Roman Bronze Cockerel Statuette

Restrung using gently graduating beads, larger beads to the centre with a large barrel-shaped feature bead. 11.4 grams, 48 cm



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Comprising a plain hoop with hook-and-eye fastener, discoid shield decorated with filigree border of three bands of twisted wire and seven granules; to the centre, a bezel of spirally twisted wire; a broad hoop from previous pendant attachment. 3.31 grams, 18.24 mm



Acquired on the UK art market in the early 2000s. From the David John Dennis collection of ancient jewellery. Property of a Californian, USA, collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

David Dennis started collecting items when he was a 10 year old boy during the Blitz in London gathering parts of nose cones from shells and other pieces of shrapnel that had fallen from the skies. After the war he turned his attentions to cigarette cards, postage stamps, bank notes, coins and eventually ancient artefacts, predominately Roman jewellery. Now living in Cumbria with his daughter he decided it was time to part with his collections.

A small pale yellow collared globular jug with short neck, angular ribbon handle with two narrow prominent ribs, folded upper attachment to the cylindrical neck, several horizontal lines on the globular body, trefoil mouth. 32 grams, 74 mm



with H.A.C., Basel, prior 1999. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

These globular jugs were typical of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Late Roman period. Ornamental threads were decorating the body, and the employment of these jugs was often similar to those of pilgrim flasks, destined to collect oil and water from early Christian sanctuaries.