Roman Brancaster Type Bronze Ring with Bird

With densely curled hair, stern facial expression beneath a broad brow, luxuriant curled beard falling in waves and cut square at the lower edge, a Roman copy after a 5th century B.C. Greek original; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 32.2 kg total, 52 cm high including stand



with Chaucer Fine Arts Ltd, 1980s. English private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11615-199747.

This belongs to a type of archaic sculpture which can be traced back to the original ‘Hermes Propylaios’ by the Attic sculptor Alkamenes, a pupil of Phidias, active in the second half of the 5th century B.C. According to some theories, such depictions of Hermes (Hermae) were created for the Propylaea of the Acropolis of Athens, Hermes being the patron deity of doors and entrances. According to others, this type of bearded Hermes was located within the Acropolis as a devotional figure.

Of piriform shape with everted rim, gently chamfered upper lip and concave underside; lid with bevelled rim, gently dished upper face rising to a central dome and cylindrical handle with piecrust pleats; iridescent surfaces. 823 grams total, 29.5 cm high



Ex Sangiorgi collection, acquired in the 19th century. with Christie's, 3 June 1999, no.121. The remains of a 19th-early 20th-century label can be seen on the glass on one side. with Christie's, New York, 9 December 1999, no.476. American private collection, Westchester, New York, acquired in 1999. with Bonhams, London, 30 September 2015, no.91. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13132-248966.

A similar jar in the British Museum was found in Warwick Square, London, inside a lead canister, and was originally filled with bone ashes. The Romans often reused glass jars, originally made for storing liquids and foodstuffs, as cremation vessels, but this kind of jar seems too fragile and was therefore probably purpose-made. The lead canister, which was found with the jar from London, protected the glass and bones. Georgio Sangiorgi is one of the most famous names associated with the field of ancient glass collecting. Working from the Galleria Sangiorgi in the Palazzo Borghese, Sangiorgi acquired the most magnificent collection of ancient glass, seeking only the finest examples.

including square bezel with incised hatched saltire, scaphoid bezel with vesica, lozenge bezel with saltire, and other types. 64 grams total, 21-27 mm



Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.