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LOT 0112
Roman Bronze Animal Collection
MAINLY 1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 - 2 3/8 in. (292 grams total, 20-60 mm).
Comprising: a dolphin head with stylised detailing; swan on discoid base; bird's head with hooked beak; bird standing on polygonal base, curved neck and slightly spread wings; head of another animal, possibly mythical; with a later Byzantine lock-plate with bird standing left. [6]
Provenance‘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.
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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LOT 0112
Roman Bronze Animal Collection
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
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Roman Silver-Gilt Military Strap End
Circa late 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Comprising scalloped outer faces, shallow dashed borders framing scrolling vines with gilt leaves to one face and horizontal bar of conjoined ellipses with pelta finial and pecked borders to the other, also with gilt elements. 39.8 grams total, 64-65 mm
Ex German art market in the late 1990s. -
Roman Gemstone with Ceres
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Oval-shaped with scene depicting the goddess Ceres seated right, holding a cornucopia and ears of corn with scales below, wearing a modius. 0.93 grams, 14 mm
Altstetten collection since 1969.
Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, maternal relationships and fertility, and represents transition, motherhood and nurture. She was also the only one of ancient Rome's agricultural deities to be listed amongst the Dii Consentes, the Roman equivalent to the Twelve Olympians of Greek mythology. -
Roman Bronze Scallop Shell Attachment Pair
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £833
Each composed of shell-shaped body with a D-shaped lug to reverse, the lug with tapering spike to the centre. 343 grams total, 12.5 cm each
Private collection, Rosenheim, Germany, 1960s.
This pair could have been used as a double key or door lock, based on comparison with some keys from the territory of Gaul (Boucher, 1971, pp.200-201). They comprised a strong ring with polygonal-section stem and a rectangular point.