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_900x900.jpg "Roman Carnelian Gemstone with the Goddess Spes")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Carnelian Gemstone with the Goddess Spes")
.jpg "Roman Carnelian Gemstone with the Goddess Spes")
LOT 0714
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with the Goddess Spes
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.74 grams, 13 mm).
Standing and facing left with her right hand raised an holding a budding flower; inscription in Greek 'KAΛ(OΣ)' (= beautiful) on the left.
ProvenanceEx R. Sebastia Coch (1908-1969) collection, Barcelona; thence by descent.
English art market, 2018.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00143341.
Cf. Boardman, J., Greek Gems and Finger Rings, Early Bronze Age to Late Classical, London, 1970 (2001), nos.228, for similar.
FootnotesSpes (Elpis in Greek) was honoured as a goddess since ancient times, but especially during the Empire the cult of the goddess took on a political value, symbolically representing the confident expectation of a happy imperial succession. From Claudius who had her depicted on coins on the occasion of the birth of his son Britannicus, Spes was then defined in epigraphs with the epithet of Augusta, Augusti, Augustorum and also publica or p(opuli)R(omani), to which were added under the Severi the attributes of perpetua(eternal) and firma(firm).
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 0714
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with the Goddess Spes
Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
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Roman Amethyst Gemstone with Quadriga
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Intaglio quadriga with rearing horses; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 1.29 grams, 14.63 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Roman Bronze Tweezer Group
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Comprising three pairs of tweezers, each with linear decoration and one with a suspension loop. 23.6 grams total, 54-75 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Longer tweezers with serrated ends served as an essential component of surgical instruments for better and safer grasping of human tissue. Some of them had gripping arms that widened considerably downwards. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 32 grams total, 14-20 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.
