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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 Bronze-Handled Iron Key
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £173
With angled shank, wolf-head handle. 70 grams, 92 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Very Large Roman Bronze Crossbow Brooch
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
With plain bow of trapezoidal section, the foot embellished with four pairs of scroll ornaments, complete with pin. 120 grams, 11 cm
with TimeLine Auctions, 19 March 2010, no.546. Acquired from JS Fine Art, item no.3345. Property of a Shropshire private collector. Accompanied by TimeLine Auctions and JS Fine Art lot tags. -
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,778
Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide
In general good condition, re-assembled.
Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read collection. 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 number no.12080-214035.
Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar.
