Roman Bronze Boar Plate Brooch

Hollow-formed with inset cloison, incuse profile bird motif. 3.52 grams, 22.74 mm overall, 17.38 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K 1/2, USA 5 1/2, Europe 10.58, Japan 10)



Private collection, acquired on the German art market in 1993; thence by descent.

The ring belongs to the type I, variant 3, of Roman gold rings according to Ruseva-Slokoska’s classification. These rings had massive ellipsoid hoops with bands semi-circular to the outside, wider and thicker towards the shoulders.

Piriform body raised on nine small feet at the base, collar to the conical neck and chamfered rim; to the lower neck a disc with narrow central opening; to the outer face of the body, vertically pinched flanges. 107 grams, 10.9 cm



From a London, UK, collection of glass, 1970-2000s.

A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 34 grams total, 13-19 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.