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LOT 0151
Roman Bronze Phallic Amulet
1ST CENTURY A.D.-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (52.5 grams, 40 mm).
Appliqué formed as male genitalia, hollow to the reverse with fixing peg.
ProvenancePrivate collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent.
LiteratureCf. Beutler, F. et al., Der Adler Roms. Carnuntum und der Armee der Cäsaren, Bad-Deutsch Altenberg, 2017, item 761, for type.
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:
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Roman Bronze Double Phallic Amulet
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a rectangular plaque with raised sides, and socket, two lateral pivot-lugs, one spike finial and one hand in the fica gesture. 8.83 grams, 53 mm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Roman Marble Head of Dionysus
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £23,400
From a Greek original, wearing a crown of leaves and corymbs, hair falling in straight lines underneath the diadem; full beard composed of four rows of thick tufts with drilled holes; slightly open mouth with a fleshy lower lip; low cheekbones and hollow cheeks; large almond-shaped eyes with lachrymal duct; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 15.8 kg total, 48 cm high including stand
Ex private French collection, early 1960s. Acquired by the current owner in 2011. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei and Dr Laura Maria Vigna. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.129940. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12086-213624.
The head finds comparable parallels with a series of herms representing philosophers, lyricists and the god Hermes, deriving from Greek originals of the 5th century B.C. The reworking of these typologies in a cultured environment is due to the diffusion of sculptures linked to the idea of speculative otium and withdrawal into the bucolic world of which Dionysus was guardian and protector. The typology of the representation associates him with the concept of continuous rebirth and fertility of nature, typical of Dionysus Lenaeus. -
Roman 'Gloucestershire' Mosaic Panel
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
Irregular mosaic fragment of beige, cream and grey tesserae with radiating trumpet-shaped swirls; mounted in a modern rectangular matrix. 33 kg, 76 cm high
Found Gloucestershire, 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.
A mosaic found in Cirenchester (insula IX, Chester Street) shows panels defined by a dark blue-grey single fillet with an additional double fillet parallel to it on a longer axis, having an overall scheme of running pelta-pattern. Each pelta is outlined in dark-blue grey and infilled with red, white and dark blue grey at the centre.
