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LOT 0161
Roman Gold Beetle Type Earrings
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (4.48 grams total, 40 mm each).
Matched pair, each a hooked pin with a large hollow-formed domed panel and a smaller one above, dangle beneath with two iridescent glass beads.
ProvenancePrivate collection, USA and Switzerland, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent.
LiteratureCf. for the upper part of similar earrings Marshall, F.H., Catalogue of the Jewellery, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman, in the department of antiquities, British Museum, London, 1911, pl.LIV, nos.2616.
FootnotesThe pair of gold earrings is in the form of a very broad "boat-shaped" crescent. The back was often filled in with a concave plate of gold, and a lenticular disc above masked the junction of the S-shaped wire hook with the body of the earring. They are typical of the 1st -2nd century A.D.
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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From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
