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LOT 0691
Roman Bronze Hippocampus and Dolphin Statuette
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
5 1/8 in. (480 grams total, 13 cm wide including stand).
Comprising a hippocampus with raised head, arched neck and forelegs extended, curved body coiling sideways and with trefoil finial; beneath its chest, a dolphin with lateral raised panels for eyes, the nose forming a point of attachment; possibly a bowl mount with the dolphin's nose attached and the hippocamp's hooves resting on the rim; mounted on a custom-made stand. [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.
Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 19th June-9th September 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
LiteratureCf. Boucher, S., Inventaire des Collections Publiques Françaises - 17 Vienne: Bronzes Antiques, Paris, 1971, items 82, 83, 303.
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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Roman Bronze Mask Appliqué
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £350 - 450 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £180
With rounded fleshy face and hair in tiered bands, sockets to the eyes to accept silver inserts; diadem to the brow with foliage detailing; hollow to the reverse. 56 grams, 42 mm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent. -
Roman Bronze Mercury Statuette
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
The figure standing nude with right hand pressed against the hip, left arm bent and forearm extended; narrow chlamys worn across the shoulders and down the back terminating at the rear of the knees; the facial features modelled in some detail with slight oversized eyes, perhaps to accept a silver inlay; petasos to the head with vestigial lateral wings; mounted on a custom-made stand. 778 grams total, 17.2 cm including stand
Acquired from Simon Shipp, circa 1997. Believed to be published in an old Den of Antiquity catalogue. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Roman Historic Cut & Polished Porphyry Slice Group
1st-5th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £234
Comprising three lacquered porphyry slices of rectangular shape, cut on both faces and polished on one face; probably from recycled material mined in ancient Roman times between the 1st and 5th century A.D.; intended for use as inlay panels. 82.8 grams total, 7.2-10.1 cm
From Egypt. Ex Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's).
Mons Porphyrites (today Jabal Abu Dukhkhan) is the mountainous site of a group of ancient quarries in the Red Sea Hills of the inhospitable eastern desert in Egypt, a five day trip from the Nile during Roman times. They were discovered by Caius Cominus Leugas in 18 A.D., and during the Roman Empire the mines officially belonged to the emperor and were the only known source of the Imperial Porphyry, Mons Porphyrites. This dark purple stone was associated with royalty and used for prestigious sculpture and architecture. The location of the mines was lost some time in the 5th century, and rediscovered in the early 19th century. Excavations in the area have revealed the well-preserved quarries and the dwelling places of the quarry men, and also thousands of ostraca have been discovered containing messages that provide details of how the quarrying took place, and of how the highly skilled quarrymen ordered their food.
