LOT 0116

Roman Bronze Legionary Signum

1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.

8 1/8 in. (718 grams, 21 cm).

Hollow-formed with fine detailing to the fingers and nails; with fixing points for a military standard (signum) used by each unit under a centurion, originally fixed with the palm facing forwards inside a wreath.

Acquired in Europe before 2000.
European private collection.

Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12003-211851.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 21st January-10th March 2025; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.

Cf. a similar item from Martigny, in Zürich, Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, inventory nr. 41434, see Von Gonzenbach, V., 'Fides Exercituum, eine Hand von Vindonissa', in Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft Pro Vindonissa, 1951-1952, pp.5ff.; D’Amato, R., Arms and armour of the Roman Imperial Soldier, 112 BC - AD 192, London, 2009, p. 170, fig.239; Toepfer K.M., Die römischen Feldzeichen in der Republik und im Prinzipat, Mainz, 2011, NZ52; D’Amato, R., Roman standards and standard-bearers, (1), 112 BC - AD 192, Oxford, 2018, p.31.

Roman military signa decorated by phalerae and surmounted by a right hand were used from the Late Consular Age. The hand (manus) symbolised the fides, i.e. the allegiance between the soldiers and the Res Publica. It is also possible that the hand belonged to a statue in which it was extended as a sign of silence, to allow the speaker to speak. However, the iconography of military hands, and also the resemblance to a bronze hand (military signum) preserved in the Vindonissa museum (Windisch), support the possibility that the object was part of a military standard.