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LOT 0138
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Farmer and Oxen
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3/8 in. (0.38 grams, 10 mm).
The oval intaglio engraved with a man driving a pair of oxen with plough to left, a detailed tree with branches in the background, ground line under the oxen.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf. no.633 of the Lost Gems of the Malborough collection, for a similar scene, in Boardman, J., The Malborough Gems. Formerly at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, Oxford, 2009; cf. also Various, Catalogue of the Malborough Gems, being a collection of Works in Cameo and Intaglio formed by George, Third Duke of Malborough, Oxford, 1875, no.633.
FootnotesThe gem could refer to the Augustan program of restoration of peace and security in the empire, after the agitated period of civil wars, with the possibility for men to return peacefully to their lands in a now peaceful empire. However, we cannot exclude that the image also refers to the well-known episode of Greek mythology, when Odysseus, to escape the call to arms in Troy, feigned madness by ploughing the fields without interruption, until he was unmasked by Palamedes, cousin of Agamemnon, who placed Odysseus' infant son Telemachus in front of the plough, forcing Odysseus to stop and reveal feigned insanity.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0138
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Farmer and Oxen
Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
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Roman Jasper Gemstone with Mercury
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £389
The god depicted naked, standing, looking left, holding a caduceus and a purse. 0.79 grams, 15 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection.
After his identification with the Greek Hermes, the Roman artists who realised his images for the Roman magistrates used the specific Greek elements of his personality (the winged low cap petasos, the face of a shaved young man, the caduceus, the winged shoes of Phekasia type) but added the attribute of a purse, specific to Mercury. -
Roman Silver Armilla Snake Bracelet
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Penannular in form with kite-shaped terminals representing serpents' heads, punched ring-and-dot and pricked dot ornament forming the stylised head and scale detailing. 8 grams, 66 mm
Ex North American private collection. Acquired privately on the European art market in the 1990s. Property of a Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Silver Knee Brooch
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With facetted bow and chord coiled around the rear lug, pin extending to the pierced catchplate with knop finial. 12.4 grams, 43 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
