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LOT 0123
Roman Bronze Statuette of Mercury
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3 7/8 in. (69 grams total, 98 mm including stand).
Shown standing nude with caduceus resting against the left forearm, a patera in the right hand, bunched lobes and centre-parted hairstyle; mounted on a custom-made display 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, items 27ff., for type.
FootnotesMercury is one of the most widespread divinities among the votive statuettes of Roman Age. The god of the Roman pantheon was similar to the Greek Hermes and the Etruscan Turms.
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 Iron Stylus Pair
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Each with one pointed and one chiselled finial. 17.4 grams total, 14.5 - 14.8 cm
Found City of London, UK. Acquired from mudlark Steve Brooker in the early 2000s. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. -
Roman Bronze Medical Implement with Inscription
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising a pierced bulb finial and tapering shank with horizontal bands, ribbed median section and flat panel with perpendicular pierced disc finia; inscribed with Latin letters 'LV. HINT'. 25 grams, 84 mm
Acquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. From a gentleman's private collection.
The fragment is possibly the upper part of a sharp pointed retractor, which was used for delicate operations on the tonsils and other internal parts of the body. The inscription probably refers to the name of the doctor, possibly LV[CIV]S HINT[IUS]. -
Roman 'Camp Capchoke' Artefact Collection
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Including fragment of greyware pottery rim, glass oblate and other beads, a bone phallus amulet and other items; with late 19th century handwritten label 'Pottery / Roman Camp/ Capchoke' and 'Mr Stirling / St Boswells' inked to verso, along with postage tag attached with Victorian postage stamp stamped 'St Boswells 5th July 1896'. 48 grams total, 79 x 59 x 34 mm
Found at Camp Capchoke in the 19th century. From the collection of Mr Stirling of St Boswells, UK, circa 1896, thence by descent. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. Accompanied by a handwritten provenance note.
St Boswells is situated a few miles from Melrose, Scotland. Gadrooned beads like the ones here illustrated are found in 1st and 2nd century contexts and seem to have been introduced into this country at the conquest. Most are made of turquoise frit, which often decays to white. The dark blue glass here illustrated finds a perfect parallel with a specimen found in Colchester.
