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LOT 0964
Roman Mosaic Stone Tesserae Group
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/4 - 1/2 in. (361 grams total, 8-12 mm).
A mixed group of two hundred and fifty single tesserae of various colours and sizes, mostly cuboid. [250, 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.
For similar tesserae see Gabucci, A., Pejrani Baricco, L., Ratto, S., Per il Museo di Ivrea, La sezione archeologica del Museo Civico P.A. Garda, Sesto Fiorentino, 2014, cover, mosaic from a Domus of Eporedia.
FootnotesRoman mosaics were made from small cubes of natural stone and terracotta possibly cut from tile or brick. Each of these small cubes was called a tessera (plural tesserae) from the Latin word for dice.
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 Glass Cup with Wheel-Cut Lines
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
With biconvex body, dimple base, convex rim, wheel-cut circumferential bands. 131 grams, 95 mm
From an important London collection of glass, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This form is similar to beakers produced in Roman Cyprus. The rim and the wall of these objects are very thin; in one similar beaker in the Cesnola collection they are less than 0.1 cm thick. They belong to the Vessberg beaker type A.II.α. -
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Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Vulcan
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Depicting a nude blacksmith seated on a stool before a forge, hammer in his right hand, holding an object he is hammering with the other hand. 0.25 grams, 10 mm
Private collection, North Germany. with Gorny & Mosch, 14 December 2005, no.238. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075379.
Probably a Roman copy of a Hellenistic subject. Some Roman ring intaglios were dedicated to Vulcan (Greek Hephaestus), god of the blacksmiths, artisans, and carpenters. Usually, the god is represented standing or working in his forge, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a one-shouldered tunic, identifying him as a craftsman. In his right hand, he holds a hammer over an anvil, and in his left a pair of long metalworking tongs. Sometimes he is naked, seated and working. -
Roman Wooden Tablet from the Will of the Father of Iulia Ianuaria Made on the Goretiano Estate in the Province of Byzacena
Early 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Well preserved rectangular tablet with a recessed panel to each face; the third and last tablet of a Roman will; both sides inscribed in Roman cursive script using ink and calamus, twenty-one lines of Roman cursive script written within the recess, some text is lost on the right half of both the inner and outer face; on the inner face partially damaged surface; on the other side sixteen lines of cursive script with a half-line at the right edge; two small holes both near the upper and lower rim (for binding the tablets of this document together); the text consists of testamentary dispositions and ends with the obligatory mancipatory formula of Roman testaments; mentioned is a Iulius Fortunatus. 65 grams, 23.5 x 17.6 cm
Acquired by Albert Sfez in the early 1950s. Formerly the property of Monsieur Alain Sfez, a Belgium collector; acquired by gift from his father Albert Sfez, in 1965. Acquired by a London dealer in 1973. From an important London collection since 1975; thence by descent. Accompanied by a copy of an illustrated academic report by Professor Dr phil. Peter Rothenhöfer. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12602-230810.
Professor Dr phil. Peter Rothenhöfer writes: 'Without any doubts this tablet is an original document from Roman times. Because only few Roman testaments have survived this document is of great importance both for Roman Legal and Social History'.
