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LOT 0685
Roman Bronze Ring with Portrait
3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (34.93 grams, 38.63 mm overall, 22.43 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 15.61, Japan 15)).
Hoop composed of angled and fluted shoulders and an oval bezel displaying a portrait bust in profile right, in relief.
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 256, for broad type.
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 FORTIS Terracotta Oil Lamp
Late 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
A factory lamp with flat-topped oval body, broad flat shoulder and small concave plain discus; flat bottom with Latin inscription 'FORTIS'. 77.7 grams, 96 mm
From the collection of a High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman, circa 2000.
At the end of the 1st century B.C., in the Po Valley, began the industrial production of Firmalampen, i.e. lamps signed on the bottom in relief noting the place of production or fabrica. The signature FORTIS, visible on this specimen, is one of the most documented and is attributable to the workshop of L. Aemilius Fortis, recently discovered to have been in Mutina (Modena). -
Roman Fitting in the Form of a Female Bust
Coptic, 4th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Carved bone with concave reverse; profile female bust with neatly dressed hair, himation at the shoulder; old collector's label '10' to the reverse. 17.81 grams, 49 mm
European collection formed in the early 1980s. with Bonhams London, 27 April 2006, lot 356. Accompanied by a copy of an IADAA Interpol search certificate. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Bonham's catalogue pages. -
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Roman Lead Coffin Lid with Ivy and Floral Motifs
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
Decorated with stamped patterns comprising dolphins, vegetal and floral patterns, motifs with ivy leaves and floral border strips with laurel leaves. 38.5 kg, 175.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11992-209844.
Although the majority of people were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials, lead coffins and stone coffins from the Roman Empire. Our typology belongs a type diffused in the Eastern Mediterranean. The leaves refer to actual garlands and flowers used to decorate tombs and altars. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife and was a common motif in this period, also used for the slide-fitting of Roman sword scabbards. Romans believed these animals carried souls to the Fortunate Isles, perhaps because they could pass through the air-breathing terrestrial world and into the watery depths that claimed so many Roman sailors’ lives. This symbol would have had a personal significance for the deceased, who may have been a seafarer during life. Romans often ordered their lead coffins long before they died as the process of making them took a long time.
