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LOT 0166
Roman Gemstone with Goddess Demeter
2ND CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.40 grams, 18 mm).
On burnt sard or carnelian, the goddess fully draped, seated on a throne without a back and holding out wheat ears in her hand over what seems like a small conical altar with horns.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London collection.
Cf. Osborne, D., Engraved gems, Signets, Talismans and ornamental intaglios, ancient and modern, New York, 1912, pl.XXIII, no.2, p.362, for similar.
FootnotesCeres was a goddess of agriculture, maternal relationships and fertility, and represents transition, motherhood and nurture. She was also the only one of ancient Rome's agricultural deities to be listed amongst the Dii Consentes, the Roman equivalent to the Twelve Olympians of Greek mythology.
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 0166
Roman Gemstone with Goddess Demeter
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
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The cult of Jupiter Dolichenus was a variant of worship of Zeus from Asia Minor whose mystery cult was widespread in the Roman Empire from the early 2nd to mid-3rd centuries A.D., especially in the military. The god is usually represented mounting a bull, with the double axe (labrys or bipennis) in his right raised hand, and dressed in the military attire of a Roman general. -
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