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LOT 0940
Roman Gemstone Collection
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
1/4 - 5/8 in. (2.66 grams total, 7-16 mm).
Mixed group including a standing female, a perching bird and others; each supplied with a museum-quality impression. [5]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. for similar gemstones Hoppal, K., 'Roman engraved gems from Southeast Asia' in Bartus D. (ed.), Dissertationes Archaeologicae ex Instituto Archaeologico Universitatis de Rolando Eotvos nominatae, Ser.3 No.9, Budapest, 2021, figs.1,2; 1,5; 2,2 and 2,5.
FootnotesTwo of the gemstones in this collection show cockerels. The motif of fighting or individual cockerels was very popular in the classical world, and individual cockerels (the animal often associated with gods, such as Mercury or Sol/Helios) were also often depicted in a standing position. Another gemstone appears to represent a nude figure of Dionysus/Bacchus draped in a long cloak, and another shows Helios with a radiate crown.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0940
Roman Gemstone Collection
Estimate £350 - 450€410 - 520 (for guidance only)$470 - 610 (for guidance only)
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Roman Gold Ring with Garnet Cabochon
3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
Comprising an openwork rosette bezel with interstitial pellets between the petals, central cell with inset garnet cabochon. 2.55 grams, 22.48 mm overall, 17.72 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Late Roman Terracotta Lamp with Chi Rho
Late 5th-early 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Recessed discus with two filler holes flanking a low-relief letter rho with cruciform stave, lozenge detailing; band of concentric circles and arrowheads on the rim, lug handle and a low basal ring. 173 grams, 13.9 cm
Private collection, acquired in 1994; thence by descent.
The so-called Christian lamps in Terra Sigillata Africana (TSA) have been classified by Hayes into two major types, I and II. Lamps of Hayes types I and II, initially produced in Tunisia only, were broadly exported, then imitated throughout the Roman Empire for three centuries; consequently, they are extremely numerous. -
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Cockerel
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Shallow body with impressed annulets framing the discus, a cockerel at the centre with its left leg raised and head extended upwards. 95 grams, 94 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
