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LOT 0602
Roman Historic Cut & Polished Porphyry Slice Group
1ST-5TH CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
2 1/4 - 4 3/4 in. (81 grams total, 5.8-12.2 cm).
Comprising three lacquered porphyry slices of rectangular shape, cut on both faces and polished on one face; probably from recycled material mined in ancient Roman times between the 1st and 5th century A.D.; intended for use as inlay panels. [3]
ProvenanceFrom Egypt.
Ex Mineral Imports, London, UK.
Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's).
Mons Porphyrites (today Jabal Abu Dukhkhan) is the mountainous site of a group of ancient quarries in the Red Sea Hills of the inhospitable eastern desert in Egypt, a five day trip from the Nile during Roman times. They were discovered by Caius Cominus Leugas in 18 A.D., and during the Roman Empire the mines officially belonged to the emperor and were the only known source of the Imperial Porphyry, Mons Porphyrites. This dark purple stone was associated with royalty and used for prestigious sculpture and architecture. The location of the mines was lost some time in the 5th century, and rediscovered in the early 19th century. Excavations in the area have revealed the well-preserved quarries and the dwelling places of the quarry men, and also thousands of ostraca have been discovered containing messages that provide details of how the quarrying took place, and of how the highly skilled quarrymen ordered their food.
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 'Columbarium at Ostia' Terracotta Sepulchral Urn Lid
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Of domed profile with central vent; old handwritten label to reverse 'Lid from an urn from Columbarium at Ostia. [...] 1867' and another, typed, to the obverse 'Lid of sepulchral Urn from Columbarium at Ostia (From Rev. J. Pyke'. 492 grams, 21 cm
Found Columbarium at Ostia, Italy, in 1867. From the 19th century collection of Rev J. Pyke. From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK. He amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s. -
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Roman Bronze Harpocrates Statuette
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Modelled nude in advancing pose with right arm bent across the body and fist clenched to support an attribute (absent); the facial details in light relief and small forelock to the brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 231 grams total, 12 cm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The cult of Harpocrates, began in Ptolemaic times, expanding considerably in the Imperial Roman period, and absorbing influences from the cult of ram of Mendes, the ithyphallic Min, the crocodile god Sobek, and Hercules. The missing left hand probably held a small cornucopia. -
Roman and Other Mixed Glass Bead Group
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £91
Including spherical, annular and other types including some 'trade wind beads'. 140 grams total, 1-9 mm
From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, a long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.
