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LOT 0158
Roman Bifacial Green Jasper Gemstone with Saddled Male Donkey and EVM
1ST CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.98 grams, 12 mm).
The intaglio with a donkey (mule?) grazing, body facing right; Latin inscription on the verso ‘EVM’ (him).
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf., for a similar gemstone in the Venezia Archaeological National Museum, inventory no.G138; cf. Sena Chiesa, G., Gemme del Museo Nazionale di Aquileia, 1966, no.1050, p.349.
FootnotesDonkeys were used by the Roman army from circa 200 B.C. but mules, the hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, were to become the most important working animals for the military and were used to pull heavy artillery such as catapults. It has been estimated that there were probably half a million mules serving in the Roman army by the time of Augustus (31 B.C.-A.D. 14). DNA studies have now shown that mules may have comprised up to 50% of the equids in the Roman Empire. The use of pack-mules for the army continued in the Eastern Roman army until the fall of Constantinople.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0158
Roman Bifacial Green Jasper Gemstone with Saddled Male Donkey and EVM
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Roman Silver Standing Bull Statuette
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
Modelled in the round standing facing, displaying anatomical detailing; on a rectangular base. 16.1 grams, 26 mm wide
‘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. -
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Roman Terracotta Lion Rhyton
Late 2nd-early 3rd century A.D.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,000
Modelled naturalistically in the round in an advancing pose with face, muzzle and tooth detailing within the open mouth, the tufts of the animal's mature mane individually rendered; filling hole on the back; the mouth open acting as a spout; North African workmanship; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.5 kg total, 20.5 cm high including stand
with Sotheby’s London, 9 December 1994, lot 221. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. Accompanied by copies of relevant Sotheby's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11797-206532.
The lion was famously featured in many ancient myths, perhaps the most famous being that of Hercules (Herakles) slaying the Nemean lion for his first labour, but it was also linked with the cult of the goddess Cybele, where it is usually represented sculptured in relief on either side of her throne. -
Romano-British Colchester-Derivative Bow Brooch
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
With hinge at the cross-bar and pin beneath, deep bow with vertical channel; notched detailing. 12.9 grams, 47 mm
Found East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, UK. Ex private Merseyside, UK, collection. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme report no.SWOR-A26E93.
