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LOT 0781
Roman Marble Relief Fragment with Phaethon
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 in. (1.05 kg, 17.2 cm).
Portion of a carved frieze with reserved border to the upper edge; panel with high-relief carving of youthful Phaethon in profile with mantle and himation, mop of curly hair, right arm extended holding reins extending to the mane of the horse at the right edge; drilled to accept mounting pegs.
ProvenancePrivate UK collection.
Acquired in the 1980s.
Property of a Cambridgeshire gentleman.
In the story, which appears in several versions, Phaethon was the son of Helios the sun-god who asked to validate his parentage by driving his father's chariot. Helios tried to dissuade him, but the youngster would not listen and eventually managed to take control, but was unable to master the horses and the celestial vehicle veered out of control - too close to the ground where it started fires and then too distant so that the ground froze. Eventually, Zeus took remedial action and hurled a thunderbolt, which killed the boy. His dead body fell into the river Eridanus, and his sisters, the Heliades, were turned to black poplar trees while they mourned him.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0781
Roman Marble Relief Fragment with Phaethon
Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
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Roman Silver Ring with Silenus Head Gemstone
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
With applied jasper stud bearing an intaglio profile bust of Silenus; hoop incomplete. 6.19 grams, 21 mm
Private collection, England. -
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Roman Bronze Folding Tripod Table with Busts of Bacchus and Panther
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £20,000 - 30,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £11,111
With three extendable legs each topped with bust of Bacchus, his long hair collected in a crown of vine leaves and branches, wearing a panther skin exomis; the feet formed as feline paws; the middle part of the frontal leg formed as an S-curve topped with a panther's head with open jaws; restored. 9.9 kg, 101 cm
Traces of gilding over all the whole surface, fine condition, restored, excessively rare.
Ex collection of Dr Djafari (1900-1981), Kaiserslautern, Germany. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11801-206499.
Folding tripod stands were well known in the ancient world, in both Greek and Roman contexts. These folding supports for tables, bracers and cauldrons are known finds from important excavations in the Roman world, like Pompeii. The purpose of such folding stands varied: during the meal they were placed between the triclinary beds, and bowls and application plates were hung to the hooks at the back of the holders, here shaped like the heads of a Bacchus. They were also used for the fire in military encampments, or in the temples of the gods. Others were used as the support frames for bronze bowls, either for washing or for ritual purposes. Many were offered as funerary gifts, like the splendid example in the chariot grave of Környe. Roman folding tripods were also used in religious rituals (here clearly linked to the cult of the god of wine, as shown by the presence of panthers) and sacrifices. Burnt offerings and libations were offered to the gods in cauldrons that would have been attached to the hooks behind the heads on the upper section. -
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Roman Amber Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £72
Restrung group of graduated tubular and spherical beads with a later barrel-shaped centrepiece. 26.5 grams, 44 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
