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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.
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 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)
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Roman Mixed Glass and Other Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £13
Composed of polychrome oblate and annular beads with two larger beads as a central feature, restrung. 10.5 grams, 38 cm
Ex Ancient Art Shop, Windsor, UK, 1990s. Ex private West County, UK, collection. -
Roman Bone Gaming Dice Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Pair of cuboid gaming dice with ring-and-dot markings disposed 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 8.48 grams total, 13 mm each
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
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Roman Sapphire Gemstone with Crescent Moon and Star
Third quarter of 1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,980
Cushion-shaped greenish-blue intaglio engraved with a large crescent moon and star. 1.05 grams, 10 mm
Formerly in a private collection of an European lady, 1970s-1980s. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13305-257800.
Basaltic sapphires used by the Romans came from surface deposits in northern Ethiopia, which were already known and productive in ancient times. This hypothesis is supported by comments by Pliny the Elder (23–79 A.D.) and Solinus (early 3rd century A.D.), both of whom referred to gems from Ethiopia named ‘hyacintos’, which is generally accepted in archaeology to be the ancient name of sapphire. The moon and stars have been, since the 4th century BC, symbols of the city of Byzantium and were also linked with Spartan military culture.
