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LOT 0143
Roman Bronze Hunchback Grotesque Statuette
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
3 5/8 in. (130 grams, 93 mm).
Modelled in the round, sitting nude with head turned, arms and legs bent; wearing a brimmed cap with a feather in the crown; the spine and sternum modelled protruding, large, impressed eyes, genitals protruding below the crossed legs.
ProvenanceAcquired from Helios Ancient Art, Mayfair, London, UK, circa 1986.
From a privately held London, UK, collection from the 1980s-1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13276-253965.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 196; see also Cèbe, J.B., La caricature et la parodie dans le monde romain antique des origines à Juvénal, Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, 206, Paris, De Boccard, 1966; Dunand, F., Terres cuites gréco-romaines d'Égypte, Paris, Musée du Louvre, département des antiquités égyptiennes; Réunion des musées nationaux, 1990; Ewigleben, C., von Grumbkow, J. (Hrsg.), Götter, Gräber & Grotesken. Tonfiguren aus dem Alltagsleben im römischen Ägypten, Bilderhefte des Museums für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, 25, Hamburg, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, 1991.
FootnotesSuch small bronzes with physical abnormalities and exaggerated features served as entertainment, but also had the function of warding off evil.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0143
Roman Bronze Hunchback Grotesque Statuette
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Roman Blown Glass Jug
2nd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £250 - 350 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Bulbous body and rounded underside, long neck, trumpet-shaped mouth with applied rim, applied strap handle with ribbing. 40 grams, 96 mm
Acquired in the 1992. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Roman glass from the 2nd to 4th century A.D. gives a fascinating insight into everyday life in the Roman Empire. By this time, glassmaking had become highly skilled, and glass vessels were being produced on a much larger scale than before. Thanks to the development of glassblowing, makers were able to create practical as well as attractive objects such as bottles, flasks, jars, and drinking vessels. Much of the glass from this period has a soft blue-green tint, caused by natural elements in the raw materials. Although some pieces were finely decorated, many were made for ordinary daily use, showing how glass had become far more common and accessible across Roman society. -
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Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Comprising a central disc with concentric enamelled rings and central hole to accept a stud (absent), flanked above and below by an addorsed pair of crescent cells supporting a disc; pin-lugs, pin and catch to reverse; the enamel restored. 19.8 grams, 58 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
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2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £754
Rectangular panel with intricate foliate decoration, two gilt rosettes at the centre and four attachment studs on the reverse. 29.1 grams, 64 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.