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LOT 0786
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Minerva
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.61 grams, 12.29 mm).
With intaglio Minerva standing with spear over her shoulder; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
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 Bronze Scallop Shell 'Door Key' Pair
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £455
Each composed of shell-shaped body with a D-shaped lug to reverse, the lug with tapering spike to the centre. 343 grams total, 12.5 cm each
Private collection, Rosenheim, Germany, 1960s.
This pair could have been used as a double key or door lock, based on comparison with some keys from the territory of Gaul (Boucher, 1971, pp.200-201). They comprised a strong ring with polygonal-section stem and a rectangular point. -
Roman Aubergine Glass Flask
3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Core-formed with a slightly dimpled base, deep shoulder and short neck, mouth with a flared rim and applied trail to give a stepped appearance. 43 grams, 99 mm
From a specialist collection of glass, acquired from dealerships during the 1990s. -
Roman Lapis Lazuli Gnostic Gemstone with Aphrodite Anadyomene
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Ellipsoid in plan with enigmatic Greek legend 'BPE/IMW' to underside, facing figure of Aphrodite Anadyomene to obverse on baseline with Greek legend 'APE IAP', possibly an abbreviation for ΑΡ[ΌΡΙΦ]ΡΑ[Σ]Ι[Σ]. 1.38 grams, 17 mm
Private collection, acquired on the German art market in 1993; thence by descent.
The gemstone belongs to a series of blue gemstones, usually of lapis lazuli or blue glass, showing the famous image of Aphrodite Anadyomene ('rising from the sea'). In some of these gemstones, we find the magical word arôriphrasis, which transliterates an Egyptian title of the goddess Hathor as 'The Lady of the Blue Stone'. Since Hathor and Aphrodite were assimilated in Graeco-Roman Egypt, there is some logic to the appearance of the name and Aphrodite on these stones.
