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Details

LOT 0843

Roman Bronze ROMA Openwork Brooch

2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.

1 3/8 in. (12.5 grams, 34 mm).

The discoid body formed as an openwork monogram ROMA in Latin letters, the M and A ligated, the O formed by the brooch frame itself; ROMA also a palindrome for AMOR.

Provenance

Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Footnotes

When viewed from the default side, RMA + the circle of the brooch form a monogram for ‘Roma’. Roma refers to both the city and its divine personification, the Dea Roma. When RMA is read from right to left (or the brooch is viewed from the opposite side), the letters form 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.

CONDITION

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AUCTIONS:

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LOT 0843

Roman Bronze ROMA Openwork Brooch

Sold for (Inc. bp): £169

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