Roman Decorated Gold Dress Pin

Depicting a nude blacksmith seated on a stool before a forge, hammer in his right hand, holding an object he is hammering with the other hand. 0.25 grams, 10 mm



Private collection, North Germany. with Gorny & Mosch, 14 December 2005, no.238. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075379.

Probably a Roman copy of a Hellenistic subject. Some Roman ring intaglios were dedicated to Vulcan (Greek Hephaestus), god of the blacksmiths, artisans, and carpenters. Usually, the god is represented standing or working in his forge, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a one-shouldered tunic, identifying him as a craftsman. In his right hand, he holds a hammer over an anvil, and in his left a pair of long metalworking tongs. Sometimes he is naked, seated and working.

A beaker or lamp with thick conical body and pontil base, five horizontal grooves cut around the body; traces of iridescence. 289 grams, 18.5 cm



Dr Jutaro Kawabe, Nagoya, Japan, his collection formed in the 1960s-1970s. with Hoshigaoka Gallery until the late 1990s. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12830-241334.

Conical vessels of this form were either used as a lamp or a beaker; notably during the late imperial period in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and in the early Migration period. Deep cuts on this piece suggest it was used with suspension chains or ropes, making it highly likely that this example was used as a lamp.

Comprising four bow brooches, each retaining much of the pin. 20.6 grams total, 33-67 mm



From a Dunmow, UK, collection; formed from 1970.