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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 Mixed Artefact Group
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising a lunar pendant with incised linear ornament and suspension loop; votive foot; coin of Claudius; coin of Maximian, London mint; tweezers with simple linear ornament; remains of an equal-arm brooch; lid from a seal box; discoid stud; remains of an implement; bezel and shoulders from a finger ring; stamped lead bar, possibly reading 'IOVIA' 'MARIN'(?). 60 grams total, 18-50 mm
Acquired on the UK market, 1990s. Property of a retired academic. -
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide
In general good condition, re-assembled.
Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12080-214035.
Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar. -
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Roman Gemstone Collection
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
Mainly ellipsoid carnelian plaques with incuse designs including standing figure, bird in flight and other types. 4.21 grams total, 8-15 mm
From an old UK collection, 1980s.
