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LOT 0727
Roman Bronze Ram Statuette
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (8.76 grams, 25 mm wide).
Modelled standing in the round with naturalistic detailing, with curled horns and standing on a rectangular base.
Provenance‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
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 Amber Glass Vase with Trail
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
A squat piriform bottle, dimpled base, broad funicular neck with blue trail. 59 grams, 10.2 cm high
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. -
Roman Gold Ring with Gem Depicting Alexander the Great Hunting
3rd century A.D.Estimate: £30,000 - 40,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £16,667
Composed of a large openwork hoop and bezel set with a jasper gemstone, intaglio image of a mounted cavalryman wearing a high-crested pseudo Corinthian helmet and holding a barbed javelin in his hand, protecting his horse from the leaping lion attacking from the rear, a tree behind. 33.97 grams, 31.98 mm overall, 20.67 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
Acquired on the New York art market in 1995. Ex French collection. with Christie's, London, 25th April 2007, lot 187. Important North West London collection. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.079872. 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 a search certificate number no.11775-204565.
The massive size, shape and the volute decoration is typical of the 3rd century A.D. and similar rings are visible in the collections of the British Museum and Mainz State Museum. The subject of the intaglio is made with great skill, exquisite artistry and engraved in fine detail. The lion hunt theme is typical of the Hellenistic world since the time of Alexander the Great. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Farmer and Oxen
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
The oval intaglio engraved with a man driving a pair of oxen with plough to left, a detailed tree with branches in the background, ground line under the oxen. 0.38 grams, 10 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
The gem could refer to the Augustan program of restoration of peace and security in the empire, after the agitated period of civil wars, with the possibility for men to return peacefully to their lands in a now peaceful empire. However, we cannot exclude that the image also refers to the well-known episode of Greek mythology, when Odysseus, to escape the call to arms in Troy, feigned madness by ploughing the fields without interruption, until he was unmasked by Palamedes, cousin of Agamemnon, who placed Odysseus' infant son Telemachus in front of the plough, forcing Odysseus to stop and reveal feigned insanity.
