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LOT 0669
Roman Bronze Ring with Bird
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (3.30 grams, 22.97 mm overall, 19.37 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)).
With a slender D-section hoop and an oval bezel with a standing bird with its wings spread. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a UK collection formed in the 1980s.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Pale Green Glass Mould Blown Date Flask
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
With an elliptical body, short neck and thick everted rim, with modelled wrinkles imitating the texture of a dried date. 16.22 grams, 78 mm
Acquired from Millennium Antiquities, Lancashire, UK, in 2001. From the collection of a Bedfordshire, UK lady. Accompanied by an original Millennium Antiquities invoice dated 28 June 2001.
Dates were not only a staple of the Mediterranean diet, used to sweeten food and wine, but also a symbol for the New Year and a fruit often given as a gift on the occasion. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Herm
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Ellipsoid type with incuse design to the underside of herm on a pedestal with frond. 0.47 grams, 11 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 33.6 grams total, 13-22 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' refers to a four-sided shape. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term ‘token’ is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets.