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LOT 0677
Roman Phallic Amulet
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
2 1/8 in. (26.1 grams, 55 mm).
A bronze phallic amulet composed of a hollowed truncated conical socket, with a curved arm to each side, one ending in a phallic shape, the other ending with a closed fist.
ProvenanceAcquire in the 1990s.
Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Cf. for similar amuler or pendant Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 436.
FootnotesRoman phallic amulets are represented by many examples preserved in museums and private collections, with a vast variety of types. This specimen belongs to category of double phallus, even if one of the male attributes is here represented as a fist. These amulets were worn as a wish for fertility and virile power, often hung on horses as harness pendants.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0677
Roman Phallic Amulet
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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Roman Gold Ring with Herakles Gemstone
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
A gold finger ring with flared shoulders, ellipsoid inset haematite intaglio profile bust of young Herakles. 6.63 grams, 21.95 mm overall, 16.32 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I, USA 4 1/4, Europe 7.44, Japan 7)
Private European collection, acquired 2001. -
Post Roman Ring with Inscription
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
A bronze finger ring with raised ellipsoid bezel, the shoulders decorated with engraved foliage, on the bezel incised in Greek letters the inscription 'ΚΕΡΙ ΚАΛΗ' (written backwards). 4.33 grams, 23.12 mm overall, 21.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U 1/2, USA 10 1/4, Europe 23.15, Japan 22)
Acquired in the late 1990s-2000. Property of an East London gentleman.
The ring corresponds to the 1d type of Hadjadj's classification. The Greek inscription is probably a barbaric interpretation of 'ΚΗΡΙ ΚАΛΗ' (kind-hearted). The Merovingian typology of the ring suggests a late Roman product under the Roman-Barbarian kingdoms of Gaul or the Iberian Peninsula. -
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Large Roman Aubergine Glass Twin-Handled Jar
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,778
An aubergine glass jar with onion-shaped body, cylindrical neck, trumpet-style mouth and rolled lip; two applied green glass handles and pie crust frill around neck, body with decorative raised lobes; some iridescence. 246 grams, 18 cm high
Fine condition.
Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, Japan, 1981. Kokusai Bijutsu: Ninth International Art Exhibition, no.46. Acquired Bonhams, New Bond Street, 28 November 2019, lot 146. Ex J.L. collection Surrey, UK. Accompanied by copies of the Bonhams catalogue pages.
