Loading, please wait...
LOT 0952
Roman Bronze Spoon, Pin and Distaff
1ST-6TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 - 8 in. (53 grams total, 11.5-20.5 cm).
Comprising a spoon with ovoid, flat bowl; pin with polygonal finial stamped with ring-and-dot motifs, pierced towards the point; distaff with bird finial. [3, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market.
Property of an East Anglia private collector.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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.
-
Roman Gilt Bronze Medallion with Mythological Scene
3rd-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Discoid in plan with repoussé sheet-bronze cover on a bronze disc; facing image of two goddesses holding cornucopiae (Fortuna and Isis) flanking an altar, on a baseline. 7.5 grams, 23 mm
Acquired in 1993. Private collection, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
There are reliefs and paintings from across the Empire showing religious processions involving cult statues of the two goddesses. The famous Roman novel 'The Golden Ass' by Lucius Apuleius provides literary evidence of such processions in honour of the goddess Isis. The statue of the goddess was taken from the temple and processed through the streets with great pomp and ceremony on an elaborate bier or cart by the priests and devotees to the accompaniment of music and prayers. -
Roman Silver Razor Handle
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Handle from a twin-bladed triangular razor, in the form of the head and neck of a panther, the head turned backwards, the panther having backwards-pointing ears, the eyes of the animal depicted by a horizontal engraved line within an elongated leaf-shaped moulding, the nose curving downwards and its tip tapering to a rounded end, smooth neck. 5.6 grams, 27 mm
Fine condition.
From a Home Counties collection, formed 1970-1980. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Gold and Glass Pendant
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a hollow-form biconical pendant with vertical ribbing, cylindrical cell below set with a re-used coral-colour glass bead; applied suspension loop with a small piercing above. 0.41 grams, 17 mm
From the collection of a late Japanese collector, 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Coral was regarded by the Romans as a material containing powerful charm. Sometimes it was attached to phalli, which in themselves were a charm to ward off the evil eye, as may be seen from a passage in the Geoponica (XV,1,31).
