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LOT 0103
Roman Inked Wooden Legal Document Signed by Felicianus in Actum
LATE 4TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/4 in. (12.4 grams, 14.7 cm).
A reused tablet with a recessed panel on one side, the lower part absent, on the upper rim one of originally 3 holes necessary for binding together of the tablets of the document, 5 lines in Roman cursive on the recessed panel containing the end of a the record of a legal document in a formulaic legal language; part of a legal document which consisted of two (diptychon) or three tablets (triptychon), with the indication where it was done (actum in …) followed by the so-called chirographum (signature line) of a person called Felicianus, letter forms point to a date in the second half of the 4th century AD; with a recessed slot to verso. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an important London collection since 1975.
Accompanied by a collection of six 1970s photographs of the the tablet.
Rothenhoefer, P., Neue römische Rechtsdokumente aus dem Byzacena-Archiv / New Roman Legal Documents from the Byzacena Archive, (forthcoming).
LiteratureCf. Rothenhöfer, P., Blänsdorf, Jürgen, Sana mente sanaque memoria testa-mentum feci: Eine testamentarische Verfügung vom 12. April 340 n. Chr., Gephyra 13, 2016, pp.153-163; Rothenhöfer, P., Neues zum Testament des Pomponius Maximus aus dem Jahr 371 n. Chr., (forthcoming); see also Masi Doria, C., Dal testamento di Pomponius Maximus: prospettive del diritto ereditario tardo antico, in: Isola, L. (ed.), Klauselgestaltungen in Römischen Testamenten, Berlin, 2022, pp.151-175; also see Thomas, J. D., Vindolanda: The Latin Writing Tablets, Britannia Monograph Series No 4, London, 1983, for examples of wooden tabulae re-used as writing surfaces; for examples of testamentary documents on wooden tablets that have survived, see FIRA III, p.47, for Anthony Silvanus from 142 AD, also see BGU VII 1695 for Safinnius Herminus; for another from Transfynydd, North Wales, see Arch. Camb. 150, pp.143-156; and see Bowman, A.K., Life and letters on the Roman frontier : Vindolanda and its people, London, 1994, for discussion of the uses of Roman writing tablets.
FootnotesThe contract follows standard Roman legal formulae.
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 0103
Roman Inked Wooden Legal Document Signed by Felicianus in Actum
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,800
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Comprising an elongated body with splayed testes and a large suspension loop above. 8.12 grams, 35 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of a Putto
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Modelled in the round, standing nude with one arm raised above the head and the other bent, probably from a larger ensemble of figures; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 104 grams total, 10.9 cm 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 figure lacks the small dorsal wings which are normally present on a putto, although the curled locks of hair are typical of the type. During the Roman imperial period, children were widely represented in the art of both the public and private spheres. Images of both mortal and divine children appeared in the artworks and furnishings of the home, on the tomb monuments and burial containers associated with the funerary realm. -
Roman Mixed Ceramic Vessel Group
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Including a dish, a dish lid, terracotta plate and buff ware jar. 1.33 kg total, 5.6-19.5 cm
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.
