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LOT 0869
Roman Gemstone Collection
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1/4 - 1/2 in. (2.9 grams total, 9-13 mm).
Including profile bust, advancing lion, two fish and other types; each supplied with a museum-quality impression. [6]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Kaić, I., ‘Engraved gems as part of the Augustan Propaganda. Some examples from Croatia’ in Milićević Bradač, M., Demicheli, D., The century of the brave, Roman conquest and indigenous resistance in Illyricum during the time of Augustus and his heirs, proceedings of the international conference Zagreb, 22-26,9,2014, Zagreb, 2018, figs.5,8, for similar.
FootnotesOne of the rings, representing a seahorse with a trident swimming beside a dolphin, could be connected with the Legio X Fretensis, whose symbol was Neptune and the dolphin, adopted after the battle of Actium.
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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LOT 0869
Roman Gemstone Collection
Estimate £350 - 450€410 - 520 (for guidance only)$470 - 610 (for guidance only)
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Eastern Roman Bronze Bird Statuette
2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Modelled as a stylised bird standing on a globe atop an openwork pillar, the bird with wide tail and bulbous eyes. 27.5 grams, 54 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Silver Pin with a Figure of a Standing Woman
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Comprising a tapering body with a Corinthian capital finial, a standing female figure atop the capital, dressed in long robes. 16 grams, 98 mm
Acquired in the 1980s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
The pin seems to belong to the group 18 of the Cool's classification. The treatment of the figures in these pins varies greatly, including both the very 'Celtic' looking face on a pin from Cirencester and a Graeco-Roman figure type of Venus standing on a Corinthian capital from London. This great diversity of treatments clearly suggests that these pins were the occasional products of a wide variety of workshops. -
Roman Child's Bronze Ring with Garnet Gemstone
Circa 2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Featuring a round-section hoop set with a conical red garnet. 2.13 grams, 19.13mm overall, 12.57x15.69 mm internal diameter (approximate size British D 1/2, USA 2, Europe 1.78, Japan 1)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
