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LOT 0757
Roman Mosaic Stone Tesserae Group
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/4 - 1/2 in. (350 grams total, 7-14 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman and Later Amber-Coloured Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £39
Restrung group of tubular, oblate and other types, including some 20th century moulded Czech glass beads. 11.09 grams, 39.5 cm
London, UK, collection, 2000s. -
Roman Bronze Phallic Dagger Quillon or Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
With a rectangular plaque with central void, phallus to one short edge and a stylised fist to the other. 25.5 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
In the Roman world the phallus was symbol of luck or fertility, and it as well was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially from young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. This object can have been the quillon of a small dagger, but also hung as a charm from a tintinnabulum, a wind chime adorned with bells and intended to ward off evil. -
Roman Gold and Garnet Pendant
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Discoid in plan with integral loop, inset irregular garnet. 0.19 grams, 8 mm
From the collection of a late Japanese gentleman, 1970s onwards.
