Loading, please wait...
LOT 0739
Roman Bronze Gladiator Brooch
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (9.1 grams, 42 mm).
Plate brooch formed as an advancing gladiator with large rectangular shield, triangular helmet, gladius in his right hand; pin-lug and catch to the reverse.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Heynowski, R., Bestimmungsbuch Archaeologie: Fibeln, Munich, 2012, item 3.27.5, 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:
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.
-
Roman Green Glass Vessel
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
A small mould-blown vessel with body formed from asymmetrical pleats, long neck, flared and rolled rim, pontil on base. 10.4 grams, 70 mm
Acquired from Allan Cherry, Bournemouth, UK, 2004. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK. -
Eastern Levant AE Shekel Weight
Bronze to Iron II Age, circa 12th-6th centuries B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
In the form of a cube engraved on one side in Paleo-Hebrew or Phoenician: ʾZZ G in two lines. 8.1 grams, 12 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Life-Size Roman Bronze Club from a Statue of Hercules
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,900
Hollow-formed life-size club with tubular handle and flared rim, shank with series of regularly-placed knop projections on piriform pads, domed end; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 4.73 kg total, club: 55 cm
Formerly in North American collection, 1990s. From an Austrian collection, acquired in London from UK collector in early 2000s. From a London gentleman's collection, 2000s. 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.12345-225411.
Like the famous statue of Hercules in gilded bronze (the so called Hercules from the Forum Boarium), today at the Capitoline Museums (Palazzo dei Conservatori), this club would have come from a temple dedicated to the Greek hero. The Mastai Hercules, at the Vatican Museum, shows a similar club. The presence of a large handle in our piece confirms that the club was held with the right hand in resting position, and that the typology of Hercules was probably one of the two models.