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LOT 0189
Roman Bronze Statue of Mercury
1ST CENTURY A.D.
5 5/8 in. (298 grams total, 14.3 cm including stand).
A youthful and muscular figure of the god Mercury (Greek Hermes) standing nude with his weight resting on his right leg, left leg slightly bent and the heel raised; his hair dressed in short curls, wearing a winged petasos, and a cloak wrapped over his shoulder and left arm, naturalistic anatomical detailing; mounted on a custom-made display base.
ProvenanceSwiss private collection, 1970.
Private collection, Zurich, Switzerland.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12685-236368.
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.
Cf. Reinach, S., Repertoire de la statuarie grecque et romaine, Paris, 1930, p.151, no.10, for the type; Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, items 27ff., for comparable examples; Menzel, H., Die Römischen Bronzen aus Deutschland I Speyer, Mainz, 1960, no.8; cf. The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 06.1057, for type.
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: £100
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Roman Glass Candlestick Unguentarium
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Wide domed body with domed underside to the foot, tall narrow neck and splayed rim with rolled edge. 27.5 grams, 13.7 cm
From an important London collection of glass, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Bronze ROMA Openwork Brooch
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
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. 12.5 grams, 34 mm
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.
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.