Roman Bronze Ring with Phallic Bust Gemstone

With rounded body, swirl detailing and rolled lip at the shoulder, cylindrical neck and deep, tiered rim; internal shelf at shoulder level with small central opening; iridescence to surfaces; pontil base. 75.6 grams, 91 mm



Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.

Each a D-section disc with central triskele and coiled arms, segmented detailing to the outer face. 340 grams total, 10-10.2 cm



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 two mounts are elements of horse harness decorating the antilena and postilena of the horse, as intersection fittings of the main straps. According to Alfoldi, these horse harnesses were the product of a metallurgy that was the fruit of a Gallo-Roman revival, and not exclusively of military nature. The military adopted similar elements fruit of the revival of this Celtic-Roman decorative art, since such harnesses have also been discovered in border fortresses. But the large industrial centers, which worked for export, manufactured objects primarily for the Danubian regions where both the soldiers and the civilian population, without distinction of class, used them as habitual objects.

Matched pair, each an ellipsoid cell with rosette surround, hook to the reverse, hollow teardrop dangle below. 4.17 grams total, 37-38 mm



Ex European private collection, 1990s. Acquired from a London, UK, gallery. property of an Essex gentleman.