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LOT 0949
Roman Gemstone with Minerva
2ND CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (1.18 grams, 17 mm).
Plano-convex in section with incuse image of Minerva standing with one hand extended, holding her spear and shield.
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf., Cravinho, G., ‘Roman Gems in the National Soares dos Reis Museum in Oporto,’ in Studies in ancient Art and Civilization, vol.22 (2018), pp.141-179, pls.I, 7-8, gems with Athena Promachos and Minerva.
FootnotesIn Rome, the Athena Promachos type occurs on imperial silver medallions of Domitian (struck in 92 AD), since Minerva was his personal protector. On gems, it became very common from the end of the 1st century BC onwards, even on the magical gemstones.
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LOT 0949
Roman Gemstone with Minerva
Estimate £150 - 200€170 - 230 (for guidance only)$200 - 270 (for guidance only)
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Roman Wooden Wax Tablets from a Codex
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
Two well-preserved rectangular wax tablets of a polyptych, each made of dark hardwood, probably acacia; the inner leaf in two adjoining parts, with recessed panels on both sides, covered with dark layers of wax; the second is the rear cover of the polyptych, with a recessed wax covered writing panel to the inner face, the outer face flat and not inscribed; both tablets with two pairs of holes on the left frame for linking them together; remains of stylus engraved Greek script on all three writing panels; on the second tablet 11 lines in cursive Greek script, mentioning inter alia a gymnasiarchos, a local magistrate in Roman Egypt, probably from an accounting codex. 263 grams total, 18.6 x 17 cm
Property of a North London gentleman; previously in the Dean family collection since 1975. Accompanied by a copy of an illustrated academic report by Professor Dr phil. Peter Rothenhöfer. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13177-248472.
Wax tablets written in Greek or Latin, were used by Romans as account registers (codices accepti et expensi); for transactions (for example, the tablets of the banker Lucius Caecilius Iucundus found in Pompeii); for lists of goods, inventories, and notes to be kept and archived; for Roman magistrates to annotate the salient events of their bureaucratical activities; for writing letters; for drawing up legal texts of various kinds: legacies, declarations of births and citizenship, reports of trials and diplomata militaria. -
Roman Bronze Ring with Quadruped
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Wide hoop and an oval bezel with a standing quadruped, possibly an ibex. 4.42 grams, 21.63 mm overall, 16.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Roman Tall Glass Flask
Circa 1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £56
Comprising a squat conical body with a dimple at the base, long tubular neck with wide rim. 27 grams, 15 cm
From a London, UK, collection of glass, 1970-2000s.
