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LOT 0749
Roman Bronze Tortoise Statuette
1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (27.9 grams, 36 mm).
Modelled in the round with domed shell with incised plate detailing.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Gryphon Lectus Foot
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Hollow-formed foot for a lectus couch, the upper square in plan with tongue-shaped opening to the forward face, and vertical strap to the reverse; the foot with four curved claws, bulb knuckles above; open to the underside 558 grams, 11.2 cm
Acquired from Munich and London, 1990s. From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman. -
Roman to Post Medieval Artefact Collection
Circa 1st-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Including T-shaped brooches, Langton Down brooches, D-shaped buckle with strap, belt and harness fittings and other items. 200 grams total, 16-56 mm
Found Gloucestershire, UK. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of a Germanic Captive
Late 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Modelled with arms held behind the back, legs astride and left knee bent, head angled upwards over the right shoulder; the trousers and sleeves with incised crosshatched pattern, plain shoes; the hair drawn up in the 'Swabian knot' style above the right ear; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 93 grams total, 62 mm including stand
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.
Statuettes of foreign ‘barbarian’ prisoners of this type have been found along the Danube. Their spread coincides with the Marcomannic wars of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Swabian knot in this warrior’s hair has parallels with the warrior depicted on the contemporary Sarcophagus of Portonaccio, which represents a battle between Romans and Germanic Gauls.
