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LOT 0681
Roman Bronze ROMA Brooch
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (13.86 grams, 35 mm).
With openwork monogram in Latin letters, ('R'+'M'+'A', with the 'O' represented by the circular plan of the brooch itself), a palindrome 'AMOR'; complete with pin.
ProvenanceAcquired on the German art market around 2000s.
From the collection of an EU gentleman living in the UK.
Cf. Heynowski, R., Bestimmungsbuch Archaeologie: Fibeln, Munich, 2012, item 3.26.11, for type; for a similar brooch discovered on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, see database in Portable Antiquities Scheme website.
FootnotesThe brooch is composed of the stylised letters ‘RMA’. When viewed from the obverse RMA + the circle of the brooch form a monogram for ‘Roma’. Roma refers to both the city and its divine personification, the Dea Roma. But if RMA is read from right to left (or the brooch is viewed from the opposite side), the letters display a monogram for ‘AMOR’, the Latin name for Cupid, the god of love. The phrase pertains to Roma-Amor, a widely recognised palindrome espousing Roman wordplay in the ancient times.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Fluted Iridescent Amber Glass Cup
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
With iridescent surface, flat bottom, vertical ribbed segmentation, slightly everted chipped rim. 88 grams, 98 mm wide
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Late Roman Bronze Ring Inscribed 'Gift for Caius'
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
With square offset bezel, later enigmatic inscription 'ICAI / CIPM / DON', likely: 'Gift For Caius'. 6.72 grams, 21.60mm overall, 17.32mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)
Property of a gentleman from Vienna; from his private collection formed since 1970.
The Latin inscription on the ring refers to a personal belonging of a certain Caius (CAI), and the letters DON could be a shortening word for gift or given (donus or donatus), intending the ring as a gift for Caius.
