Loading, please wait...
LOT 0839
Roman Glass Phallic Amulet
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (11.4 grams, 32 mm).
Modelled in the round with applied red-glass collar, pierced through the shaft for suspension.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
See Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 425, for type, but in bronze; for a similar ceramic phallus-amulet see Devlova, P., Manova, R., Rangelov, B., Avdeev, G., ‘Interdisciplinary Studies of a phallus-shaped jewellery from Apollonia Pontica, Bulgaria,’ in Acta Musei Tiberiopolitani, vol.5, Strumica, 2024, pp.98-109, fig.2.
FootnotesIn the Roman world, the phallus was a symbol of luck or fertility, and it was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially by young children, according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is also commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0839
Roman Glass Phallic Amulet
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£200 (EUR 232; USD 270) ‡+BP*
-
Roman Bronze Horse-Head Whorl Plate Brooch
3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £10
With horse-head finials, each with a punched ring-and-dot eye detailing, a central ring-and-dot motif, a pin and catchplate on the reverse. 8.87 grams, 39 mm
From the private coin collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the mid 1980s. -
Roman Bronze Eagle Plate Brooch
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Modelled as an eagle standing on a thunderbolt, spread wings and the head turned to the left, with a pin and catchplate on the reverse. 10.14 grams, 35 mm
From the private coin collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the mid 1980s. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of the Goddess Juno
3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £8,000 - 10,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 4 | Current Bid: £5,400
A substantial hollow-form figure of Juno (Greek Hera) standing with right hand in gripping pose, left hand extended palm-upwards, engraved collar to the neck and diadem to the hair, palla gathered at the waist, slipping from the right shoulder; mounted on a custom-made stand. 693 grams total, 25 cm high including stand
Horatio and Patsy Melas Collection, Alexandria and later Switzerland, acquired by 1960 and until 1989. Kyros Melas Collection, London, 1989 until 1999. with Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 21 October 1999, no.178 [£6,000-£8,000]. Private collection, London. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13308-258228.
The figure's pose recalls that of the statue of Juno Sospita in the Vatican Museum, Rome, inv. no.241. Horatio Melas was born in 1904 into a family of Greek merchants established in Alexandria, Egypt. It was there that he met and, in 1960, married Patsy, and together they maintained the family collection. Following the family's departure from Egypt in 1967, the collection was relocated to Switzerland, remaining there until 1989, when their son, Kyros Melas, settled in London. Kyros, who worked in the City as a private equity trader, continued to care for the collection and occasionally added to it during the 1990s.
