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LOT 0902
Roman Bronze Oil Lamp Lid with Dolphin
2ND-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (49 grams, 43 mm).
Discoid lid with hinge plates on the rear edge, stylised dolphin balancing on its elongated snout, large pectoral fins.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Phallic Dagger Quillon or Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
With a rectangular plaque with central void, phallus to one short edge and a stylised fist to the other. 25.5 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
In the Roman world the phallus was symbol of luck or fertility, and it as well was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially from young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. This object can have been the quillon of a small dagger, but also hung as a charm from a tintinnabulum, a wind chime adorned with bells and intended to ward off evil. -
Roman Silver Statuette
2nd-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Modelled in the round standing on a square base, wearing a knee-length chiton; right hand held out flat, left hand supporting a frond; short hair and exaggerated nose. 19.97 grams, 44 mm
From a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s. -
Roman Light Green Glass Flask
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Comprising a piriform body with dimple base, tapering tubular neck with pinched and everted rim. 68 grams, 16 cm
From an important collection of glass, London, UK, 1990s.
