Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0883

Roman Bronze Fortuna Statuette

CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.

3 3/8 in. (89 grams total, 87 mm including stand).

The goddess standing wearing a knee-length robe, bearing a cornucopia on her left arm. [No Reserve]

Provenance

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.

Literature

Cf. Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 38 (Isis-Fortuna).

Footnotes

Statuettes of Fortuna, the goddess of Chance, were evidently popular during the Roman Imperial times judging from the large number that have been found, and with the advent of the cult of Isis inside the Roman Empire the two divinities were identified as a single goddess.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0883

Roman Bronze Fortuna Statuette

Sold for (Inc. bp): £143

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
    Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
    Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.

    Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £2,778

    Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide

    In general good condition, re-assembled.

    Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read collection. 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 search certificate number no.12080-214035.

    Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Bronze Plate Brooch with Vine Leaf
    Roman Bronze Plate Brooch with Vine Leaf
    Circa 2nd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £46

    Complete with pin lug, pin and catchplate to reverse. 10 grams, 29 mm



    Acquired prior to 2000. Ex private collection, Cambridgeshire, UK.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Openwork Silver Military Baldric Phalera
    Roman Openwork Silver Military Baldric Phalera
    3rd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,470

    With concentric lines of openwork ornament in lanceolate shapes, ending with crescent decorations. 40 grams, 86 mm

    Mostly intact, good condition.

    Acquired from Gallery Gryphos, Munich, 1997. European private collection. 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 search certificate number no.11998-211928.

    In the 3rd century A.D. Roman army, the old ring suspension system of the sword, of Celtic and Iberian origin, was abandoned. The sword was now mainly carried suspended from a broad baldric on the soldier’s left side. The high quality of the openwork decoration of our phalera and the precious silver of which it is made imply that it may have once belonged to a commissioned officer.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list