Roman Archaising Silver Statuette

Comprising: an annular brooch, two finger rings, an awl(?) and a Roman bow brooch. 15.9 grams total, 23-35 mm



Acquired on the UK art market circa 2005. From an old North Country, UK, collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

A mixed group of tesserae of various colours and sizes, mostly cuboid. 95 grams total, 7-24 mm



From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK; he amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Roman mosaics were made from small cubes of natural stone and terracotta possibly cut from tile or brick. Each of these small cubes was called a tessera (plural tesserae) from the Latin word for dice.

Standing nude with a chlamys draped over his left shoulder and fastened on the right shoulder, bearing the weight on his right foot with the left leg bent at the knee with the heel raised; the right arm extended and holding the remains of an attribute, the left arm bent at the elbow; his head turned slightly to the right with long luxurious hair swept back and gathered at the nape of the neck; set on a circular socle base; stripped and repatinated. 700 grams, 19 cm



Acquired at Mythes ét Légendes, 18 Place des Vosges, Paris, 14 May 1980. Private collection, France. Ex Jean Roudillon, Hôtel des Ventes de Belfort SARL, 22 October 2011, no.9. with Christie's, London, 2 April 2014, no.91. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S0007570. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.132675 dated 7 December 2011. 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.12360-226681. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The figurine is of archaic style; it is probably a provincial work of a Gallo-Roman workshop. The prototype can be seen in the Apollo of Naxos in the Berlin Museum. The style of posture and movement can also be seen in the archaic bronzes of Falterona, the Louvre and Athens.