Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0118
Roman Bronze Statuette of Isis
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5 1/4 in. (280 grams total, 13.3 cm including stand).
The goddess standing, wearing an Ionic chiton and himation secured by a characteristic knot tied between her breasts, the folds cascading to the floor; her left hand modelled open and held above her breast; her centre-parted wavy locks fastened with a band, pulled back in a chignon at the nape of her neck and surmounted by a hair-comb; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
Provenance
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.
Literature
Cf. Boucher, S., Tassinari, S., Bronze Antiques du Musée de la civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon, 1. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, nos.20-21,38 (Fortuna and Isis-Fortuna); also Descamps-Lequime, S, 'Acquisitions' in La Revue des musées de France. Revue du Louvre, 2, 2016, p.91, fig. 109, no.109, Louvre inventory Br 6045.
Footnotes
Statuettes of Fortuna, the goddess of chance, were evidently popular during the Roman Imperial times judging by the large number that have been found, and with the advent of the cult of Isis within the Roman Empire, the two divinities were identified as a single goddess.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Gusseted lug handle to rear, discus with filling hole and plain central panel, radiating ribbed border to the shoulder; low basal ring; old collector's label '10454'. 201 grams, 11.6 cm
Private collection of Comolli family, Paris, France; acquired 1970s. -
Roman Bronze Artefact Group
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Including a military belt plate and suspension ring, a penannular finger ring, a Polden Hill type bow brooch and other items. 75 grams total, 12-69 mm
Found City of London, UK. Acquired from mudlark Steve Brooker in the early 2000s. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. -
Roman Bronze ROMA Brooch
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
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. 13.9 grams, 32 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The brooch is engraved with stylised letters ‘RMA’. 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.
