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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.
ProvenanceEx 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.
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.
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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Opening Bid: £450
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Roman Black Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £72
Restrung group of biconical, cylindrical and other beads. 8.79 grams, 30 cm
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Life-Size Roman Republican Marble Portrait Head of a Man
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,778
Private portrait head of a beardless but aged man sculpted in provincial style to be full of character with pinched mouth and furrowed brow; the short hairstyle of the Late Republican Rome; nose abraded; socket to underside for mounting on the display stand. 25.75 kg total, 50 cm including stand
Private collection, Auvergne, France, 1970s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00131545. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12477-228801. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
In view of the fact that visual conventions (i.e. the Julian hairstyle) developed in the capital reached the “Romanised” provinces with a certain time lag, this portrait head was probably created in the Late Republican or Early Imperial Period.