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LOT 0119
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Owl Between Cornucopiae
1ST CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.65 grams, 13 mm).
The oval intaglio engraved with the bird facing, flanked by two opposing cornucopiae.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf. Henig, M., A corpus of Roman Engraved Gemstones from British Sites, Oxford, 2007, for similar gemstones with caduceus (no.422) and calathus (App.54) flanked by cornucopiae.
FootnotesAccording to Greek mythology, the cornucopia was the horn lost by the Achelous river in the fight with Hercules for Deianeira and filled by the Naiads with flowers and fruit as a symbol of abundance, thus alluding to the fertility of the valley where the Achelous flowed. The owl, symbol of Athena, flanked by cornucopiae, evoked the abundance asked from the goddess by the wearer of the gemstone.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0119
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Owl Between Cornucopiae
Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
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Roman Bronze Ram Statuette
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Modelled standing in the round with naturalistic detailing, with head turned right with curled horns. 42 grams, 39 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection. -
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Roman Bronze Head of a Dolphin
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
Modelled in the round, solid with stylised high-quality detailing. 98 grams, 60 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection. -
Roman Terracotta Frieze Fragment with Face
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising a circular medallion from an architectural frieze, representing a mask crowned by vegetable curls and volutes, the edges marked with a double line. 1 kg, 19.5 cm
Acquired from Millon Arts D'Orient. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
The medallion partially corresponds to some faces visible on the clay antefixes on the temple of Isis in Pompeii. The antefix was a roof covering element placed on the end of roof beams or as an occlusion of the terminal channels of the tiles in Greek, Etruscan and Roman buildings.
