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LOT 0989
Roman Hematite Gemstone with Head of Medusa
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (3.04 grams, 17 mm).
Ellipsoid in plan with chamfered side; obverse: gorgoneion with radiating strokes surrounding; reverse: incised enigmatic legend 'IVLI[.]/TKVH[.]'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [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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LOT 0989
Roman Hematite Gemstone with Head of Medusa
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
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Roman Iridescent Glass Vial
Circa 1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
The body formed of two conjoined hemispheres, a tall tubular neck and an everted rim. 12.4 grams, 10 cm
Roman glass from an important London collection, acquired from the early 1980s. -
Roman Bronze Dolphin Statuette
Circa 1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Modelled in the round as a stylised dolphin with incised lines to a fin, head resting on a triangular flat base. 17.3 grams, 37 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
'The Kenzo' Roman Marble Head of the Philosopher Hermarchus
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £14,000 - 19,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,000
A finely carved marble portrait head of a middle-aged bearded male, possibly Hermarchus, with short, softly modelled wavy hair, deep-set and defined eyes, the lips almost hidden among the details of the beard; the facial expression appears stern but thoughtful, perhaps derived from the tradition of Roman Imperial portraiture; mounted on a custom-made stand. 2.34 kg total, 22.8 cm high including stand
Kenzo collection, the late fashion designer, acquired in the early 1980s. Ex French private collection. Charles Ede, 12 June 2008. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13436-262427.
The philosopher represented here must have been very important, and it can be assumed we can recognise one of the valuable copies, known in different variants, of the portrait of Hermarchus, successor of Epicurus at the head of the Epicurean School, who lived at Mytilene between 325 and 250 B.C., for its similarity with the portrait of the same philosopher at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (inv. no.2689).
