Roman Redware Oil Lamp

Carved with comma-leaf detailing to the hair, a low brow over almond-shaped eyes, broad triangular nose and thick moustache obscuring the mouth; mounted on a custom-made stand. 7.3 kg total, 28.5 cm high including stand



Found Anglesey, Wales, 1978. From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. Accompanied by a newspaper article on the find.

The style of execution is rather more refined than for the majority of stone heads, and lacks the characteristic slit mouth. Same elements of the design are seen on the figure from Otley (Jackson, no.25) and especially that from Bradford-Heaton (no.16) which shares the prominent moustache.

Modelled in the round in cream-coloured marble; the hips and right leg of a slender male standing beside a column with the lower part of an animal at the base; the figure modelled with narrow hips and waist in contrapposto stance, genitals removed, muscular leg with slender ankle; adjacent column with remains of a branch or spur at the top, developing to a flared base with a crouching hare or rabbit; mounted on a custom-made stand. 101.4 kg total, 99 cm including stand



Ex Paris collection. French gallery, Paris, 1990-2000s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12088-213904.

Despite the loss, the semi-circular rise that separated the ribcage from the abdomen highlights the muscles of a young athlete or a hero. The statue could represent many male heroes or deities (Reinach, 1897, p.210 no.2, 817 no.4), but, by comparison with a similar sculpture in the Brussels Museum, it could refer to a rare image of the handsome and ferocious hunter Hippolytus, son of Theseus and the Amazon Antiope, killed by the curse of his father due to Phaedra’s deception. The presence of the small hare or rabbit at the base of the column could confirm the hypothesis of a hunter hero, and finds its parallel with the small animals (gecko and panther) visible on the Brussels sculpture.

The goddess standing in contrapposto pose with her weight on her left leg, her right leg bent and pulled back; wearing an Ionic chiton and himation secured by a characteristic knot tied between her breasts, the folds cascading to the floor; the toes of her left foot emerging from below the flaring hem of her robe; her centre-parted wavy locks locks fastened with a band, pulled back in a chignon at the nape of her neck and surmounted by a tall modius; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.22 kg total, 20.5 cm high (28 cm high including stand)



Acquired in Israel, 1990s. Ex Sasson Ancient Art, Jerusalem. with Christie's, New York, 13 December 2013, no.139 (US$ 50,000-$80,000). Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no. 12017-213617.

These statuettes were used in the service of domestic cults and reflect native Greek or Roman cult practices. The Roman household shrine, or lararium, received its name from the lares, the guardian spirits of the house and household, who were frequently displayed in the shrine, either in painted or sculpted form. This was prevalent in all the corners of the empire, also in the East and in Greece. Studies of bronze statuettes found in Roman provinces have shown how regional variations of lararia figures reflect the mixed religious beliefs of the inhabitants.