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LOT 0930
Roman Bronze Ring with Snakes
3RD CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (3.94 grams, 21.23 mm overall, 17.96 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 15.61, Japan 15)).
The hoop divided at the shoulders into four parallel bands, each with a flat rectangular plaque bearing a pointillé serpent figure. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 180, for segmented format.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Neptune Statuette
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Standing nude with arms raised, legs in advancing pose. 37 grams, 60 mm
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 condition of the statuette does not allow a easy identification of its original characterization, but the position of the body shows a certain affinity with provincial statuettes of the god Neptune, especially produced in Gallo-Roman ateliers. Some statuettes of Sucellus, the Gallic divinity assimilated into the Roman Pantheon as the equivalent of the Dispater, brother of Jupiter, could possibly also bear resemblance with our statuette for the position of the body. -
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide
In general good condition, re-assembled.
Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12080-214035.
Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar. -
Roman Silver Ring with Cockerel Gemstone
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
With broad hoop, plaque with cell and applied wire collar, inset jasper cabochon with intaglio bird and teasel motif. 4.58 grams, 20.55 mm overall, 17.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
