Loading, please wait...

Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle
Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge
Details

LOT 0787

Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle

4TH CENTURY A.D.

3 3/8 in. (42.4 grams, 85 mm).

With large oval bowl and a long, slender handle, compressed into S-shape and terminating in a stylised bird’s head.

Provenance

Found near Welney, Cambridgeshire, in 1985.

Literature

Cf. Johns, C.M., The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure: Gold Jewellery and Silver Plate, London, 2010, no.81, for identical.

Footnotes

Similar silver spoons (cygni), were found within a set of ten spoons (today at the British Museum with inventory nos. 1994,0408.81-90) with ownership inscriptions. The handle attachment of such spoons had some decorative profiling, and the name 'AVRVRSICINI' within the bowl was inlaid with niello. The spoons seems to have been produced by a Romano-British workshop of Late Antiquity (4th-5th centuries A.D.). The cygnus was a particular type of ligula. This type was characterised by a large, oval-shaped bowl, but was equipped, unlike the common ligula, with a shortened, recurved handle which terminated in a stylised water bird or swan's head (swan = cygnus in Latin).

CONDITION
VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0787

Roman Pewter Cignus Spoon with Coiled Swan-Neck Handle

Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS
  • Roman Bronze Military Staff Finial with Standing Figure
    Roman Bronze Military Staff Finial with Standing Figure
    1st century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £572

    Sheet bronze with repoussé design of a youthful maiden standing with her right hand raised to her hair, let hand relaxed caressing a draped textile banner; wearing a palla gathered at the waist and bloused, with a strap to the right shoulder. 21.8 grans, 11.2 cm



    Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Amber Glass Pilgrims Flask
    Roman Amber Glass Pilgrim's Flask
    4th-5th century A.D.

    Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £500

    With tubular neck and everted rim. 107 grams, 15.2 cm high



    Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

    'At the moment the cross is brought for veneration .... they offer oil to be blessed in little flasks. When the mouth of one of the flasks touches the Wood of the Cross, the oil instantly bubbles over, and unless it is closed very quickly it all spills out.' (The Piacenza Pilgrim, v. 173, circa 570 AD).

    Lot Details

  • Roman and Later Artefact Group
    Roman and Later Artefact Group
    1st-20th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £91

    Comprising complete and incomplete artefacts of various types from a range of time periods, including: chapes; buttons; pendants; keys; fitting and other items. many displaying decorative motifs. 464 grams total, 11-88 mm



    Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list