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LOT 0147
Roman Lead Coffin Panel Fragment with Sphinx
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
15 in. (3.3 kg, 38 cm).
Decorated with a high-relief pattern comprising a sphinx reclining on a dais surrounded by laurel leaves; ropework and floral border strips with laurel leaves; raised lip below the upper edge. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-early 1990s.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
See Payne, G., Roman Leaden Coffin discovered at Plumstead in Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol.17, 1887, fig.10, for the presence of lead sarcophagi in Roman Britain; for a similar specimen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.31.116a-i; Penn Museum, coffin panel B10280, from Lebanon (Tyre).
FootnotesThis item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section were symbols of the outer-world, like gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples.
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 Gilt Bronze Phalera with Theseus and the Minotaur
2nd century B.C.- 2nd century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Domed roundel with high-relief design of combat between a bearded hero and a monster, wreath and rosettes to the rim. 32 grams, 49 mm
Found near Sedgeford, Norfolk, UK, in the 1980s. Acquired in the late 1990s. Property of a Norfolk, UK, collector.
According to the legend, Theseus, prince of Athens, went to the island of Crete to kill a monster who was the son of queen Pasifae and a wild bull, although officially he was the son of Minos and Pasiphae. Theseus chased him into the labyrinth, killed him and found his way out with the help of the comb of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos. The myth has its representation in the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic period, and was widely depicted in the Graeco-Roman world. The present repoussé appliqué was probably used as a furniture or horse harness ornament. -
Roman Gold Ring with Garnet Cabochon
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,600
Comprising a keeled hoop forked at the shoulders to form two elegant scrolls supporting the raised bezel, decorative grooves framing the garnet cabochon. 8.16 grams, 23.85 mm overall, 19.37 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Acquired from London galleries during the 1990s. From the jewellery collection of a London, UK, gentleman. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12114-214295.
The type of ring seems to date (with the volutes on the shoulders) to the late 2nd-early 3rd century A.D., although the model is certainly derived from the Hellenistic world. The use of carnelian and garnet was abundant in Hellenistic and Roman rings, and the style of the rings continued without change in the Roman Hellenised east. -
Roman Black Glass Bead Necklace String
1st century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £98
Graduated restrung group of irregular-shaped beads. 12.26 grams, 84 cm long
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
