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LOT 0653
Roman Polychrome Tesserae Group
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/8 - 1/2 in. (70 grams total, 5-14 mm).
A mixed group of over 100 single stone tesserae of various colours and sizes. [105, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Silver-Gilt Cicada Brooch
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A silver-gilt brooch in form of cicada with hollow-formed D-section head and neck, flat triangular wings; the head with bulbous eyes above a waisted neck; granule detailing to the head; pin-lug and catch-wire to the reverse. 3.82 grams, 23 mm
Acquire in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
This type of brooch was popular among the Hunnic tribes, as well as in Roman Pannonia and Illyricum before the arrival of the Huns. Early Hunnic designs from Pannonia may have borrowed from late Roman types. With the arrival of new populations due to migration from the east, a new material culture developed, described as the Danubian or Ponto-Danubian style, as many of its features appear in the Pontic region as well. Although the exact meaning of the cicada brooch is not known to us, it is possible that it retained its ancient symbolism of rebirth or regeneration of the soul. -
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Roman Tragic Mask Applique
1st century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £130
A rectangular slate mount showing the head of a tragic mask with angular eyes, straight nose and a clownish, down-turned mouth. 3 grams, 16.2 mm
Very fine condition.
Acquired from Galerie Jean Phillipe Mariaud de Serres, 1990-2000. Property of a French collector.
Small appliqués like this one were common in Roman furniture. In the Graeco-Roman world, comic and tragic masks played an important role in Greek drama, commonly performed in the Roman Empire. The actors had the ability to easily play more than one character in succession with a simple change of masks, and the characters of the masks became popular objects in the material culture. -
Gallo-Roman Mercury Statuette
1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
A bronze votive figure of Mercury modelled standing nude with stylised anatomical detailing, stylised wings on the head, right hand shrouded beneath a flattened area with horizontal grooves holding the purse, the other clenched into a fist. 43 grams, 59 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1970s. Ex UK collection. Property of a Portsmouth, UK gentleman.
Likely an ex-voto figure representing Mercury (Greek Hermes) holding a purse, clearly offered by someone to ask or give thanks for successful vows.
