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LOT 0657
Roman Bronze Statuette Head of Mercury
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (41 grams, 31 mm).
Wearing a broad-brimmed petasos with wings above, curls of hair beneath, youthful features. [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. Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 47.
FootnotesMercury was the god of trade and industry, whose principle shrine in the city of Rome was at the Circus Maximus. Originally he was one of the gods of riches and profit and it was not until he was equated with the Greek Hermes that he became the god of tradesmen and merchants. He was also the god of thieves and was associated with healing mainly in Gaul where he had a number of important temples connected to sacred springs.
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 Glass Unguentarium
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With bulbous body, flat bottom, barrel-shaped neck and everted rim. 38.9 grams, 10 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Roman Bronze Brooch Group
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Including P-shaped, T-shaped, La Tène III, and other types. 39 grams total, 2.9-11.1 cm
Ex property of an Essex gentleman. Property of a Scottish collector, acquired in 2013. -
Roman Bronze Jupiter Dolichenus Statuette
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Modelled in the round standing wearing a crested helmet, muscle-cuirass with tunic beneath, short pteruges and greaves; left hand raised to hold a spear, right hand with gladius resting on the forearm. 36 grams, 62 mm
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.
The cult of Jupiter Dolichenus was a variant of worship of Zeus from Asia Minor whose mystery cult was widespread in the Roman Empire from the early 2nd to mid-3rd centuries A.D., especially in the military. The god is usually represented mounting a bull, with the double axe (labrys or bipennis) in his right raised hand, and dressed in the military attire of a Roman general.
