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LOT 0875
Roman Bronze Statuette Head of Apollo
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (31 grams, 32 mm).
With delicately modelled youthful features, thick hair framing the face adorned with a laurel-wreath secured at the rear, traces of silvering to the eyes; ledge base; possibly Apollo the sun-god, or a lar (guardian spirit). [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
Cf. Durham, E., Metal Figurines in Roman Britain, vol. 2, Reading, 2010, pl.60 for full-length figure from lakenheath, England, with similar features.
FootnotesThe use of domestic gods continued in the Roman Empire also in later times. Of particular interest is a group of sculptures discovered in the Theodosian Palace in Stobi. The finds consist of marble and bronze statuettes and reliefs that were deposited in one of the ornamental basins located in the peristyle. Four of the smaller bronze sculptures— a lar, Apollo, Venus, and a satyr— may have formed the contents of a lararium. The palace was in use until the 5th century A.D., but the sculptures consists of heirloom and reused pieces dated at 2nd-1st century B.C. However, an unusual feature of this bronze assemblage is the fact that they date overwhelmingly to the 3rd century A.D.
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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Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Sea Creature
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
With intaglio capricorn with forelegs extended; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.5 grams, 10 mm
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Wild Boar Chariot Fitting Pair
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Matched pair of chariot fittings, each formed as the head and forelegs of a boar with open mouth and prominent tusks, developing to a crescentic square-section body with knop finial, supported on a column and square-section tiered base; mounted on custom-made display stands. 1.13 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand
Ex Ancient Art, North London, UK. 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. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12058-212073.
The fittings were possibly part of a decoration of a Thraco-Roman chariot. Sometimes the ends of the yokes were covered with bronze toppers geometrically shaped or decorated with figures of a lion, a wild boar (our example), a goat, etc. Often, instead of these toppers, there were the so-called bronze distributors. Some were without decoration and others had geometric decoration. The most common ones were those sculpted as two opposing panthers (rarely lions). -
Roman and Later Lead Weight Collection
1st-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Including tabular, plano-convex and conical types. 889 grams total, 20-45 mm
Found whilst fieldwalking in Somerset and Devon, UK.
