Loading, please wait...
LOT 0731
Roman Bronze Helmet Handle
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3 5/8 in. (65 grams, 92 mm).
Comprising a crescentic tapering shank with ribbed baluster to the centre; attachment points formed as wings with punched detailing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
Cf. Appels, A. & Laycock, S., Roman Buckles and Military Fittings, Witham, 2007, item AA.4.8, for type.
FootnotesMany such handles are formed as a pair of opposed dolphins, whence the conventional name 'dolphin mounts'. They were attached to infantry helmets so that they could be carried when not in use, or slung from a strap.
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 Glass Toilet Bottle
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
With globular body, short everted rim and cylindrical neck, concave base. 73 grams, 10 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1980-1990s.
The bottle should be associated with Isings form 6 or Tommaso type 7. Small bottles of this typology are among the earliest known blown glass. The everted rim seems to distinguish examples made in Italy and the western Mediterranean provinces from those of the Eastern Mediterranean, on which the rim is usually folded in the form of a flange. -
Roman Inked Wooden Legal Document
Late 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
With a recessed panel on one side and scored frame with securing hole to one long side; seven lines of inked text in Roman cursive containing the record of a legal document in a formulaic legal language; two part-lines of cursive text to reverse; supplied with two monochrome photographs of the tablet displaying the text to advantage. 19.91 grams, 12.5 x 7.5 cm
From an important London collection since 1975. Accompanied by a collection of two 1970s photographs of the the tablet. -
.jpg)
Large Roman Tinned Bronze Patera
1st century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £444
With a deep bowl and flat-section handle with integral loop; shallow concentric grooves around the exterior of the neck, rolled rim, concentric rings to the underside; finished on a lathe; cracked and split. 903 grams, 33 cm wide
Acquired in Europe before 1993. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11788-206494.
In contrast to their elaborate counterparts, paterae such as this were likely carried as part of the standard kit of Roman soldiers, used as a general cooking and eating utensil. The regular heap up (sarcina) of the legionaries is well represented on the reliefs of Trajan's column. It was composed of a T stake (furca), to which a linen bag (sacculus) was hung, as well as the leather haversack for 15-20 days supplies (trinum nundinum) and personal effects, a pot (ollula), a cup (patera), and a basket for work on the fields.
