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LOT 0140
Roman Bronze Statuette of Eros
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (160 grams total, 12.5 cm including stnad).
Eros modelled in the round, advancing, carrying an amphora on his left shoulder, wings spread to the rear, right hand open to accept a bow(?); mounted on a custom-made stand with brass nameplate. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Phillips UK in 1998.
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.
Cf. Durham, E., Metal Figurines in Roman Britain, vol. 2, Reading, 2010, pl.44, for type.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Votive Hand to God Sabazios
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Hollow-formed right hand from a statuette, with fingers splayed and flat palm, good anatomical detailing. 362 grams, 12.1 cm
Private collection 1990s. Ex London, UK, gallery.
The votive character of the hand could link it to the God Sabazios, often associated with a number of archaeological finds depicting a bronze, right hand in the benedictio latina gesture. The hand appears to have had ritual significance and may have been affixed to a sceptre (as the one carried by Sabazios on a slab, one from Philippopolis, nowadays Plovdiv in Bulgaria). The association with Sabazios is sometimes suggested in similar hands, by the presence of a snake embossed around the circumference of the hand, because the iconic image of the god or hero on horseback battling the chthonic serpent, appears on Celtic-Roman votive columns, and with the coming of Christianity it was easily adapted to the representations of Saint George fighting the Dragon. -
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Roman Lead Coffin Fragment with Sphinx, Medusa and Dolphins
2nd-3rd century A.DSold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
Decorated with a high-relief pattern comprising sphinxes surrounded by dolphins and masks of Medusa surrounded by laurel leaves all between Corinthian columns; ropework and floral border strips with laurel leaves above; lip below the upper edge. 20.1 kg, 101.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
This item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section are symbols of the outer-world, including gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples. The roundels featuring the head of Medusa, known for her potent gazes that could turn one to stone, was favoured on sarcophagi and architectural ornaments because it was believed that her image would protect those within. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. -
Large Roman Marble Gaming Dice
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Cuboid with rounded edges, spots disposed 1:6, 2:4, 3:5; the '1' a ring-and-dot, the others dimples. 18 grams, 20 mm
Ex Dr. Champion collection. Acquired 31 October 2003. From the important private collection of dice and gaming pieces of Colin Narbeth, London, UK, collection no.205. Accompanied by a Colin Narbeth catalogue identification slip.
