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LOT 0710
Roman Bronze Goddess Statuette Heads
CIRCA 1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
7/8 - 1 in. (71 grams total, 23-25 mm).
Comprising: a female with hair held in a chignon at the nape; figure with hair dressed in short wavy tufts, large eyes with exaggerated eyelashes. [2]
ProvenanceAcquired before 2000.
From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
See statuettes with similar heads and dimensions in Politikens Forlag, Jeg ser på oldsager (I look at antiquities), Kopenhagen, 1966, nos.585-586.
FootnotesBronze statuettes representing Roman gods and goddesses were widespread all around the empire, and are also known as far as archaeological sites of Jutland and the islands. The two heads represent probably tutela divinities of the home, like Vesta and Juno (Greek Hera).
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Roman Stone Mosaic Fragments and Tesserae
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Including examples of various sizes and colours and sections still set in Roman cement. 139 grams total, 7-27 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Large Roman Bronze Basilisk
4th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
The upper body, neck and head of a mythical basilisk (cockatrice), modelled in the round with the body of a serpent and head of a cockerel, the body with a tapering round-section profile, stylised detailing to the head. 260 grams, 88 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
The basilisk, known from the Renaissance onwards as a cockatrice, was a Graeco-Roman mythical two-legged dragon or serpent-like creature with a cock's head. It had the reputed ability to kill people by either looking at them, touching them, or sometimes breathing on them. According to legend a cockatrice would die instantly upon hearing a rooster crow, and having a cockatrice looking at itself in a mirror was one of the few sure ways to kill it. -
Roman Bronze Ram's Head Finial
1st century B.C.-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
Naturalistically modelled in the round, coat formed of tightly-curled tufts, notched and curled horns; neck formed as oval-shaped socket. 87 grams, 37 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
