Loading, please wait...
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).
CONDITIONVETTING:
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)
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Bronze Cockerel Statuette
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Modelled in the round with feather detailing. 9.96 grams, 32 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection. -
Roman Golden Amber Glass Unguentarium
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With bulbous body, flat bottom, barrel-shaped neck and everted rim. 12.6 grams, 68 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Roman Bronze Military Belt Mount
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Composing two opposed dragonesque figures with tail and lowered head, sitting on a peltate style cut out. 19.7 grams, 35 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
Belt appliques and decorations change notably during the centuries of the Roman Empire. In around 2nd-3rd centuries A.D., particularly in Pannonia and in Britain, show many very Celtic orientated fittings, maybe as the result of provincial influences within the army or production systems.
