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LOT 0740
Roman and Other Lead Weights
1ST-18TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 - 1 1/2 in. (880 grams total, 19-37 mm).
Including discoid, melon, plano-convex and other types. [18, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired since the 1970s.
From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Stone Corbel with Severed Head of a Gallo-Roman
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Statue or frieze fragment with male head modelled in the half-round; circular face with large almond-shaped eyes, heavy brow, thick tousled hair framing the face, drooping moustache and short beard; presented at an oblique angle to the lower face of the block; two mounting holes to the underside. 22.8 kg, 43 cm
Found in Norfolk, UK. Acquired from Michael Booth, 1998. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The angle of the face in respect of the block suggests that the head is both tilted and detached, i.e. that it is a tête coupé or severed head. The practice of headhunting is documented among the natives of both Gaul and Britain (and elsewhere) in the Iron Age. The head is then considered to have special powers to avert evil and promote fertility, cure disease and provide other benefits. This is the case with the carved head - a male mask with copious hair and beard - from the Roman baths at Bath, Somerset (the ancient Aquae Sulis) which was a site of worship long before the arrival of a Roman presence in the area (Ross, p.91). The head takes on the character of a deity and is believed to respond favourably to prayer. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Sea Creature
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
With intaglio capricorn with forelegs extended; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.5 grams, 10 mm
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Buffware Oil Lamp Group
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Comprising four mould made lamps, one with ring handle with two shallow grooves on upper part, central filling-hole, small air hole in the lower part; one with volute lug handle, flat shoulder with a rounded outer ridge, flat-bottomed discus, central filling-hole, V-shaped channel between discus and nozzle, air hole above club; the other two with ring handles and grooves on upper and lower parts, shoulder with shallow pronounced relief, filling hole with air hole in front of the nozzle. 140 grams total, 67-82 mm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The lamps have connections with models of 1st-3rd centuries A.D., in particular with Bayley type A group i, Bussiere form D VII and D X 5.
