, with modelled wrinkles imitating the texture of a dried date. 41.7 grams, 80 mm
Dr Gonik & Me Wirth, Geneva, 1970s. Private collection, Europe. 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 a search certificate number no.12394-226935.
Dates were not only a staple of the Mediterranean diet, used to sweeten food and wine, but also a symbol for the New Year and a fruit often given as a gift on the occasion. -
Roman Bronze Decorated Armilla Bracelet
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Penannular rectangular-section body divided into segments with linear decoration. 29.7 grams, 59 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Historic Roman Cut and Polished Roman Imperial Purple Porphyry Section
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Comprising a triangular piece, cut and polished on several sides, probably recycled material mined in ancient Roman times between the 1st and 5th centuries A.D.; mounted on a custom-made metal display stand. 5.97 kg total, 38 cm including stand
Acquired on the UK art market since the 1990s. From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman.
Mons Porphyrites (today Jabal Abu Dukhkhan) is the mountainous site of a group of ancient quarries in the Red Sea Hills of the inhospitable eastern desert in Egypt, a five-day trip from the Nile during Roman times. They were discovered by Caius Cominus Leugas in 18 A.D., and during the Roman Empire, the mines officially belonged to the emperor and were the only known source of the Imperial Porphyry, Mons Porphyrites. This dark purple stone was associated with royalty and used for prestigious sculpture and architecture. The location of the mines was lost sometime in the 5th century and rediscovered in the early 19th century. Excavations in the area have revealed the well-preserved quarries and the dwelling places of the quarrymen, and also thousands of ostraca have been discovered containing messages that provide details of how the quarrying took place, and of how the highly skilled quarrymen ordered their food.
