Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0165
Roman Bronze Statue of Mars Gradivus
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
5 1/4 in. (278 grams, 13.5 cm high).
Modelled in the round as a young beardless warrior hero with muscular body and rounded shoulders; wearing a high-crested pseudo-Attic helmet with a diadem; the hair arranged in orderly locks over his brow; the bent left hand would originally have held a shield and the extended right hand a spear.
Provenance
Ex collection of Dr Djafari (1900-1981), Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11812-206498.
Literature
Cf. Reinach, S., Repertoire de la statuarie Grecque et Romaine, Paris, 1930, pp.180 and 183, nos.7 (Louvre) and 2 (type B. Kerguerriec. Coll.P. du Chatellier in Kernuz), for similar.
Footnotes
This statue of Mars Gradivus, the marching god of war, was probably a cult offering. The statuette still presents an archaic Etruscan hairstyle, being part of the Italic statuettes of the god produced as votive offering to the temples or for private lararia. A Gallo-Roman period temple dedicated to the cult of Mars with a similar statuette has recently been found in Brittany.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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 0165
Roman Bronze Statue of Mars Gradivus
Estimate £4,000 - 6,000€4,640 - 6,960 (for guidance only)$5,400 - 8,100 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,778
Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide
In general good condition, re-assembled.
Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12080-214035.
Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar. -
Roman Terracotta Piriform Storage Vessel
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
With everted rim and rounded shoulder; marine encrustation. 489 grams, 15 cm
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. -
Roman Bronze Ring with Victory Gemstone
Circa 1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A Henig Type I ring circular in shape set with a chalcedony intaglio decorated with Victory standing in front of a column. 1.01 grams, 16.06 mm overall, 13.31 mm internal diameter (approximate size British D 1/2, USA 2, Europe 1.78, Japan 1)
Found near Welshpool, Wales, UK, on 23 October 2019. Accompanied by a copy of a Welshpool Portable Antiquities data sheet with PAS reference no.WREX-2A4F27.
