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LOT 0879
Roman Bronze Crossbow Brooch Group
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 - 3 1/4 in. (147 grams total, 65-82 mm).
Each with onion-shaped knops to the head, deep bow and footplate with decorative detailing. [4, No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK art market, acquired prior to 1980.
Property of a Scottish collector, acquired in 2013.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Mercury Statuette Head
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
With winged petasos traveller's headgear and low-relief facial detailing. 13.3 grams, 20 mm
Property of a Gloucestershire, UK, collector. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Romano-British 'Corbridge' Bronze Lion Mount
Circa 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
With pierced lobe below the legs, arched body forming the bow. 14.9 grams, 36 mm
Found near Corbridge, Northumberland, UK. Property of a Gloucestershire, UK, collector. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
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Roman Votive Hand to God Sabazios
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Hollow-formed right hand from a statuette, with fingers splayed and flat palm, good anatomical detailing. 362 grams, 12.1 cm
Private collection 1990s. Ex London, UK, gallery.
The votive character of the hand could link it to the God Sabazios, often associated with a number of archaeological finds depicting a bronze, right hand in the benedictio latina gesture. The hand appears to have had ritual significance and may have been affixed to a sceptre (as the one carried by Sabazios on a slab, one from Philippopolis, nowadays Plovdiv in Bulgaria). The association with Sabazios is sometimes suggested in similar hands, by the presence of a snake embossed around the circumference of the hand, because the iconic image of the god or hero on horseback battling the chthonic serpent, appears on Celtic-Roman votive columns, and with the coming of Christianity it was easily adapted to the representations of Saint George fighting the Dragon.
