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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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Roman Glass Trefoil-Mouthed Juglet
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
With bulbous body and pontil base, slender neck, rolled rim pinched to a trefoil; applied handle to the rear. 30 grams, 84 mm
From a specialist collection of glass, acquired from dealerships during the 1990s. -
Roman Silver Military 'Use This with Good Fortune' Belt Mount Group
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Group of belt fitting comprising: kidney-shaped buckle with tongue and square plate with studs; 'amphora-type' strap end with pierced and split upper end; silver letter-shaped plaques each with attachment studs to reverse: 'E' x 3, 'F', 'I', 'L', 'R', 'V', 'X' with suspension loop at the lower ends of the pars; the group may be assembled to read 'U[t]ere Felix' (use [this] with good fortune'. 63 grams total, 24-46 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
One letter 'E' is bronze, the 'T' is absent. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 37 grams total, 15-22 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term token is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets.
