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LOT 0107
Roman Bronze Vessel Handle with Face
1ST CENTURY A.D.
5 5/8 in. (110 grams, 14.2 cm).
Swept in profile, comprising a horizontal crescentic panel to attach to the rim, with inlaid silver detailing, recurved cobra-shaped thumb pad, raised serpent to the outer face of the tapering handle, finial a mask of Bacchus or Pan, facing with volute scrolls to the brow and thick splayed beard; silver diadem and eyes.
ProvenancePrivate collection.
with Christie's, London, 11 June 1997, no.97 (part).
with Bonhams, 13 April 2000, no.198.
Private collection, Europe.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's and Bonhams catalogue pages.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12529-232161.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, items 290-292, for similar, especially 291.
FootnotesThese handles, which formed a leafy plant element and an S- or T-shaped animal at the top, were usually attached to the belly of the bronze vessel by a human head. In our example, the broad head of the mask, with its broad moustache and beard, characterised by abundant hair, seems to hark back to the iconography of the Sileni or Pan.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0107
Roman Bronze Vessel Handle with Face
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£833 (EUR 967; USD 1,125) ‡+BP*
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Roman and Later Bronze and Silver Ring Group
1st-19th century A.D.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Mixed group of rings comprising: a D-section ring; a ring with angled shoulders and raised circular bezel; a ring with slender hoop and bezel set with a blue intaglio with two figures; a large ring with rectangular bezel with '1888' with a cross above; a ring with large rectangular bezel with faint remains of an inscription; a ring with forked shoulders and the bezel set with a dark green glass intaglio with a low-relief image of a doe before a tree; a ring with an oval pale orange carnelian intaglio bearing an inscription. 32 grams total, 19-28 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 34.8 grams total, 15-24 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' refers to a four-sided shape. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term ‘token’ is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
Roman Green Glass Trefoil-Lipped Jug
Circa 3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £15
Bulbous body with applied foot, short tubular neck with trefoil mouth and a strap handle to the rear. 35.4 grams, 90 mm
Acquired from Shirley Warren Antique Glass, Surrey, UK, in 1992 with reference no.SF3C. From the collection of a Bedfordshire, UK, lady. Accompanied by an original Shirley Warren invoice no.2137 dated 13 April 1992 (£400.00).
