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LOT 0553
Roman Bronze 'Knuckle Bone' Gaming Piece
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (16.3 grams, 21 mm).
Cast model of a bovine astragalus, used as a gaming counter. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx collection formed in the 1990s.
Acquired from a central London gallery.
Property of an Essex gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bone Dice Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Comprising: one with ring-and-dot markings disposed 1:6, 2:5, 3:4; the other a cornerless cuboid with hatching to the corners, and markings disposed in a similar way. 2.31 grams total, 7-9 mm
UK private collection. Acquired from Redhouse Antiques, York, in 2006. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. -
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Roman Bronze Seal Box with Phallus
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
The box with a piriform body and hinged lid, three holes to the underside; the face with inset chevron and ring of mosaic glass, high-relief stylised phallus to the centre with enamel panel. 12.2 grams, 42 mm
Acquired in the early 1970s. Ex property of a Surrey, UK, collector. -
Roman Bronze Stamp for Octavian
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Formed as a tablet-shaped stamp (signaculum), with raised border above and below containing an inscription in Latin in reverse over two lines, reading: 'Q[UINTI] POM [PONII] CRE [SCONII} ? / OCTAVIAN[I]' possibly translating to: 'Of Quintus Pomponius Cresconius Octavianus', this latter being the owner; with a large loop to verso. 92 grams, 64 mm
From an old private collection formed before 1985. Accompanied by a copy of a previous dealer's certificate of authenticity including provenance.
Used to stamp documents and a broad range of different materials and food, signacula came into use in the Roman res publica during the 2nd century B.C., becoming both popular and widely used in many areas of everyday life during the Imperial period. These signacula were not exclusively used in the sphere of economy and property administration, but also in public and private sphere, determining the identity of their owners. The bronze stamp - also definable as a tessera, like the wooden one - was an instrumentum vicarium (auxiliary tool) of the annulus signatorius (seal ring), but compared to the annulus, it was much stronger and more practical, capable of leaving a better recognisable imprint. By analogy, the press note of a wooden or terracotta stamp also had an important certifying function, but the object that produced it only lasted a limited time, while the signaculum ex aere (bronze stamp) lasted a lifetime.
