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LOT 0762
Roman Goddess Statuette Heads
CIRCA 1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
7/8 - 1 in. (71 grams total, 23-25 mm).
A pair of semi-naturalistic bronze statue heads modelled in the round: a female with hair held in a chignon at the nape; figure with hair dressed in short wavy tufts, large eyes with exaggerated eyelashes. [2]
ProvenanceAcquired before 2000.
From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
See statuettes with similar heads and dimensions in Politikens Forlag, Jeg ser på oldsager (I look at antiquities), Kopenhagen, 1966, nos.585-586.
FootnotesBronze statuettes of Roman work representing Roman gods and goddesses were widespread all around the empire, and are also known as far as archaeological sites of Jutland and the islands. The two heads represent probably tutela divinities of the home, like Vesta and Juno (Greek Hera).
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LOT 0762
Roman Goddess Statuette Heads
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Roman Gemstone in Gold Ring
2nd century A.D. and laterEstimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
A sardonyx intaglio of a bird pecking at a worm, set into a Georgian gold finger ring with openwork tendril detailing to the hoop, cupped bezel with rosette to the underside. 3.13 grams, 25.68 mm overall, 18.43 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)
UK private collection. with Bertolami Fine Art, London, 22 April 2022, lot 79. English private collection. -
Roman Bone Dice Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
A pair of bone dice with dot-in-ring numbering, both composed: 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 4.28 grams total, 10 mm each
English collection formed in the 1990s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
Roman Military Diploma Fragments
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A pair of bifacial bronze military diploma fragments bearing Latin text: fragment A, side 1: 'CAEL[IBES] / DVM [TAXAT]'; side 2: 'NI[- - -] MAX'; fragment B, side 1: 'RNESE / CVS'; side 2: 'AL[- - - / - - -] LL'. 7.13 grams total, 21-32 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
Stylistically, the diploma seems connected with the empire of Hadrian, based in style used in letters M and A. The text of the extrinsecus can be partially reconstructed in the sentences ANTO{NI}NUS AVGVSTVS PONTIFEX {MAX}IMUS... AVT SIQUI {CAEL}IBES ESSENT CUM IIS QUAS POSTEA DUXISSENT {DUM}TAXAT SINGULI SINGULAS (...if they were in celibate then, to the maximum limit of only one (wife) for each...). The diploma gives 'HONESTA MISSIO' (honourable discharge) and Roman citizenship to the veterans of an unknown unit, also granting them permission to marry. The text of the internal side (intus) should report the dating, and the names of the soldiers and witnesses.
