Loading, please wait...
LOT 0793
Roman Bronze Ligula Medical Instrument
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
7 in. (11 grams, 17.6 cm).
Comprising a round-section shank with bulb finial, balustered neck, flat chisel-blade with barbs to the rear. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the Garcia collection, France, 1990s.
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.
-
Roman and Other Bead Necklace
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £78
Restrung designer necklace composed of stone and glass beads of tubular, biconvex, polyhedral and other types, large biconvex bead as centrepiece. 19 grams, 38 cm
Acquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. Ex London, UK, gallery. -
Roman Veined Marble Torso of an Athlete
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £48,100
Standing contrapposto with his weight on his right leg and the left leg brought slightly forward; the musculature of the torso displaying well-defined pectoral muscles, prominent abdominal muscles and wide shoulders, the back with equally toned musculature and well-formed rounded buttocks; the veining of the marble accentuating the idealised anatomy; the now-absent head was most probably turned towards the supporting leg and the left arm would have been raised; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 42.95 kg total, 64 cm high including stand
Formerly in a French private collection in Compiègne, since the 1960s. Acquired from Galerie Chenel, 2015. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.166817. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Laura Maria Vigna.
The model of the sculpture recalls the Polykleitian tradition. In particular, the tension of the muscles of the athletic body recalls the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, a famous bronze sculpture erected in Argos in around 450-440 B.C., as evidenced by a stele found there. The statue represented a hero, perhaps Achilles, or a winning athlete. Many Hellenistic and Roman copies of this sculpture are preserved, most notably in marble. These include the Tiberian-era Doryphoros in the National Museum of Naples, from Pompeii, the nude male statue, a copy of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, in the Doria Pamphilj Collection, dated to the end of the 1st century A.D. The raised left shoulder is reminiscent of the Diadumenos, a work by the same artist made in Argos in around 430-420 B.C., depicting an athlete girding his head with ribbons or fillets, a symbol of victory, known from many copies. The Polykleitos original and the subsequent copies were enormously popular and became canonical representations of physical perfection and refinement. -
Roman Gem with Emperor with Trophy
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Glass imitating nicolo with incuse motif of a triumphant emperor holding up a trophaeum; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.56 grams, 11 mm
From the Fadel family collection, London, UK, 1970s.