Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0076
Roman Bronze Musical Flute
CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
9 in. (87 grams, 23 cm).
An extremely rare aulos or tibia with round-section body, six circular holes to one side and a D-shaped hole to the reverse.
Provenance
From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister; from her collection formed early 1960s-1990s.
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.11055-184396.
Literature
See Daremberg, C.V. & Saglio, E. (eds.), Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, Paris, 1873-1917, fig.6965; see a cast of the Roman flute from Pompeii, in the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures (inventory 1916.07.0011); Wardle, M.A., Musical Instruments in the Roman World, London, 1981, for iconography (pp.35ff., 115ff. and especially pl.22), and original specimens from Pompeii, pls.1-2; the closest parallel in Palagyi, T., Facsady, A., Romains de Hongrie, Lyon, 2002, p.117, fig.259 (bronze tibia from Pannonia, Savaria, today Szombathely).
Footnotes
The flute was used for religious ceremonies and for entertainment. The pyrrhic, a war dance of Doric origin, was a rapid dance to the double flute, and made to resemble an action in battle.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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 0076
Roman Bronze Musical Flute
Estimate £6,000 - 8,000€6,960 - 9,280 (for guidance only)$8,100 - 10,800 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Bronze Horse Brooch
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
The openwork figure shown standing left on a groundline, simple detailing to the eye and mane; pin lug, pin and catchplate to reverse. 10.6 grams, 37 mm
Acquired on the German art market around 2000. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
.jpg)
Roman Marble Head of a Woman
1st-early 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,510
Carved in the round with youthful features; large eyes with thickened eyelids, especially the lower lid, well-defined eyebrows forming two long arcs; small mouth with fleshy lips and deep corners; the hair parted at the centre and forming two symmetrical bands of wavy locks leaving the ears uncovered, secured with a ribbon and gathered at the nape of the neck to a small braid with a low hanging knot; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 2.95 kg total, 24.5 cm high including base
19th-20th century collection, based on the stand. Ex German collection, 1980s. with HVMC Auctions, Monaco, 12 May 2021, lot 99. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11761-202174.
The arrangement of the hair is characteristic of female portraits of the late Antoninian to early Severan age. The head finds comparisons with a female portrait in the National Roman Museum, depicting an elderly woman of the Antoninian age, and with another female portrait in the National Roman Museum, dated to the third decade of the 3rd century A.D., reworked in the Tetrarchic Period, with the hairstyle falling within the so-called 'Nest Frisur' of the Severan age. -
Roman Mixed Glass Bead Group
2nd-5th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £124
Including tubular, melon, biconvex, fusiform, and oblate types. 98 grams total, 3-50 mm
Ex W.J. collection, 1990s.
