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LOT 1035
Roman Glass Pendant with Portrait
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (1.75 grams, 21.78 mm).
Cobalt blue discoid pendant with an impressed profile bust. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
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 Iridescent Glass Bead
1st-4th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £13
Plano-convex type with transverse piercing. 2.55 grams, 15 mm
From the London collection of the late Mr S.M., 1969-1999. -
Roman Looped Terracotta Oil Lamp
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Rounded body with low-relief wreath decoration, volutes on the nozzle, faux-braid decoration on the loop handle and a rosette at the base. 44.49 grams, 10.4 cm
From the collection of a late Yorkshire, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Lapis Lazuli Gnostic Gemstone with Aphrodite Anadyomene
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Ellipsoid in plan with enigmatic Greek legend 'BPE/IMW' to underside, facing figure of Aphrodite Anadyomene to obverse on baseline with Greek legend 'APE IAP', possibly an abbreviation for ΑΡ[ΌΡΙΦ]ΡΑ[Σ]Ι[Σ]. 1.38 grams, 17 mm
Private collection, acquired on the German art market in 1993; thence by descent.
The gemstone belongs to a series of blue gemstones, usually of lapis lazuli or blue glass, showing the famous image of Aphrodite Anadyomene ('rising from the sea'). In some of these gemstones, we find the magical word arôriphrasis, which transliterates an Egyptian title of the goddess Hathor as 'The Lady of the Blue Stone'. Since Hathor and Aphrodite were assimilated in Graeco-Roman Egypt, there is some logic to the appearance of the name and Aphrodite on these stones.
