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LOT 0798
Roman Gold Earring Pairs
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
1 5/8 - 2 in. (16.97 grams total, 42-50 mm).
Two pairs of earrings with decoratively twisted hoops, domed plaques and pyramid bulbs embellished with granule clusters; one pair with gold wire spirals to the plaques. [4]
ProvenanceAcquired between 1950-1970s.
Ex Swiss private collection.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 08.251.5, .6, for a broadly similar earring.
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 Amber Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £39
Restrung designer necklace of graduated irregular oblate and other beads. 31.4 grams, 37.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Ithyphallic Entertainer
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
With lug handle and short nozzle, low-relief scene of a nude dancer running brandishing batons. 72 grams, 87 mm
From a London collection of erotica, formerly in the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK. -
Roman Glass Pendant Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
A pair of bullae with integral loops, both showing iridescence. 1.29 grams total, 15-16 mm
Collected from 1970-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
Freeborn Roman boys wore bullae until they reached adulthood, being given them eight days after their birth, on the same day that they were named. This important marked boys acceptance into the family. Bullae made of gold would only have been affordable to the members of the elite, whilst the lower classes wore pendants made of less expensive materials. The feminine equivalent was a lunar (crescentic) pendant.