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LOT 1070
Roman Bronze Vessel Handle with Silver Inlaid Face
1ST CENTURY A.D.
5 5/8 in. (118 grams, 14.4 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.
ProvenancePrivate collection.
with Christie's, London, 11 June 1997, no.97 (part).
with Bonhams, 13 April 2000, no.198.
Private collection, Europe.
Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 7th October 2026-9th December 2026; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
LiteratureCf. The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 74.51.5463, for similar.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1070
Roman Bronze Vessel Handle with Silver Inlaid Face
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£750 (EUR 870; USD 1,013) ‡+BP*
-
Roman Orangeware Tall Unguentarium
Circa 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising an onion-shaped body with flat base, tall tubular neck and flared rim. 132 grams, 13.5 cm
Ex old English collection. From the estate of a late Bristol, South West England, collector. -
'The Kenzo' Roman Marble Head of the Philosopher Hermarchus
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £14,000 - 19,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £7,500
A finely carved marble portrait head of a middle-aged bearded male, possibly Hermarchus, with short, softly modelled wavy hair, deep-set and defined eyes, the lips almost hidden among the details of the beard; the facial expression appears stern but thoughtful, perhaps derived from the tradition of Roman Imperial portraiture; mounted on a custom-made stand. 2.34 kg total, 22.8 cm high including stand
Kenzo collection, the late fashion designer, acquired in the early 1980s. Ex French private collection. Charles Ede, 12 June 2008. 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 no.13436-262427.
The philosopher represented here must have been very important, and it can be assumed we can recognise one of the valuable copies, known in different variants, of the portrait of Hermarchus, successor of Epicurus at the head of the Epicurean School, who lived at Mytilene between 325 and 250 B.C., for its similarity with the portrait of the same philosopher at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (inv. no.2689). -
Roman Stone and Glass Gem Collection Including Bust of Caracalla
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £10
Including profile bust of Caracalla, erotes, an eagle, goddess Athena, a female bust, and other types; each supplied with an impression. 4.5 grams total, 8-16 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
