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LOT 0777
Roman Mosaic Stone Tesserae Group
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/4 - 1 in. (95 grams total, 7-24 mm).
A mixed group of tesserae of various colours and sizes, mostly cuboid. [45, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK; he amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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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Roman Black Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £72
Restrung group of oblate and other beads. 11 grams, 47 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Silver Crossbow Brooch
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
With bulbous knops to the crossbar and applied conical knop to the base of the bow, keeled footplate. 21 grams, 59 mm
Ex important German collection of brooches, 1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Bronze Figure of Apollo
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
Standing nude with a chlamys draped over his left shoulder and fastened on the right shoulder, bearing the weight on his right foot with the left leg bent at the knee with the heel raised; the right arm extended and holding the remains of an attribute, the left arm bent at the elbow; his head turned slightly to the right with long luxurious hair swept back and gathered at the nape of the neck; set on a circular socle base; stripped and repatinated. 700 grams, 19 cm
Acquired at Mythes ét Légendes, 18 Place des Vosges, Paris, 14 May 1980. Private collection, France. Ex Jean Roudillon, Hôtel des Ventes de Belfort SARL, 22 October 2011, no.9. with Christie's, London, 2 April 2014, no.91. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S0007570. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.132675 dated 7 December 2011. 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 a search certificate number no.12360-226681. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The figurine is of archaic style; it is probably a provincial work of a Gallo-Roman workshop. The prototype can be seen in the Apollo of Naxos in the Berlin Museum. The style of posture and movement can also be seen in the archaic bronzes of Falterona, the Louvre and Athens.