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LOT 0818
Roman Black Onyx Gemstone with Oxen
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3/8 in. (0.62 grams, 11 mm).
Engraved with two bulls lying side by side, one with the head in profile, the other facing, tree to the field.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
See Richter, G.M.A., Catalogue of engraved gems of the classical style, New York, 1920, for similar late Minoan iconography; for identical Roman iconography see Furtwängler, A., Die antiken Gemmen: Geschichte der Steinschneidekunst im Klassischen Altertum, Leipzig and Berlin, 1900, fig.2, pl. XLV.
FootnotesThe iconography of two bulls derives already from Achaean models, like the black onyx example in the Metropolitan Museum (Richter, 1920, pl.2,no.3). The model was inherited by the classical world, and inherited from the Greeks by the Romans (Furtwängler mentions gemstones in carnelian, nos.5547-5548-5549 at the Berlin Museum).
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0818
Roman Black Onyx Gemstone with Oxen
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
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Roman Gold Ring with Dolphin Gemstone
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,940
With D-section shank, ellipsoid stepped bezel, inset sardonyx intaglio dolphin. 5.60 grams, 23.61 mm overall, 20.69 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11859-206976.
The dolphin motif is associated with the god Neptune. -
Roman Marble Head of Dionysus
Circa 2nd century A.D.Estimate: £30,000 - 40,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £15,000
A Roman copy of a Greek original, wearing a crown of leaves and corymbs, hair falling in straight lines underneath the diadem; full beard composed of four rows of thick tufts with drilled holes; slightly open mouth with a fleshy lower lip; low cheekbones and hollow cheeks; large almond-shaped eyes with lachrymal duct; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 15.8 kg total, 48 cm high including stand
Ex private French collection, early 1960s. Acquired by the current owner in 2011. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.129940. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11791-206395
The head finds comparable parallels with a series of herms representing philosophers, lyricists and the god Hermes, deriving from Greek originals of the 5th century B.C. The reworking of these typologies in a cultured environment is due to the diffusion of sculptures linked to the idea of speculative otium and withdrawal into the bucolic world of which Dionysus was guardian and protector. The typology of the representation associates him with the concept of continuous rebirth and fertility of nature, typical of Dionysus Lenaeus. -
Roman Glass Candlestick Unguentarium
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Tall thin neck with everted rim and double bulb base with flat bottom. 12.4 grams, 11.6 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
