Roman Bulbous Glass Vase

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.

An impressive carved herm of the tragic author of the tragic author Euripides, portrayed as an elderly man with full beard and long hair forming compact, slightly wavy strands, radiating from a single point at the back of the head and combed forwards over the forehead; heavy brow and small mouth; cracked and repaired. 7.46 kg, 25 cm



English private collection, acquired in the late 1970s/early 1980s. David Cambridge, Cheltenham. with Galerie Chenel, Paris, acquired from the above in 1998. French private collection, acquired from the above in 1999/2000. Ancient Marbles, Classical Sculpture and works of art; Sotheby's, London, 13 June 2016, no.49. 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.12191-222443.

Euripides was a classical Athenian playwright and one of the three great tragedians of ancient Greece, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles. Born in 480 B.C., his work is renowned for its complex characters and psychological depth, often exploring the darker aspects of human nature and societal norms. Euripides' plays, such as Medea, The Bacchae, and Hippolytus, are marked by their innovative use of mythological themes to comment on contemporary issues.

Comprising a crescent plaque above with facing mask a a thumb-pad, lateral scrolls; perpendicular D-section bar with ribbing to the outer face; rectangular lower attachment panel with scrolled upper corners, high-relief putto (?) holding a patera in one hand and tankard in the other, riding an ass side-saddle; mounted on a custom-made stand. 318 grams total, 17 cm including stand



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.

This type of bronze handles are usually depicting mythological scenes. The scene of the putto riding a donkey is often linked to Bacchic processions. The face of the character riding the donkey could also correspond to that of Silenus, who in the same processions is often represented riding such an animal.