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LOT 0778
Roman Bone Gaming Die
CIRCA 1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/4 in. (0.47 grams, 6.95 mm).
Cuboid with ring-and-dot markings arranged 1:2, 3:4, 5:6. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the Colin Narbeth collection, 1990s.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 37 grams total, 15-22 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term token is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
Roman Black Gemstone with Laurel Wreath
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With intaglio laurel wreath; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.18 grams, 7.35 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
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Roman Marble Head of a Veiled Goddess
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
With a palla drawn up over her hair, stepped at the rear to indicate a chignon; soft, youthful facial features with fleshy cheeks and a rounded jawline; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.47 kg total, 18.5 cm including stand
with Gorny & Mosch, Munich, 21 June 2005, no.344. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13198-250132.
The head comes from a statue that most likely represented a matronly deity, Demeter or Hestia/Vesta, the goddess protector of the home hearth. The latter seems the most likely, as she was usually depicted (as in the Hestia Iustiniani, a prototype often replicated in the Roman era) with a covered head (velato capite), a symbol of modesty and marital virtue for the Roman matron.
