Loading, please wait...
LOT 0157
Roman Chalcedony Gemstone with Muse Euterpes
1ST CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (0.77 grams, 14 mm).
The muse standing on a baseline with her head in profile, resting her left arm on a cithara, carrying a laurel branch in her extended right hand, the weight of the body resting on the right leg.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf. similar images of Apollo in Behemerid, A.G., ‘La coleccion Cluniense de Gliptica’, in BSAA arqueologia, LXXI, 2005, pp.185-208, pl.I, no.6.
FootnotesThe muse is Euterpe, the muse of music as well as lyrical poetry. The motif can be related to numerous representations of Apollo, in which he appears leaning on a column on which the lyre or tripod is placed. It is a serial representation, based on statuary prototypes, which were widely copied by Hellenistic-Roman artisans, where the figure of Apollo, here, is transformed in that of the muse of music.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0157
Roman Chalcedony Gemstone with Muse Euterpes
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
-
Roman Bronze Lioness Figure
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Modelled in the round crouching with one forepaw held aloft, stylised detailing to the animal's coat, head, face and paws. 130 grams, 54 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. -
Gold Earrings with Beads
Roman, 1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £585
Each composed of a slender round-section hoop tapering towards the closure, free-running dangle featuring an emerald green glass bead between gold annular beads. 4.41 grams total, 35-37 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s. -
Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle
4th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
With large oval bowl and a long, slender handle, compressed into S-shape and terminating in a stylised bird’s head. 42.4 grams, 85 mm
Found near Welney, Cambridgeshire, in 1985.
Similar silver spoons (cygni), were found within a set of ten spoons (today at the British Museum with inventory nos. 1994,0408.81-90) with ownership inscriptions. The handle attachment of such spoons had some decorative profiling, and the name 'AVRVRSICINI' within the bowl was inlaid with niello. The spoons seems to have been produced by a Romano-British workshop of Late Antiquity (4th-5th centuries A.D.). The cygnus was a particular type of ligula. This type was characterised by a large, oval-shaped bowl, but was equipped, unlike the common ligula, with a shortened, recurved handle which terminated in a stylised water bird or swan's head (swan = cygnus in Latin).
