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LOT 0167
Roman Enamelled Bronze Vessel Lid
2ND-4TH CENTURY A.D.
6 in. (435 grams, 15 cm wide).
With carinated body and gently inverted lower rim, circumferential frieze displaying 'yellow' and red champlevé enamelled flower heads within foliate roundels, alternating with stylised amphoras and volute scrolls creating heart shapes set against a rich blue field; central projecting stem with hexagonal plate, ornamented with a central domed flower head, amphora and foliate motifs surrounding; two suspension lugs with loops to the perimeter of the lower rim; repaired.
ProvenanceAcquired from Ariadne Galleries Inc, New York, 30 October 2003.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11622-198955.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession numbers 47.100.5 and 47.100.8, for enamelled copper-alloy vessels and accession number 2000.505a-o, for ceremonial chariot fittings with very similar enamelled design and of similar hexagonal form to the lid plate.
FootnotesChamplevé is a decorative technique which involves cutting cells into a metal surface and filling the void with enamel, using the raised metal borders between the cells to create the design outline.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0167
Roman Enamelled Bronze Vessel Lid
Estimate £10,000 - 14,000€11,600 - 16,240 (for guidance only)$13,500 - 18,900 (for guidance only)
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Roman Bronze Military Ring with Eagle Between Standards
Circa 2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
With a narrow hoop expanding at the shoulders, oval bezel with a large eagle standing on a pedestal and facing back, a military stand to each side. 4.00 grams, 20.33 mm overall, 17.94 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)
From the collection of a High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman, circa 2000. -
Roman and Later Bronze Artefact Group
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £78
Including a bow brooch, finger rings, tabular lead-alloy trade weight and other items. 207 grams total, 10-75 mm
Ex North London, UK, gentleman, 1990s-2000s. -
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Roman Lead Coffin Lid with Ivy and Floral Motifs
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
Decorated with stamped patterns comprising dolphins, vegetal and floral patterns, motifs with ivy leaves and floral border strips with laurel leaves. 38.5 kg, 175.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11992-209844.
Although the majority of people were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials, lead coffins and stone coffins from the Roman Empire. Our typology belongs a type diffused in the Eastern Mediterranean. The leaves refer to actual garlands and flowers used to decorate tombs and altars. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife and was a common motif in this period, also used for the slide-fitting of Roman sword scabbards. Romans believed these animals carried souls to the Fortunate Isles, perhaps because they could pass through the air-breathing terrestrial world and into the watery depths that claimed so many Roman sailors’ lives. This symbol would have had a personal significance for the deceased, who may have been a seafarer during life. Romans often ordered their lead coffins long before they died as the process of making them took a long time.
