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LOT 0691
Roman Lead Statuette of Mercury
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3 1/2 in. (111 grams total, 88 mm including stand).
Standing in contrapposto pose, wearing a cloak draped from the right shoulder and tucked around the left arm supporting a caduceus with snake-head finials; broad-brimmed petasos with wings on the crown; the right arm held vertically at the side supporting the marsupium coin-purse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 49, for type; see also Boucher, S., Recherches sur les Bronzes Figurés de Gaule Pré-Romaine et Romaine, Rome, 1976.
FootnotesMercury was the god of trade and industry, whose principle shrine in the city of Rome was at the Circus Maximus. The draped mantle is typical for statuary of Mercury from the 1st-2nd century A.D. (Boucher, pl.40, 43) as is the caduceus (Boucher, pl.46 (211)).
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 Iridescent Aubergine Glass Jar with Two Handles
4th century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
With squat bulbous body, dimple base, flared trumpet neck; applied trails to the shoulder, two strap handles. 51 grams, 76 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s. -
Roman Bronze Figure of a Young Satyr of Dionysian Cortege
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Modelled in the round with putto-like features, holding a nebris draped over his shoulders in the manner of Dionysus, with tousled hair and pointed ears; one foot absent; mounted on a custom-made stand. 316 grams total, 15 cm high including stand
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003. with Bonhams, London, Knightsbridge, 16-17 May 2002, no.305. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonham's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12052-217493.
The young satyr is covered by a nebris, a deer skin, similar to an aegis, originally worn as an item of clothing by hunters and subsequently attributed to Dionysus. Consequently, it was adopted by his followers in the processions and ceremonies held in his honour, during the liturgical celebrations of the Dionysia. It was commonly worn in the same way as an aegis, tying the two front legs over the right shoulder to allow the body of the skin to cover the wearer's left side (Ovid, Metamorphoses, VI, 593). In ancient works it is seen worn by characters of the Dionysian procession: Maenads, Bacchae, Satyrs, and Sileni. -
Roman Terracotta Wine Flagon
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Of squat profile with narrow flared foot, broad shoulder, single strap handle and trumpet-shaped mouth. 202 grams, 11 cm high
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
