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LOT 0171
Roman Figural Carnelian Gemstone
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.65 grams, 14 mm).
With crouching young nude satyr milking a goat, frond to the rear; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a Swiss gentleman formed in Europe from 1970-1980s; thence by descent from the family in London.
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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Roman Marble Fragment of Venus Rising from the Water
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,665
Statue fragment comprising the hips, buttocks and draped stola with a scallop-shell at the waist. 11.5 kg, 28.5 cm
Ex Paris collection. French gallery, Paris, 1990-2000s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11956-20935. -
Roman and Other Artefact Collection
1st century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £33
Comprising: a small bronze animal figure; three ceramic spindle whorls/weights; tinned ring with keeled hoop; a bronze swan-head finial; and a bronze ring with blue glass intaglio. 91 grams total, 20-45 mm
Property of a UK gentleman, acquired in the 1970s. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Stamp for Octavian
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Formed as a tablet-shaped stamp (signaculum), with raised border above and below containing an inscription in Latin in reverse over two lines, reading: 'Q[UINTI] POM [PONII] CRE [SCONII} ? / OCTAVIAN[I]' possibly translating to: 'Of Quintus Pomponius Cresconius Octavianus', this latter being the owner; with a large loop to verso. 92 grams, 64 mm
From an old private collection formed before 1985. Accompanied by a copy of a previous dealer's certificate of authenticity including provenance.
Used to stamp documents and a broad range of different materials and food, signacula came into use in the Roman res publica during the 2nd century B.C., becoming both popular and widely used in many areas of everyday life during the Imperial period. These signacula were not exclusively used in the sphere of economy and property administration, but also in public and private sphere, determining the identity of their owners. The bronze stamp - also definable as a tessera, like the wooden one - was an instrumentum vicarium (auxiliary tool) of the annulus signatorius (seal ring), but compared to the annulus, it was much stronger and more practical, capable of leaving a better recognisable imprint. By analogy, the press note of a wooden or terracotta stamp also had an important certifying function, but the object that produced it only lasted a limited time, while the signaculum ex aere (bronze stamp) lasted a lifetime.
