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LOT 0770
Roman Bronze Medical Spoon
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/8 in. (10 grams, 15.5 cm).
Comprising a round-section shank and flat tapering head with shallow bowl. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market during the late 20th century.
From the private collection of David King (1940-2024), Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Milne, J.S., Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times, Oxford, 1907.
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:
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Roman Highly Iridescent Glass Flask
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
With piriform body, narrow dimpled base, tubular neck with pinched and everted rolled rim. 72 grams, 17.5 cm
Ex Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 1990s-2000s. From an important collection of glass, the property of a London gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Gilt Bronze Medallion with Mythological Scene
3rd-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Discoid in plan with repoussé sheet-bronze cover on a bronze disc; facing image of two goddesses holding cornucopiae (Fortuna and Isis) flanking an altar, on a baseline. 7.5 grams, 23 mm
Acquired in 1993. Private collection, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
There are reliefs and paintings from across the Empire showing religious processions involving cult statues of the two goddesses. The famous Roman novel 'The Golden Ass' by Lucius Apuleius provides literary evidence of such processions in honour of the goddess Isis. The statue of the goddess was taken from the temple and processed through the streets with great pomp and ceremony on an elaborate bier or cart by the priests and devotees to the accompaniment of music and prayers. -
Roman and Other Blue Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £182
Composed of graduated oblate and other beads, central feature a large spherical bead; restrung. 23.7 grams, 43.5 cm
From the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Such necklaces testify to the popularity of glass ornaments across the Roman Empire. Roman jewellery at first followed trends set by the Etruscans, using gold and glass beads, but with the extension of the Empire and the adoption of different styles from Greece, Egypt and North Africa, jewellery designs became increasingly various and elaborate. Each bead of this beautiful necklace is unique in shape, lustre and speckling, creating a mosaic like impression. Blue glass beads are distinguished by the scholars in opaque mid-blue and deep translucent cobalt blue
