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LOT 0840
Roman Bronze Head-Shaped Weight
3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (55.1 grams, 50 mm).
Formed as youthful head with curly hair framing the face, loop to the top with ferrous remains.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Silver Statuette of a Togate Male
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Modelled in the round standing with toga drawn around his body, scroll clasped in his right hand. 3.85 grams, 30 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Roman Terracotta Amphora
North African, 1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising a piriform body and broad shoulder, long slightly swollen neck and rounded rim; lateral loop handles to the shoulder; circumferential ribbing to neck and lower body; chipped. 1.48 kg total, 29.5 cm
Private Norfolk collection, early 2000s. -
Large Roman Bronze Chariot Fitting with Imago Clipeata of a Priest of Mithras
Late 3rd-early 4th century A.D.Estimate: £25,000 - 35,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £12,500
Representing a facing bust of a mature man with his head turned slightly to the right; short hair and a full, neatly trimmed beard, furrowed brow and strong eyebrows, deep-set eyes with heavy eyelids, eyes marked with pupils; dressed in a short-sleeved tunic draped around the neck and wearing a conical cap, holding an egg in his left hand; pierced through the surrounding roundel; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.8 kg total, 24.5 cm including stand
J.J. Klejman, New York, 1963. with Gallery Six, New York, 1991. with Christie's, New York, 11 December 2014, no.156 ($50,000-$70,000). Private collection, London. 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.12361-226874.
In the Mithraic cult the egg is a symbol of eternal time, and associated with the birth of god Mithras. The cult of Mithras, the god of the legions, whose symbol was the Sol Invictus, was popular during the 3rd century and in Tetrarchic Age. The chariot which this fitting adorned possibly wouldn't have been used in war, but in triumphal and religious processions, or simply for transport of priests.