Loading, please wait...
LOT 0120
Roman Bronze Knife Handle with Boar's Head
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (19.2 grams, 50 mm).
The stylised boar's head projecting from the terminal of the tapering rectangular-section handle, two registers of incised ornament to both broad faces and 'scale' detailing to the narrow edges.
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. MOLA Collections Online, id. 1130, for similar.
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.
LOT 0120
Roman Bronze Knife Handle with Boar's Head
Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
-
Roman Bronze Brooch Collection
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Including P-shaped, knee, trumpet-derivative, crossbow and other types, some with restored pins. 120 grams total, 33-57 mm
Acquired on the German art market around 2000. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Pan Combat Scene
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Displaying scene of Pan battling a horned goat beneath a tree; chipped. 0.55 grams, 13 mm
Acquired 1970-2010. From the collection of a late Japanese gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Invictus
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Composed of a carinated hoop and oval bezel set with a glass intaglio crowned bust facing left. 3.72 grams, 21.78 mm overall, 18.22 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
The portrait could be interpreted as wearing a radiated crown, thus an image of Sol Invictus, common in gems for rings of the 3rd century A.D., where the young face of the Sun-Helios is often visible in profile, looking to the left, with the radiate crown on his head. The cult of Sol Invictus was favoured by the Illyrian emperors and elevated in Rome by Aurelian to one of the premier divinities of the Empire.
