Roman Key Ring Group

A bronze figure or gaming piece of a nude female in crouching pose with hands placed on the hips, possibly giving birth; the hair shown drawn up in a bun, segmented armband to each upper arm. 30.4 grams, 28 mm high



Private Swiss collection, acquired 2002.

The dice features six attitudes on which it could land when rolled, one of which includes the figure's head. The earliest concrete historical evidence of games played with dice originated from ancient Egypt, circa 3000 B.C., although it is generally believed by historians that dice pre-dated the ancient Egyptian civilisation. The Romans played two games using dice: Tali and Tesserae. The former originated in Greece and features four animal bones. The aim was to roll in such a way that each die displayed a different number-the higher the combined number, the greater the score. The latter was played using three dice, the goal being to roll triple six, or to achieve the highest combined numbers out of the contestants; it was a game of chance and the most common street and tavern gambling game in ancient Rome. ‘Dogs’ referred to poor scores and ‘Venus’ to high ones. Roman players rolled dice from a special cup called a fritillium onto wood, bronze, or marble boards, depending on their class and wealth. Roman elites boasted ornate boards inscribed with their names. The gambling which ensued from dice games caused extreme social issues in Roman society, leading the government to eventually outlaw dice games, although these laws were largely ignored.

A bronze appliqué formed as the head of Minerva (Greek Athena) wearing a tall helmet with scooped brow-band and lobed ends developing to wings with radiating feather detailing; facing mask with finely detailed eyes and mouth, hanks of flowing hair connecting to the ends of the wings. 23.2 grams, 39 mm



Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11626-199003.

A bronze figure of Attis standing wearing the distinctive Phrygian cap, advancing wearing a flounced tunic and cloak, holding a falx in the left hand; right arm absent; mounted on a custom-made stand. 117 grams total, 97 mm high including stand



German art market, 1990s. Mr A.H., a North American collector living in the UK.