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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 Bronze Attacking Panther Mount
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
Modelled in the round with naturalistic detailing to the head and face, probably biting another animal. 38 grams, 66 mm
‘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. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Demeter Holding Ear of Corn
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
Set in a silver mount with beaded edge; the intaglio depicting Demeter draped, advancing left and holding ear of corns in her right hand. 2.21 grams, 19 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
Demeter and Hecate were linked to the afterlife cult, so it is possible that the ring to which the bezel belonged was a funerary gift. Demeter (Ceres for the Romans) was the Greek goddess of the harvest, the cycle of life and death and sacred law. -
Large Eastern Roman Bronze Bust-Shaped Steelyard Weight
Circa 3rd-4th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Modelled in the round as a facing female with head turned slightly right, with semi-naturalistic facial detailing and dressed hair; lead-filled. 4.2 kg, 13.5 cm high
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Steelyard weights in the form of human or deities faces were not uncommon in the Roman period (see SWYOR-DA4426, OXON-4391B5, HAMP-BD4D67 and NARC-7A7B81 on the PAS). These were generally filled with lead and had iron or copper suspension loops projecting from the top of the head.
