Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0674

Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Gemstone

CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-3RD CENTURY A.D.

3/4 in. (5.17 grams, 20.88 mm overall, 17.37 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)).

With inset carnelian cloison, intaglio Sol standing with whip.

Provenance

Acquired before 2000.
From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.

Literature

Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 137, for type.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0674

Roman Bronze Ring with Sol Gemstone

Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Stone Corbel with Severed Head of a Gallo-Roman
    Stone Corbel with Severed Head of a Gallo-Roman
    Circa 2nd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690

    Statue or frieze fragment with male head modelled in the half-round; circular face with large almond-shaped eyes, heavy brow, thick tousled hair framing the face, drooping moustache and short beard; presented at an oblique angle to the lower face of the block; two mounting holes to the underside. 22.8 kg, 43 cm



    Found in Norfolk, UK. Acquired from Michael Booth, 1998. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

    The angle of the face in respect of the block suggests that the head is both tilted and detached, i.e. that it is a tête coupé or severed head. The practice of headhunting is documented among the natives of both Gaul and Britain (and elsewhere) in the Iron Age. The head is then considered to have special powers to avert evil and promote fertility, cure disease and provide other benefits. This is the case with the carved head - a male mask with copious hair and beard - from the Roman baths at Bath, Somerset (the ancient Aquae Sulis) which was a site of worship long before the arrival of a Roman presence in the area (Ross, p.91). The head takes on the character of a deity and is believed to respond favourably to prayer.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Bronze Animal Mount Group
    Roman Bronze Animal Mount Group
    3rd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £78

    Comprising: a sinuous serpent with lattice detailing; a duck with tab-handle to the underside; a goose with head thrown back, pellet in the beak. 160 grams total, 54-74 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.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Terracotta Lamp with Fighting Gladiators
    Roman Terracotta Lamp with Fighting Gladiators
    1st-2nd century A.D.

    Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £417

    Composed of a discoid body with sunken discus bearing a scene of two gladiators in combat in relief, tabula ansata below, ring handle and roughly D-shaped nozzle with volutes; old crack to base. 84 grams, 12.4 cm



    From a German collection. Ex Cambridge, UK, collection, 1980s.

    The two gladiators seem to be wearing the armaturae of murmillones. All gladiators began their career as provocatores; the learning of their combat technique was polyvalent and allowed the fighters to specialise as a large shield-bearer (the scutati) like murmillones, or as a small shield-bearer, parmati, like the oplomachus.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list