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LOT 0628
Roman Lead Sealing with Bust of an Emperor
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/4 in. (2.3 grams, 13 mm).
A round lead seal with male portrait, wearing a military mantle fastened on the right side by a fibula, three Latin letters on the left side, possibly 'I A A'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1970s.
Important European collection.
Cf. Beutler, F. et al., Der Adler Roms. Carnuntum und der Armee der Cäsaren, Bad-Deutsch Altenberg, 2017, items 625-630, for type.
FootnotesLead seals were used to seal documents. The sealing shows a facing male head with a bearded face, probably the portrait of a Roman emperor or a high imperial functionary, like a Dux or a Praefectus. The hairstyle is that of the Dominate, or late 3rd century AD.
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 Silver-Gilt Cicada Brooch
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A silver-gilt brooch in form of cicada with hollow-formed D-section head and neck, flat triangular wings; the head with bulbous eyes above a waisted neck; granule detailing to the head; pin-lug and catch-wire to the reverse. 3.82 grams, 23 mm
Acquire in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
This type of brooch was popular among the Hunnic tribes, as well as in Roman Pannonia and Illyricum before the arrival of the Huns. Early Hunnic designs from Pannonia may have borrowed from late Roman types. With the arrival of new populations due to migration from the east, a new material culture developed, described as the Danubian or Ponto-Danubian style, as many of its features appear in the Pontic region as well. Although the exact meaning of the cicada brooch is not known to us, it is possible that it retained its ancient symbolism of rebirth or regeneration of the soul. -
Roman and Other Artefact Group
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £78
A pair of decorative artefacts comprising: a gold flat-section openwork disc with filigree annulets and pellets; a domed silver-gilt 'stud' with striptwist borders and pellet granules, set with a possible garnet stone at the apex. 4.37 grams total, 14 mm each
Essex gallery, early 2000s. -
Roman Gold Jewellery Group
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
A mixed group of gold items including a biconical bead, an earring with recurved bow, granule finial and filigree closure, a domed bell-pendant with granule to the apex and other items. 18 grams total, 11-58 mm
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998.
