Loading, please wait...
LOT 0750
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.
ProvenanceFrom 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.
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).
FootnotesThe 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.
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.
LOT 0750
Roman Bronze Musical Flute
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
-
.jpg)
Roman Marble Head of Hercules Wearing the Nemean Lion Skin
Imperial, circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,800
Modelled with naturalistic features, gazing left, sculpted pupils and strong lids; luxuriant beard and moustache framing the face; strong forehead with tightly formed curls emerging from beneath the lion's skin hood; the hood with clear eye detailing and the mane with regularly arranged tufts; original iron pin to the front of the muzzle; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 8 kg total, 28.5 cm including stand
Private Germany collection, 1981. with Gorny and Mosch, 19 June 2013, no.3. Ex A.S.collection, Florida, USA. 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.12085-214457.
The head is a Roman copy of a Hellenistic original, of ‘Palazzo Pitti/Wilton House’ type depicting Hercules wearing the skin of the Nemean lion with the paws of the lion crossed upon the breast, his left arm holding the club and the right hand holding the golden apples of Hesperides. The representation of a slight movement of the head also shows elements of the Lysippean Antalya-Borghese type (example from the Archaeological Museum of Naples with the head covered by the Nemean lion skin). -
Romano-British Marble Head of a Lady
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Carved in the round with fleshy facial features, almond-shaped eyes and small pouting mouth; the hair modelled with hollowed curls above the brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.6 kg total, 17 cm high including stand
Found Cambridgeshire, UK. From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
These kind of sculptures represented people or divinities of the Roman Britannia. They are found in several civilian tombstones, characterised by provincial style, that was enhanced by colouring which is absent today. The image here represented is a domina (a high-status middle-aged woman) in a typical hairstyle of 2nd-3rd century A.D. (Graham, 1984, p.222). In these provincial artworks the strong influence of the Celtic art is evident, especially in the eyes and hair of the sculpture. -
Roman Bronze Harpokrates-Eros Statuette
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Seated nude wearing the double-crown and with his forefinger pressed to his lips; supporting a frond on his left arm; hollow to the underside. 48 grams, 56 mm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Harpokrates was the Greek interpretation of the Egyptian god Har-pa-khered (Horus the child), usually depicted as a small boy. Statues of Harpokrates are preserved in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria (inv.25785), and at the Musei Capitolini, Rome (inv. Scu 646).
