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LOT 0789
Roman Bronze Vulcan Statuette
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2 3/4 in. (110 grams total, 71 mm including stand).
Standing wearing a tunic draped from the left shoulder and a conical hat, left arm extended at shoulder-height; 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. Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 69, for type.
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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Roman Redware Pottery Sherd with Olive Tree
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a large edge section with impressed olive tree, with details of branches, fruit and foliage. 87 grams, 17 cm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
The representation of an olive tree on this sigillata is not casual. In the early Imperial period the export of the Adriatic olive oil, following the amber road, moved from Aquileia to the provinces of Roman Pannonia. During the 3rd century, the production of the Spanish olive oil reached the Northern Roman provinces. Olives were transported in particular amphorae and served with specific vessels, distinguishing the black olives (olivae nerae) from the white olives (olivae albae). -
Roman Iridescent Glass Vessel
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With globular body, columnar neck and ground rim; much iridescence remaining to surface. 20.7 grams, 89 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
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Stone Corbel with Severed Head of a Gallo-Roman
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Statue or frieze fragment with male head modelled in the half-round; circular face with large almond-shaped eyes, heavy brow, thick tousled hair framing the face, drooping moustache and short beard; presented at an oblique angle to the lower face of the block; two mounting holes to the underside. 22.8 kg, 43 cm
Found in Norfolk, UK. Acquired from Michael Booth, 1998. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The angle of the face in respect of the block suggests that the head is both tilted and detached, i.e. that it is a tête coupé or severed head. The practice of headhunting is documented among the natives of both Gaul and Britain (and elsewhere) in the Iron Age. The head is then considered to have special powers to avert evil and promote fertility, cure disease and provide other benefits. This is the case with the carved head - a male mask with copious hair and beard - from the Roman baths at Bath, Somerset (the ancient Aquae Sulis) which was a site of worship long before the arrival of a Roman presence in the area (Ross, p.91). The head takes on the character of a deity and is believed to respond favourably to prayer.
