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LOT 0685
Roman Fresco Wall Plaster Collection
1ST CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 - 4 1/2 in. (966 grams total, 8.1-11.6 cm).
Fragments of wall plaster with rendered surface painted with mainly red, pale blue and white detailing; some with impression of timber laths to the reverse. [5, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 19th century.
Ex Jeger collection, Switzerland.
UK gallery, early 2000s.
Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 27th August-10th December 2025; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.
LiteratureCf. Hakanen, V., 'VI Wall Plaster Fragments' in Berg, R., Kuivalainen, I., Domus Pompeiana M. Lucretii, IX,3, 5.24, The inscriptions, Works of Art and Finds from the Old and New Excavations, Vantaa, 2019, pp.196-224, figs.3-4.
FootnotesThese small fragments, for analogies with the fragments of Pompeii, seem to belong to the second style of Roman painting, red panels representing highlight and shadow, decorated with vegetal interlaces. Some panels were probably framed by a red grenade fillet. A fragment shows alternate blue and red colour over a cream background, maybe pertinent to a socle.
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 Glass Bead Group
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Comprising mosaic and other types, annular and spherical profiles. 22 grams total, 14-16.5 mm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016. -
Roman Iridescent Glass Cosmetic Flask with Spiral Trail
3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £110
Bulbous body with long funicular neck and everted rim, applied strap handles to the top, applied spiral decoration to the body. 14.6 grams, 76 mm
Ex London gallery, UK, 1986. Ex private UK collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Small cosmetic flasks with tubular bodies, conical feet and trailed decoration were a common product of the Syro-Palestinian workshops in the Eastern Roman Empire, during the 4th-5th century A.D. Many such vessels had elaborate basket-handles, from which they could be suspended. -
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Roman Marble Figure of a Phrygian Deity on Horseback
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,040
The rider, Mithras-Sabatios, wearing a distinctive knee-length belted tunic and Persian trousers, with a riding cloak secured at each shoulder and the end folded over as a cowl; the left hand gathering the reins and the right extending a patera in offering; the horse surmounting a capital, with its remains preserved beneath the belly; mounted on a custom-made stand. 4.3 kg, 25.5 cm
Private collection, Bavaria, since the 1980s. Anonymous Sale; Gorny & Mosch, 29 June 2011, no.234. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12965-245245.
The composition closely recalls a small bronze of Mithras on horseback in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Villa), acc. no. 71.AB.160. The rider's Eastern (Persian) costume suggests his identification with Mithras, the focus of a mystery religion which spread among the Roman legions from the 1st century BC onwards. The horse appears to be passing over a column, indicating that the piece likely formed part of a larger furniture mount or architectural fitting. If so, this would be an exceptionally rare representation, as equestrian images of Mithras are markedly less common than the familiar tauroctony.
