Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0790

Roman Bronze Military Knee Brooch Collection

2ND-3RD CENTURIES A.D.

1 1/8 - 1 1/2 in. (66 grams total, 29-39 mm).

Comprising examples with sprung pins or hinged pins and catch plates to reverses. [6, No Reserve]

Provenance

Ex property of an Austrian private collector since the 1970s.

Literature

See Mackreth, D.F., Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain, Oxford, 2011, figs.7546, 7621, 12545, for the type.

Footnotes

The knee brooches, especially in Britain, are connected to military sites, like the Hadrian’s Wall. The British types evolved after the continental versions appeared in Britannia, possibly having been imported by Noricum’s soldiers.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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 0790

Roman Bronze Military Knee Brooch Collection

Sold for (Inc. bp): £124

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Roman Silver Head of a Panther
    Roman Silver Head of a Panther
    1st-2nd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £390

    Modelled with naturalistic detailing, open mouth with large fangs, wide-eyes with pointed ears; angled recess to reverse for attachment. 5.3 grams, 16 mm



    ‘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.

    Lot Details

  • Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
    Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
    Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900

    Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide

    In general good condition, re-assembled.

    Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read 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 search certificate number no.12080-214035.

    Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Mixed Architectural and Pottery Group
    Roman Mixed Architectural and Pottery Group
    1st century A.D. and later

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £65

    Including Spartan Basalt, mined in Greece, cut and polished on one side; one marble fragment marked in pencil: 'VILLA / HADRIAN', another: 'OSTIA / ANTICA'; a large amphora handle; seven pottery fragments; a carved decorative edge stone; a marble core fragment; a later floor tile fragment; with an old handwritten slip with: 'VILLA HADRIAN, AUSTRIA ANTICA, Nr. ROME, ITALY.' and on the inside: 'AUSTRIA ANTICA / (Region in ancient Rome) / VILLA HADRIAN / (outside Rome)'. 1.57 kg total, 5-18.5 cm



    Acquired on the UK market, since 1970. From the historic mineral collection of Richard Valentine Cain, London, UK, thence by descent.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list