Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0854

Roman Bronze Young Hercules Statuette

CIRCA 3RD CENTURY A.D.

2 1/8 in. (87 grams total, 55 mm including stand).

Modelled in the round with kilt and lionskin mantle, standing with club resting on his shoulder, left hand concealed behind the body; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From 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.

Literature

Cf. Boucher, S., Inventaire des Collections Publiques Françaises - 17 Vienne: Bronzes Antiques, Paris, 1971, item 34, for type.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0854

Roman Bronze Young Hercules Statuette

Sold for (Inc. bp): £130

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Late Roman Iron Branding Signaculum
    Late Roman Iron Branding Signaculum
    5th-6th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £85

    Featuring an elaborate monogram composed of Greek letters M and O, supported by decoratively twisted prongs; tapering cylindrical socket. 521 grams, 37.5 cm



    Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.

    Branding stamps or signacula, in particular those with large single letters, were used for marking livestock to identify the ownership, the breed, the quality and other features of the animal. The signacula were usually made in bronze, but iron examples are also preserved.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Silver-Gilt Triple Bow Brooch
    Roman Silver-Gilt Triple Bow Brooch
    2nd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £442

    P-shaped bow brooch with crossbar and knop above, bow in three parallel bars, triangular-section waisted foot and carinated leaf-shaped finial; hinged pin and catch to reverse. 11.8 grams, 47 mm



    Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.

    Lot Details

  • Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
    Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
    Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900

    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.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list