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LOT 0637
Roman Balance Scales Pair
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY A.D.
8 in. (93 grams, 20.2 cm wide).
A set of copper-alloy balance scales composed of a hook and shaped bar suspending a link chain at each end, each single chain diverging into three shorter chains supporting a shallow dish. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1990s-2000.
Property of an East London gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Phallic Pendant with Loops
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A bronze horse harness pendant composed of three concentric circles surmounted by a bearded figure to which is attached a suspension ring, the body of the figure engraved and ending with phallic attributes. 52.4 grams, 83 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
Roman military harness included pendants of various typology, ranging from lunules to other decorative elements, often phallic, with the possible intention of protecting the animal. This particular pendant could be connected to the bearded image of the god Priapus. -
Roman Tragic Mask Applique
1st century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £130
A rectangular slate mount showing the head of a tragic mask with angular eyes, straight nose and a clownish, down-turned mouth. 3 grams, 16.2 mm
Very fine condition.
Acquired from Galerie Jean Phillipe Mariaud de Serres, 1990-2000. Property of a French collector.
Small appliqués like this one were common in Roman furniture. In the Graeco-Roman world, comic and tragic masks played an important role in Greek drama, commonly performed in the Roman Empire. The actors had the ability to easily play more than one character in succession with a simple change of masks, and the characters of the masks became popular objects in the material culture. -
Roman Bone Dice Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
A pair of bone dice with punched ring-and-dot numbering, each composed: 1:6; 2:5; 3:4. 3.4 grams total, 10 mm each
Fine condition.
German art market, 1990s. Mr A.H., a North American collector living in the UK.