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LOT 0938
Roman Iridescent Glass Bottle
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3 5/8 in. (21.78 grams, 91 mm).
Mould-blown with a flat-based tubular body and short neck with a returned flange rim.
ProvenanceEx London, UK, art market 1990s.
LiteratureCf. British Museum reference number 899,1229.6, for a vessel of similar form; Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass: The Corning Museum of Glass, volume I, New York, 1997, item 308, for similar.
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 Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 32 grams total, 15-20 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term token is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
Roman Bronze Erotic Plaque
Circa 3rd century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Rectangular plaque with pierced trapezoidal lug to the upper edge; central panel with reserved orgiastic scene. 26.7 grams, 51 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Late Roman Bronze Lamp and Stand
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £585
Comprising a slipper-shaped lamp with broad flange rim to the shoulder and rear with hooked spurs; scooped recessed nozzle; handle to rear formed as a vertical bar with lateral coils converging at the apex (one partly absent) and finger-loop below; two small hinge lugs to the rear of the flange to attach a hinged cover (absent); base with socket and portion of peg; separate conical stand with carination and collar to top. 543 grams total, 8.6-15.4 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
