Roman Bronze 'Astragalus' Knuckle Bone Gaming Piece

The borders with spiral motifs and running lions, a hole in each corner for fastening pins. 8.97 grams, 60 mm



Acquired early 1990s. From an East Anglian private collection.

By the second half of the 4th century, broad Roman military belts were decorated with chip-carved mounts and plates. The fittings were realised by punching or by chip carving different patterns and motifs.

Composed of a large openwork hoop and bezel set with a jasper gemstone, intaglio image of a mounted cavalryman wearing a high-crested pseudo Corinthian helmet and holding a barbed javelin in his hand, protecting his horse from the leaping lion attacking from the rear, a tree behind. 33.97 grams, 31.98 mm overall, 20.67 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)



Acquired on the New York art market in 1995. Ex French collection. with Christie's, London, 25th April 2007, lot 187. Important North West London collection. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.079872. 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 a search certificate number no.11775-204565.

The massive size, shape and the volute decoration is typical of the 3rd century A.D. and similar rings are visible in the collections of the British Museum and Mainz State Museum. The subject of the intaglio is made with great skill, exquisite artistry and engraved in fine detail. The lion hunt theme is typical of the Hellenistic world since the time of Alexander the Great.

Displaying an possibly unfinished scene composed of robed warriors or other figures wearing Phrygian caps, wide tunics with segmenta, oriental trousers (anaxyrida) and tugging on a rope; later attachment loop to the reverse. 163 grams, 10.1 cm



Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

The scene probably represents an episode of the Trojan cycle, with the Trojans (usually represented in Late Antiquity with a Phrygian cap, wide sleeved tunics and Persian-style trousers) dragging the wooden horse inside the walls of Troy. In the late Roman Empire the Trojan cycle became often the subject of artistic representations, such as the famous Ilias Ambrosiana now preserved in Milan, or the miniatures of the Vergilius Romanus.