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LOT 0581
Roman Glass Face Bead
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (2.29 grams, 16 mm).
With integral suspension lug, decorated with millefiori face cane slices and geometric motifs.
ProvenanceAcquired 1970-2010.
Collection of a late Japanese gentleman.
See Sangiorgi, G., Collezione di Vetri Antichi, no.254; and Tomalin, S., Beads - a history and collector's guide, p.5.
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 Bronze Openwork Brooch Group
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Comprising: one of four crescents around central lozenge, complete with pin and catchplate to reverse; a discoid example displaying crescent and comma-shaped openwork. 18.5 grams total, 32-40 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Large Roman Bronze Basilisk
4th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
The upper body, neck and head of a mythical basilisk (cockatrice), modelled in the round with the body of a serpent and head of a cockerel, the body with a tapering round-section profile, stylised detailing to the head. 260 grams, 88 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
The basilisk, known from the Renaissance onwards as a cockatrice, was a Graeco-Roman mythical two-legged dragon or serpent-like creature with a cock's head. It had the reputed ability to kill people by either looking at them, touching them, or sometimes breathing on them. According to legend a cockatrice would die instantly upon hearing a rooster crow, and having a cockatrice looking at itself in a mirror was one of the few sure ways to kill it. -
Roman Bronze Footed Platter
Circa 1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Comprising a shallow tapering rim and slightly domed foot. 1.67 kg, 27.5 cm wide
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
