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LOT 0745
Roman Artefact Group
CIRCA 1ST-5TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 - 3 5/8 in. (150 grams total, 33-92 mm).
A trio of artefacts comprising: a Roman copper-alloy coin, likely a sestertius, with worn designs to obverse and reverse, the reverse likely portraying the goddess Minerva leaning on a shield and wearing a helmet; a stone loom weight of conoid form, dated c.100 A.D. and discovered in Egypt; a Roman ceramic oil lamp dated c.500 A.D., piriform in plan with raised borders to the central opening and nozzle, decorative ribbing to the shoulder, conical handle and basal ring. [3, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an old UK collection.
From the private collection of Alf Baxendale (1941-2016) part 2, keen Egyptologist, member of the Egyptology Society, trustee of the Amarna Trust; thence by descent.
Accompanied by two identification display cards.
Accompanied by a copy of his obituary published in Horizon, The Amarna Project and Amarna Trust newsletter, Issue 18, 2017, p.21, by Barry John Kemp, CBE, FBA, Professor Emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge and directing excavations at Amarna in Egypt.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Dimpled Glass Jar
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
An opaque glass jar of squat, bulbous form and with trumpet-style neck and mouth, the body decorated with shallow dimples; repaired. 36.9 grams, 47 mm wide
Acquired 2000s. Ex London, UK, collection. -
Roman Terracotta Bust of a Boy
1st-century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £351
A terracotta bust of a boy mounted on an integral channeled plinth base, modelled with semi-naturalistic facial features and a cropped hairstyle, wearing a bulla and a sash over the left shoulder. 341 grams, 17 cm high
Ex private German collection, 1960; thence by descent. with Auktionshaus Owl, Bielefeld, Germany, 5 September 2015, Lot 40605.
In ancient Rome, the bulla was an amulet given to every boy nine days after his birth. The meaning, origins and use of the bulla are in some ways enigmatic and still a subject of research for scholars. The bulla was worn around the neck during childhood and adolescence. Depending on the social status and wealth of the family who commissioned it, different materials were used; on rare occasions it was made fully in gold, if the child belonged to a family of the high Roman aristocracy, or more commonly made in lead covered with a gold foil. The bulla was also made for the poorer classes in lesser materials, such as fabric or leather. -
Roman Silver Folding 'Travel' Spoon
Circa 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A short silver spoon with shallow piriform bowl, raised neck with movable pinned hinge attached to the hexagonal-section handle and shortened polyhedral knob finial, allowing the handle to be folded into the bowl. 28 grams, 11.2 cm long
Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.
As today, the spoon was used as a measure for dosage in ancient times. Both the cochlear and the ligula could have been used to measure different quantities, particularly in the practice of medicine and in the kitchen. Isidore (Origines, XVI, 26.3) tells us that the cochlear was the smallest unit size and was worth half a drachma.