Roman Blue Glass Bead Necklace String

Comprising a bust with head turned slightly to the right, wearing a laurel wreath on the brow; hollow to reverse of chest and head cavity filled with lead; acanthus-leaf finial. 203 grams, 87 mm



From the private Swiss collection of Hans Wiedemann, Biel/Bienne, since the 1990s. Ex S.L. Antiquarian Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Acquired from T.B.on the Swiss art market in Basel. Swiss collection Basel-Landschaft. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The laurel wreath in ancient Rome held significant meaning and was a prominent symbol. Traditionally it was awarded to someone who was honoured or who had achieved something notable. It adorned the heads of formidable military leaders and notable poets as a representation of status, victory, and honour. Fashioned from the laurel plant, Romans believed it showcased divine protection, with roots linked to the prophecy of the Delphic Oracle.

Wide domed body with domed underside to the foot, tall narrow neck and splayed rim with rolled edge. 27.5 grams, 13.7 cm



From an important London collection of glass, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

A substantial hollow-form ring with a hexagonal plaque to the base of the hoop, expanding shoulders with a low-relief image of a standing nude goddess; raised oval bezel with an applied repoussé disc of a warship to each end; applied bezel with a chiselled image of god of the sea Neptune facing right, depicted with thick, lustrous beard and hair, the hair tied with a thin ribbon. 7.40 grams, 37.31 mm overall, 22.71 x 27.56 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z+3, USA 13 3/4, Europe 32.57, Japan 31)



Ex Angelopolo collection, Vienna. Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12571-232087. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The ring carries a rare combination of the god Neptune (Greek Poseidon) with two warships. This can only mean that it belonged to a navarcha, a commander of a fleet or a warship. In the turbulent era of the civil wars that followed the death of Caesar, important naval conflicts sealed the fate of the Roman Res Publica. Sextus Pompeius, son of the great Pompey, was able to build a naval power in the South of the Italian Peninsula, especially in Sicily, adopting the image of the god Neptune who - with an image very similar to that of our ring - was represented on the coins he minted, together with naval triumphs and warships. The ships depicted on the ring belong to the Liburna type, protagonist of the famous battle of Actium in 31 B.C. They were smaller and faster ships, armed with 82 oars disposed upon two orders, about 33 meters long, with 114 oarsmen, 10-15 sailors, and 40 marines. The hull-design of the Liburna with a pointed, streamlined prow built for speed, as well as the ram (rostrum), is here fully detailed.