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LOT 0195
Roman Bronze Statuette of Hermes
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (100 grams total, 10 cm including stand).
Standing nude with left leg bent, arms extended, mantle draped from the right shoulder, hair combed forward from the crown; mounted on a custom-made stand. [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. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 38, for type.
FootnotesDespite the lack of specific attributes related to Hermes, the pose of the statue, with the right hand advanced to hold the sacculus, the cloak thrown over the right shoulder and then folded over the left would lean towards an interpretation of the statuette as an ex voto related to the god of thieves. The statuette seems to originate from a Gallo-Roman workshop. A similar drapery on the chest is also found on a Mercury/Hermes in the Museum of Besancon.
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 Toilet Bottle
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
With globular body, everted rim, cylindrical neck, rounded shoulder merging with concave wall, rounded base. 61 grams, 14 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1980-1990s.
This toilet bottle could be associated with the Isings form 6 and De Tommaso type 7. These small bottles are among the earliest known blown glass. The everted rim seems to distinguish examples made in Italy and the western Mediterranean provinces from those of the Eastern Mediterranean, on which the rim is usually folded in the form of a flange. -
Late Roman Honorius with Theodosius II AE Exagium Solidi Weight
408-423 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Diademed and draped facing busts of Honorius and Theodosius II; between them above, Victory standing facing, crowning the emperors; to the reverse twenty-five pellets in form of a pyramid. 4.11 grams, 18mm
Condition as seen.
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Electronic Auction 562, 15 May 2024, lot 792. -
Roman Gold Eagle Pendant
2nd century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Depicted as a standing eagle with closed wings, long striated tail extending to the small pedestal; with detailing to wings, beak, eyes and feathers; a filigree collar with small medallion around the neck; holding a small rabbit in its claws; suspension loop to the back. 2.83 grams, 27 mm
From a private family collection formed since the early 19th century, thence by descent. Property of a New Zealand legal professional. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12329-223711.
The motif of an eagle and hare is linked with the story of the Trojan War. On their way towards Troy, the two brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus, the Atreides, saw two eagles swoop down upon a pregnant hare and tear her to shreds. They interpreted it as a good omen: the two eagles were the warrior brothers, and the hare Troy.
