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_900x900.jpg "Roman Agate Gemstone with Minerva Holding Nike in Gold Ring")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Agate Gemstone with Minerva Holding Nike in Gold Ring")
.jpg "Roman Agate Gemstone with Minerva Holding Nike in Gold Ring")
LOT 0977
Roman Agate Gemstone with Minerva Holding Nike in Gold Ring
2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (7.59 grams, 27.22 mm overall, 18.18 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)).
Intaglio image of Minerva standing on a baseline holding spear and shield, supporting a victoriola in her extended hand; set into a later gold ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe.
Acquired on the English art market.
The specimen of agate used by the engraver was undoubtedly used for its apotropaic ‘eye’ like qualities, which were used as amulets for protection against the evil eye.
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 0977
Roman Agate Gemstone with Minerva Holding Nike in Gold Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
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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. -
Roman to Medieval Bronze Statuette Fragment Collection
1st-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Including right forearm and hand, right hand with rhyton and other types. 86 grams total, 24-38 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Hand Holding a Parazonium
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,000
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.
