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LOT 0177
Roman Bronze Griffin Helmet Attachment
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (77 grams, 53 mm).
Free-standing with stylised features, bulging eyes, hooked beak, pricked ears; piriform base for possible attachment to a helmet crest.
Provenance‘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.
LiteratureCf. Mitten and Doeringer, Master Bronzes From The Classical World, New York, 1968, item 286, for a similar griffin head.
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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Large Eastern Roman Bronze Bust-Shaped Steelyard Weight
Circa 3rd-4th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Modelled in the round as a facing female with head turned slightly right, with semi-naturalistic facial detailing and dressed hair; lead-filled. 4.2 kg, 13.5 cm high
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Steelyard weights in the form of human or deities faces were not uncommon in the Roman period (see SWYOR-DA4426, OXON-4391B5, HAMP-BD4D67 and NARC-7A7B81 on the PAS). These were generally filled with lead and had iron or copper suspension loops projecting from the top of the head. -
Roman Samian Ware Dish Fragments one with Ancient Repairs
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
One base and side wall, one base, each with sections of the foot; exhibiting examples of lead repairs. 128 grams total, 8-12.7 cm
Found Bedfordhire, 1980s. Property of a Kempston, UK gentleman. Accompanied by a copy of a letter from Peter Spencer dated 9 December 1980. -
Late Roman Iron Branding Signaculum
5th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
Featuring an elaborate monogram composed of Greek letters M and O, supported by decoratively twisted prongs; tapering cylindrical socket. 521 grams, 37.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Branding stamps or signacula, in particular those with large single letters, were used for marking livestock to identify the ownership, the breed, the quality and other features of the animal. The signacula were usually made in bronze, but iron examples are also preserved.
