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LOT 0739
Roman Iridescent Glass Vessel
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/2 in. (20.7 grams, 89 mm).
With globular body, columnar neck and ground rim; much iridescence remaining to surface.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, vol.3, New York, 2003, item 1139.
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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Life-Size Roman Marble Lower Torso
Circa 2nd century A.D.Estimate: £20,000 - 30,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £9,850
Modelled in the round in cream-coloured marble; the hips and right leg of a slender male standing beside a column with the lower part of an animal at the base; the figure modelled with narrow hips and waist in contrapposto stance, genitals removed, muscular leg with slender ankle; adjacent column with remains of a branch or spur at the top, developing to a flared base with a crouching hare or rabbit; mounted on a custom-made stand. 101.4 kg total, 99 cm including stand
Ex Paris collection. French gallery, Paris, 1990-2000s. 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 number no.12088-213904.
Despite the loss, the semi-circular rise that separated the ribcage from the abdomen highlights the muscles of a young athlete or a hero. The statue could represent many male heroes or deities (Reinach, 1897, p.210 no.2, 817 no.4), but, by comparison with a similar sculpture in the Brussels Museum, it could refer to a rare image of the handsome and ferocious hunter Hippolytus, son of Theseus and the Amazon Antiope, killed by the curse of his father due to Phaedra’s deception. The presence of the small hare or rabbit at the base of the column could confirm the hypothesis of a hunter hero, and finds its parallel with the small animals (gecko and panther) visible on the Brussels sculpture. -
Roman Bronze Horse Head Whorl Brooch
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Swastika-shaped fibula with horse-head decoration, each head with punched ring-and-dot eye, a similar motif to the centre. 16.7 grams, 45 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
In the 3rd century A.D., several examples of fibulae in the shape of four horses’ heads forming a swastika (type Almgren 232) seem to be related to the creation of the Illyrian cavalry corps in Roman army. Many examples of these military fibulae were found in ancient Roman Dacia (Romania), in Roman Illyricum and Moesia. -
Eastern Roman Bronze Head of a Bull
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
With pecked fur texture to the neck, cheeks and dewlap; slightly indented reverse. 13.7 grams, 21 mm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent.