Loading, please wait...

Roman Bronze Musical Flute Roman Bronze Musical Flute Roman Bronze Musical Flute Roman Bronze Musical Flute Roman Bronze Musical Flute Roman Bronze Musical Flute
Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge
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.

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 0076

Roman Bronze Musical Flute

Estimate £6,000 - 8,000€6,960 - 9,280 (for guidance only)$8,100 - 10,800 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS
  • Large Roman Bronze Basilisk
    Large Roman Bronze Basilisk
    4th century A.D.

    Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £278

    The upper body, neck and head of a mythical basilisk (cockatrice), modelled in the round with the body of a serpent and head of a cockerel, the body with a tapering round-section profile, stylised detailing to the head. 260 grams, 88 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.

    The basilisk, known from the Renaissance onwards as a cockatrice, was a Graeco-Roman mythical two-legged dragon or serpent-like creature with a cock's head. It had the reputed ability to kill people by either looking at them, touching them, or sometimes breathing on them. According to legend a cockatrice would die instantly upon hearing a rooster crow, and having a cockatrice looking at itself in a mirror was one of the few sure ways to kill it.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Bronze Situla
    Roman Bronze Situla
    1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £182

    Comprising a bell-shaped bowl, everted rim, shallow foot and round-section articulate handle; split, base absent. 560 grams, 20 cm wide



    Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.

    Situla (plural situlae), from the Latin word for bucket or pail, is the term in archaeology and art history for a variety of elaborate bucket-shaped vessels from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, usually with a handle at the top. Roman styles favoured a simple shape curving from the base, becoming vertical at the top, with a wide mouth and no shoulder, but sometimes with a projecting rim. These had a variety of uses, including aiding with washing and bathing.

    Lot Details

  • Eastern Roman Marble Tray
    Eastern Roman Marble Tray
    3rd-4th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £780

    Of shallow rectangular form with volute handles, restored. 1.24 kg, 26 cm wide



    Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

    Lot Details

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