Roman Bronze Ring with Minerva

The upper part of a Beneficiarius dedicatory spear or sceptre, comprising a circular-section shaft with an ivy leaf finial, a crescent (lunula) below and the point with triple acorn-shaped spheres; the lower end of the shaft square-section and with a rosette for attaching it to the wooden part, engraved with X-motifs and circumferential lines. 62 grams, 49 cm



Found Cambridgeshire, UK. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The beneficiarii, within the Roman army, were soldiers exempted from menial duties and acting as orderlies of senior officers; they were also charged with particular duties by governors and generals. Their distinctive insignia were decorated spears, often with a point shaped like an ivy leaf. The military stela from Perinth depicting a 3rd century beneficiarius shows a very similar spear, mounted over a particular structure on the midshaft of the spear.

Having piriform-globular body and everted rim, tubular neck and flat base with small kick. 20 grams, 11.5 cm high



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

The bottle seems to belong to the type 13 of the De Tommaso classification, but with a more piriform body. By the 1st century A.D., the technique of glass-blowing revolutionised the art of glass-making and allowed for the production of small medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms. Glass unguentaria, bottles and vessels of various shapes were manufactured with blow-pipes, free-blown, or mould-blown, and were prevalent throughout the all the provinces of the huge empire.

With rounded base and everted rim, base exterior decorated with a raised stylised floral motif composed of a large flower head with leaf-like petals and a second smaller flower head to centre. 189 grams, 12.5 cm wide



Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998.