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LOT 0642
Roman Bronze Ring Key
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (7.9 grams, 25 mm).
Composed of a hoop with convex outer edge, short stem and tooth-like rectangular bit. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK market, 1990s.
Property of a retired academic.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Military Belt Mount
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Composing two opposed dragonesque figures with tail and lowered head, sitting on a peltate style cut out. 19.7 grams, 35 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
Belt appliques and decorations change notably during the centuries of the Roman Empire. In around 2nd-3rd centuries A.D., particularly in Pannonia and in Britain, show many very Celtic orientated fittings, maybe as the result of provincial influences within the army or production systems. -
Roman Bronze Bracelet Group
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Comprising four flat-section bracelets with overlapping rounded terminals. 68 grams total, 61-71 mm
From the family collection of a Surrey gentleman since before 1960.
Bracelets were worn in Rome by ladies of rank, but it was considered a mark of effeminacy for civilian men to use such female ornaments (Suetonius, Caligula, 52; Nero, 30). The armillae (or psellia in Greek) were rings and bracelets worn by women in the Graeco-Roman world on both legs and arms. Homer mentions them (elikas) as being part of the hairstyle of the divine Aphrodite, thus giving an almost sacred character to these objects. There were different types, the most common consisting of a more or less thick metal wire, or a flat or cylindrical circle, like our examples. -
Roman Terracotta Frieze Fragment with Bird
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Showing the figure of a bird enclosed inside a medallion, with edges decorated with a foliage, moulded grooves in the upper part, remains of red pigment on the dividing space. 643 grams, 12.5 cm
Acquired from Millon Arts D'Orient, with lot sticker. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
The motif of a bird enclosed in a roundel draws inspiration from Parthian and Sassanid art, and decorated the ceilings of Roman Hellenistic tombs and temples of the Roman East. Our fragment could have been part of the polychrome stucco decoration of the ceiling of a tomb, or a square insert in a temple building. It certainly had to be painted in showy colours, of which clear traces remain in the amaranth red on the right of the fragment and in the pink and blue traces visible on the bird.
