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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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LOT 0147
Roman Lead Coffin Panel Fragment with Sphinx
Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
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Roman Bronze Phallic Amulet
1st century A.D.-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Appliqué formed as male genitalia, hollow to the reverse with fixing peg. 52.5 grams, 40 mm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent. -
Roman Bronze Brooch Group
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Including P-shaped, T-shaped, La Tène III, and other types. 39 grams total, 2.9-11.1 cm
Ex property of an Essex gentleman. Property of a Scottish collector, acquired in 2013. -
Roman Gold Ring with Head of Roma Garnet Gemstone
Circa 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
With a grooved hoop, round bezel with flared rim, set with a cabochon engraved with profile bust of Roma wearing a crested helmet. 4.50 grams, 24.32 mm overall, 20.69 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, 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.12110-214298.
Both the ring and the gem show characteristic compatible with 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D. dating. Some scholars identify the female head with a theatre mask, but here the strong profile and the helmet points to the goddess Rome, a divine personification of the eternal city.
