Roman Mount with Flavian Emperor

A clay lamp with rounded lug handle, shoulder with foliage in relief on each side, separated from the slightly concave discus by a ridge, which continues toward the round-tipped nozzle forming a wide channel between the discus and the wick hole; two equal-sized filling-holes at upper and lower part of the discus decorated with a lion running left, raised slightly convex base-ring with an additional inner ring. 163 grams, 13.5 cm



Acquired from a central London Antiquities Dealers Association (ADA) member's gallery in 1990. From the estate of a Lancashire gentleman.

The present lamps seems to be molded in Terra Sigillata Africana (TSA) = African Red Slip (ARS) and can be related to Atlante types VI. The passage from lamps of Loeschcke type VIII in TSA with a heart-shaped nozzle ( = Atlante form I) to the channelled so-called Christian lamps ( = Atlante forms VIII and X, or Hayes types I and II) was progressively achieved by three factors: the transformation of the initially circular discus into an oval shape, the elongation of the nozzle, and the increased width and length of the channel.

A piriform bronze balsamarium with a broad rounded shoulder, slender waisted neck and squat, spool-type mouth. 207 grams, 12 cm high



From the collection of the late Dr D.G., Surrey, UK.

Such vessels, with their high-bellied body, are similar to examples from Palestine, Pompeii, Phocis, Brigetio and Salona. They are not fitted with handles, meaning that they were not part of a portable set.

A terracotta bust of a boy mounted on an integral channeled plinth base, modelled with semi-naturalistic facial features and a cropped hairstyle, wearing a bulla and a sash over the left shoulder. 341 grams, 17 cm high



Ex private German collection, 1960; thence by descent. with Auktionshaus Owl, Bielefeld, Germany, 5 September 2015, Lot 40605.

In ancient Rome, the bulla was an amulet given to every boy nine days after his birth. The meaning, origins and use of the bulla are in some ways enigmatic and still a subject of research for scholars. The bulla was worn around the neck during childhood and adolescence. Depending on the social status and wealth of the family who commissioned it, different materials were used; on rare occasions it was made fully in gold, if the child belonged to a family of the high Roman aristocracy, or more commonly made in lead covered with a gold foil. The bulla was also made for the poorer classes in lesser materials, such as fabric or leather.