Roman Bronze Phallic Dagger Quillon

Comprising: a piriform lamp with birds and geometric motifs, low basal ring; a piriform lamp with raised pellets and other motifs; a rounded lamp with short nozzle, low-relief leaves and ring-and-dot motifs within geometric border, a hatched rectangle behind the nozzle, a palm branch underneath the nozzle flanked by crescentic lines and ring-and-dot motifs, raised nipple to base. 190 grams total, 78-90 mm



with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Hollow-formed hoop with broad shoulders, shallow cell with inset jasper intaglio of a fish with cross potent above and 'IHC' retrograde below; possibly a marriage. 2.49 grams, 20.11 mm overall, 11.35 x 14.74 mm internal diameter.



From the E.M. collection, acquired in Washington DC, USA, in the 1960s. Shown to Sotheby’s, Bond Street, London, UK, in 1980, authenticated and described as Roman Christian, gifted to the present owner in 2004. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Well preserved rectangular, probably cedarwood tablet with a groove (sulcus) and inked text to one face, two small holes and remains of wax within the sulcus; five personal signatures of witnesses above the sulcus, the text of the document starts with the date: in the year after the consulate of Flavius Constantius and Valerius Maximus (= AD 328), the following text regards testaments kept by Julius Maianus who is called depositarius, in the following lines the textual style is very short and several times verbs seem to be missing, therefore, the document probably was some kind of report or protocol, we are lacking parallels of similar documents, which makes this tablet unique and important. 32 grams, 14.5 x 13 cm



Acquired by Albert Sfez in the early 1950s. Formerly the property of Monsieur Alain Sfez, a Belgium collector; acquired by gift from his father Albert Sfez, in 1965. Acquired by a London dealer in 1973. From an important London collection since 1975; thence by descent. Accompanied by a copy of a four page illustrated academic report by Professor Dr. phil. Peter Rothenhöfer. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12672-230807. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.