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LOT 0776
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Bust of Roma
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.64 grams, 18 mm).
Ellipsoid in plan with a profile bust of the goddess Roma with a helmet. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProperty of a European gentleman, acquired from the estate of a London collector (formed before 2000).
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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LOT 0776
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Bust of Roma
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 36.7 grams total, 16-22 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' refers to a four-sided shape. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term ‘token’ is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
Roman Gold Ring with Greek Boar Gem
4th century B.C.-1st century B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Hollow-formed and widening at the shoulders to a high elliptical bezel set with a black and white banded glass intaglio imitating striped sardonyx, depicting a running boar in profile on a baseline; Greek letters KΠ on the surface under the boar; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 1.93 grams, 22.40 mm overall, 15.77 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4 3/4, Europe 8.69, Japan 8)
Ex private collection, Contessa L.G., since the 1980s. Private collection, acquired in 1997.
The motif and style, a running boar with a tube-like body, seem to fit into Boardman's Wyndham Cook Group, and could be ascribed to the Graeco-Persian period, despite the fact that the gemstone was later incorporated into a Roman ring. -
Roman Bronze Head of Dionysus Mount
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Bids: 4 | Current Bid: £360
Large convex mount depicting the head of the god of wine, shown facing with rounded cheeks and staring eyes, large vine leaves with bunches of grapes framing his face; ferrous spike on the reverse. 103 grams, 61 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
