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_900x900.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap")
_900x900.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap")
.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap")
.jpg "Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap")
LOT 0167
Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
16 1/4 in. (24.25 kg total, 41.5 cm including stand).
Carved in the round, the god with long wavy locks escaping from beneath his pointed Phrygian cap; 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. similar head in place on lifesize statue recovered from the River Tiber and now in the British Museum under accession no. 1846,0507.1.
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 0167
Roman Marble Head of Mithras Wearing a Phrygian Cap
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
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Roman Terracotta Wine Flagon
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
With globular body, thick basal ring, tall columnar neck with biconical collar, single strap handle to the rear. 380 grams, 14.7 cm high
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Handle with Winged Lion and Mask
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,405
D-section swept-curve handle, the upper end developing to the foreparts of a winged lion with forelegs bent and paws resting on the vessel's rim, wings folded to the flanks; high-relief foliage detailing to the outer face of the handle; acanthus leaf to the lower end developing to a facing bearded mask of a satyr; mounted on a custom-made stand. 452 grams total, 13 cm high (17 cm high including stand)
Acquired between 1980-1983. From the 'Empire' collection, an important UK private collection of seals.
Usually this type of handles decorated ovoid-shaped oinochoai, a type of vase widespread in Southern Italy. Numerous specimens in the National Museum of Archaeology, Naples present panther or horse protomes, as do some provincial specimens from Gaul. Particular and unusual here is the lion-griffin, which refers to Greek-Egyptian motifs, perhaps connected to the cult of Isis-Serapis. -
Romano-British Marble Head of a Lady
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Carved in the round with fleshy facial features, almond-shaped eyes and small pouting mouth; the hair modelled with hollowed curls above the brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.6 kg total, 17 cm high including stand
Found Cambridgeshire, UK. From 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.
These kind of sculptures represented people or divinities of the Roman Britannia. They are found in several civilian tombstones, characterised by provincial style, that was enhanced by colouring which is absent today. The image here represented is a domina (a high-status middle-aged woman) in a typical hairstyle of 2nd-3rd century A.D. (Graham, 1984, p.222). In these provincial artworks the strong influence of the Celtic art is evident, especially in the eyes and hair of the sculpture.
