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LOT 0788
Roman Bronze Tankard Handle with Drunken Putto on Donkey
2ND CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 in. (318 grams total, 17 cm including stand).
Comprising a crescent plaque above with facing mask a a thumb-pad, lateral scrolls; perpendicular D-section bar with ribbing to the outer face; rectangular lower attachment panel with scrolled upper corners, high-relief putto (?) holding a patera in one hand and tankard in the other, riding an ass side-saddle; 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. Tassinari, S., La Vaisselle de Bronze, Romaine et Provinciale, au Musée des Antiquités Nationales, XXIXe supplément de Gallia, Paris, 1975, items 152, 173, 173, 178, for type.
FootnotesThis type of bronze handles are usually depicting mythological scenes. The scene of the putto riding a donkey is often linked to Bacchic processions. The face of the character riding the donkey could also correspond to that of Silenus, who in the same processions is often represented riding such an animal.
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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LOT 0788
Roman Bronze Tankard Handle with Drunken Putto on Donkey
Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
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Roman Bronze Expanding Bracelet Pair
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Each a D-section hoop with the tapering ends coiled about the shank. 62.6 grams total, 66-71 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Battlefield Surgical Scalpels
Circa 83-87 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Mounted in an old custom glazed presentation case with explanatory labels; found Inchtuthil, Scotland. 1.42 kg total, 38 x 29.2 cm
From the Roman legionary fortress Inchtuthil, Perthshire, 83-87 A.D. Private UK collection. Acquired in the 1980s. Property of a Cambridgeshire gentleman. -
Roman Marble Female Torso
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
The upper body draped with an upper part of an exomis, twisted on the shoulder and falling softly on the back; the right breast still visible, as well as the attachment portion of the neck. 7.95 kg, 23 cm wide
Acquired by the current owner in Munich, Germany, 1990s. English private collection.
The way in which the exomis is twisted on the left shoulder and the presence of the exposed right breast could indicate that the original statue was that of an Amazon, with particular reference to the Amazon from the Albertoni collection in Rome, which has now disappeared.
