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LOT 0669
Roman Bronze Punched Tabula Ansata for Titus of Legio V Macedonica
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (5.56 grams, 54 mm).
Sheet bronze appliqué with lateral tabs pierced for attachment, pointillé legend 'T[I] V LE[GIO] / MACE / DO [NICA]' translating to: Titus, member of the Legio V Macedonica.
ProvenanceEx British private collection, acquired 1980s.
with Art Ancient, 2016.
Property of a North London collector.
Cf. Beutler, F. et al., Der Adler Roms. Carnuntum und die Armee der Cäsaren, Bad-Deutsch-Altenburg, 2017, item 68, for a tabula ansata in similar style.
FootnotesThese tabulae ansatae with pointillé decoration were used for votive inscriptions to the gods, offered on the occasion of a vow made during a situation of danger or an invocation of help to the gods. They were often used in the military field, as appliques to indicate the ownership of the weapons. A particularly important example is the one found in Carnuntum dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus, offered by the centurion Titius Moderatus of the Legio XI Gemina. In our case the inscription could refer to a certain Titus, member of the Legio V Macedonica.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0669
Roman Bronze Punched Tabula Ansata for Titus of Legio V Macedonica
Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
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Roman Bone Gaming Dice Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Cuboid with ring-and-dot making disposed 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 2.28 grams total, 8-9 mm
From the important private collection of dice and gaming pieces of Colin Narbeth, London, UK, collection no.46. -
Roman Lead Figure of Aphrodite Holding a Severed Swan's Head
1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Modelled in the round nude and and raising her right arm, holding the neck of the swan (her animal attribute); left arm descending towards her pubis, legs in contrapposto stance; gusseted drum-shaped base. 327 grams, 19.5 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12099-218223.
Although the presence of the swan in this position is rather rare, iconographically, this image is part of the abundant series of statuettes of Aphrodite/Venus widely distributed during the Roman Imperial era. -
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Roman Bronze Statuette of Helios-Alexander
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
The god standing nude on an ivy-leaf base in contrapposto pose with right arm extended and hand held palm-outwards; mantle pinned at the right shoulder and wrapped around the bent left arm; the head held erect with soft rounded facial features and luxuriant curls, diadem with radiating spikes representing beams of light; mounting stud to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 583 grams total, 17.5 cm including stand
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.
The cult of Helios-Apollo intensified in the third century A.D. and the adoration of Sol Invictus, with the radiate crown, was often linked to that of Mithras, the god of legions, whose symbol was the bull. Under Emperor Aurelian, the Sol Invictus became the main god, protector of Rome and the Roman state.
