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LOT 0858
Roman Bronze Flying Phallus
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (99 grams total, 67 mm high including stand).
Amuletic model phallus with swept lateral wings; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Beutler, F. et al., Der Adler Roms. Carnuntum und der Armee der Cäsaren, Bad-Deutsch Altenberg, 2017, item 757, for type.
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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Roman Limestone Capital
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Square in plan with four tiered acanthus-leaves with deep undercuts; cylindrical column. 16.8 kg, 28 cm wide
Ex Paris collection. French gallery, Paris, 1990-2000s.
The capital seems near the types used in the Roman East, in particular the Alexandrian capital of type I or II, or maybe belonging to a transitional style driving to the semplificate type of the so called blocked-out capitals (a particular type of architectural decoration characterised by a simplified form). -
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Erotic Scene
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Squat burnished pottery lamp with stub nozzle, high-relief scene of two lovers on a couch; maker's mark 'LMVNSVC' to the underside. 64 grams, 95 mm
From the collection of French archaeologist Suzanne Gozlan (1921-2022).
The lamp belongs to the Bailey type B group ii (Loeschke type IV), usually dated from Tiberian to Trajanic times. Erotic lamps were particularly popular before the Christianisation of the Roman Empire. Roman sexuality differed considerably from later Christian European attitudes. Roman religion promoted sexuality as one of the fundamental aspects of prosperity for the entire state; individuals could turn to private religious practice, or even magic, to improve their erotic life or health and reproductive capacity; moreover, prostitution in ancient Rome was legal, public and widespread. Artistic subjects that today we would define without hesitation as pornography, were present among the art collections of the most respectable and high status Roman families. -
Roman Bronze Coin Hoard Group
Circa 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Group of Roman bronze coins fused in place; mounted on a custom-made stand. 90 grams total, 60 mm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
