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_900x900.jpg "Roman Glass Intaglio Showing Two Gryphons Attacking a Deer")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Glass Intaglio Showing Two Gryphons Attacking a Deer")
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LOT 0600
Roman Glass Intaglio Showing Two Gryphons Attacking a Deer
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (18.57 grams, 30.95 mm overall, 22.99 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)).
Ellipsoid glass cloison with incuse image of two gryphons attacking a deer; set in a later silver ring. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureSee the mosaics of the Great Palace of Constantinople, 5th-6th century A.D. in Jobst, W., Behcet, E., Guriner, C., Istanbul, the Great Palace Mosaic, Istanbul, 1997, fig.23, for iconography.
FootnotesThe subject of griffins attacking a deer has a long history and remained popular during the Hellenistic and Roman period throughout the Mediterranean area and beyond. It may be a symbol of the inevitability of death.
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 0600
Roman Glass Intaglio Showing Two Gryphons Attacking a Deer
Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
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Roman Silver Swan-Neck Spoon
4th century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
With scroll and swan-neck junction of bowl with stem; the flat-section stem narrowing to a point and returned to meet the shank. 22.1 grams, 10.9 cm
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. -
Roman Lead Coffin Panel with Sphinx, Medusa and Dolphins
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
Decorated with patterns comprising sphinxes, dolphins, and masks of Medusa in fields between columns, and floral border strips with laurel leaves. 19.75 kg, 90 cm
Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11993-209841.
There were many ways of burying bodies during the Roman Empire. Although the majority were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials and lead and stone coffins. This item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section are symbols of the outer-world, including gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples. The roundels featuring the head of Medusa, known for her potent gazes that could turn one to stone, was favoured on sarcophagi and architectural ornaments because it was believed that her image would protect those within. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Very often these sarcophagi were connected by a pipe to the ground above so that mourners could pour in offerings into the grave. -
Roman Gold Ring with Fortuna Gemstone
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Hollow-formed with inset banded agate cabochon, intaglio standing Fortuna. 2.22 grams, 21.90 mm overall, 15.21 mm internal diameter (approximate size British E 1/2, USA 2 1/2, Europe 3, Japan 3)
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11619-199018.
