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LOT 1072
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Goddess Hecate
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.65 grams, 13 mm).
Ellipsoid in plan with intaglio standing robed figure of Hecate, her heads facing left and right, with six arms; holding the leashes of two dogs standing to either side of her, with birds in the field; chipped; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
LiteratureCf. a similar gemstone with Hecate in Delatte A., Derchain, Ph., Les Intailles magiques gréco-égyptiennes, Paris, 1964, no.254.
FootnotesHecate, the goddess of the Underworld, is often represented with 6 arms: the uppermost hands holding torches, the middle hands holding daggers, and the lowermost hands holding whips. Hecate was a chthonic (underworld) goddess. As the holder of the keys that can unlock the gates between realms, she could unlock the gates of death, as described in a 3rd-century B.C. poem by Theocritus. In the 1st century AD, Virgil described the entrance to hell as 'Hecate's Grove', though he says that Hecate is equally 'powerful in Heaven and Hell.'
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1072
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Goddess Hecate
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
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Roman Green Glass and Other Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterEstimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Composed of small oblate beads interspersed with reused bangle fragments, the central feature with larger beads, restrung. 11.2 grams, 35 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
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. 30 grams total, 13-22 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' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. 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. -
Large Roman Carnelian and Other Gemstone Collection
1st-2nd century A.D. and laterEstimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Comprising eleven gemstones with various motifs, including: a cameo with a face, a profile bust wearing a filet, an insect with a stinger, a bust of Minerva, a lion on a baseline, a helmetted head of a warrior, a harvesting scene, two with a bird(?), an advancing nude female with an inscription before, and one inscribed 'ZEEL'. 5.33 grams total, 7-13 mm
Private collection, London.
