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LOT 0897
Roman Gilt Bronze Brooch and Medieval Tweezers
2ND-15TH CENTURY A.D.
11/4 - 1 3/8 in. (12.5 grams total, 32-37.6 mm).
Comprising: ellipsoid plate brooch with gilt border and central cell, pin-lug and catch to reverse; flat-section tweezers found in association with the brooch. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound whilst searching with a metal detector near Dullingham, East Cambridgeshire, UK, on Friday 13th December 2024 and Thursday 1st May 2025.
Accompanied by copies of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report nos.SF-9D6556 and SF-CF180C.
Cf. Mackreth, D.F., Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain, Oxford, 2011, vol.2, item 107.
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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Roman Glass 'Sprinkler' Vessel with Net Pattern
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Mould-blown with reticulated pattern to the body; the rim everted with applied trail beneath; iridescent surface. 70 grams, 10 cm
Ex Hanan Suszm, Herzliyya Pituah. Ex Archaeological Center, Jerusalem, 2015. -
Roman Bronze Hand Holding a Parazonium
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,000
Fragment from a hollow-formed monument comprising a left hand holding the base of a cross fleury with hexagonal cross-section; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.97 kg total, 32.6 cm high including stand
Ex Arthur Richter (1925-2018), California, USA. Private collection, England. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13084-249671.
Here, the hand of what was once a colossal statue of a general or emperor brandishes an object that may be a cross, or the hilt of a commander's sword (parazonium). These monumental bronzes belong to the late period of the Empire, when the image of the victorious emperor or general was intended as propaganda demonstrating military strength, despite the Empire being surrounded by external enemies and devastated by internal strife. -
Roman Bronze Phallic Dagger Quillon or Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With a rectangular plaque with central void, phallus to one short edge and a stylised fist to the other. 25.5 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
In the Roman world the phallus was symbol of luck or fertility, and it as well was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially from young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. This object can have been the quillon of a small dagger, but also hung as a charm from a tintinnabulum, a wind chime adorned with bells and intended to ward off evil.
