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LOT 0755
Roman and Later Artefact Group
1ST-20TH CENTURY A.D.
3/8 - 5 1/4 in. (498 grams total, 0.8-13.3 cm).
Comprising complete and fragmentary artefacts: a glass cameo; seal; implements; strap ends; mounting studs; brooches; weights; buckles; pendants; together with other miscellaneous artefacts. [70, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market.
Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle
4th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
With large oval bowl and a long, slender handle, compressed into S-shape and terminating in a stylised bird’s head. 42.4 grams, 85 mm
Found near Welney, Cambridgeshire, in 1985.
Similar silver spoons (cygni), were found within a set of ten spoons (today at the British Museum with inventory nos. 1994,0408.81-90) with ownership inscriptions. The handle attachment of such spoons had some decorative profiling, and the name 'AVRVRSICINI' within the bowl was inlaid with niello. The spoons seems to have been produced by a Romano-British workshop of Late Antiquity (4th-5th centuries A.D.). The cygnus was a particular type of ligula. This type was characterised by a large, oval-shaped bowl, but was equipped, unlike the common ligula, with a shortened, recurved handle which terminated in a stylised water bird or swan's head (swan = cygnus in Latin). -
Roman Bronze Hunting Dog
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Modelled in the round with naturalistic detailing to the coat, head and face, with wide collar and standing on a polygonal base. 87 grams, 67 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection. -
Roman Burnt Carnelian Gemstone with Mars and Minerva
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £444
The oval intaglio with Mars Ultor and Minerva facing each other; Mars to the left with a spear in raised left hand, armed with helmet, armour and sword, his right hand resting on the shield beside him; Minerva to the right, wearing a helmet, shield and aegis. 0.87 grams, 14 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
Mars Ultor and Minerva were both linked with Roman war imagery. Mars represented military power, the strength of the army and violence in battle, Minerva strategy, tactics and intelligence in war. All these qualities were complementary and necessary to win the war. The gemstone was probably a gift for a soldier.
