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LOT 0688
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Animals
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C. OR LATER
5/8 in. (1.68 grams, 17 mm).
Of plano-convex form, depicting an ear of wheat, a fly, an elephant in profile, a mouse and a locust; accompanied by a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceEx property of a London gentleman; acquired by his father in the 1970s; thence by descent.
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 'Thames' Bone Gaming Piece and Pottery with Graffiti
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Comprising: a Samian ware fragment bearing graffiti to one face; a polished, coin-shaped bone gaming counter engraved 'XIIIX'. 38 grams total, 1.7-9 cm
Found Billingsgate spoil from the Thames foreshore, London, UK. -
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Face
Late 2nd century B.C.-early 1st century A.D.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Hollow-formed with a fan-shaped headdress for the handle, pierced disc plaque to the brow, nozzle beneath the neck; female bust with piled tresses; a double ring and 'YOP' maker's mark to the base. 87.6 grams, 11.6 cm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Lamps with figurines first appear in the Hellenistic period, possibly originating in Athens. Found in all parts of the Mediterranean basin, they were particularly popular during the first and second centuries A.D. For the most part no exact parallels are found in the published literature, thus their dating is often conjectural, based mainly on the shape of the nozzle. -
Roman Bronze Phallic Mask Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Displaying the face of a bearded god, possibly Cernunnos or Pan, with curly hair and two horns in the shape of phallus; suspension ring to the top. 25.6 grams, 45 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex property of a UK gentleman.
The head displays typical features associated with Romano-Celtic art, such as the lentoid eyes and the schematic rendering of the hair and beard. The head could be that of Pan, god of the wild countryside and of fertility in nature, thus making the phalli-shaped horns appropriate. It could also represent the Celtic god Cernunnos, a Gallic deity whose worship is known from Britain and the Continent from a number of monuments, inscriptions and figurines, as well as on the famous Gundestrup cauldron found in a bog in Denmark. His name means "the Horned One", and is depicted as a bearded male wearing a torc around his neck and with large horns or antlers on his head. Representations of him are known from as early as the fourth century B.C. from the Paspardo rock carving at Val Camonica, Northern Italy. Other representations include the monument set up by Parisian sailors which was discovered underneath Notre Dame cathedral, and the relief carving from Cirencester where his legs are in the form of two snakes. The Celts' preoccupation with fecundity caused them on occasions to represent their male gods with oversized phalli, and a bronze figure of Mercury from Tongres, France, depicts the god with two phalli on his head.
