Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0608
Roman Redware Sherd with Giant Geryon
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (36 grams, 78 mm).
A fragment of redware ceramic from a moulded vessel, low-relief design depicting the giant Geryon as a helmetted Roman Miles advancing, with gladius held ready in both his left hands and a studded round shield; modern mounting loop to the reverse. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Acquired 1960s-1990s.
From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Literature
See D'Amato, R., Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces (2), Oxford, 2022, p.41, for the iconography of Geryon as Roman legionary.
Footnotes
The image is a representation of the giant Geryon, a monster killed by Herakles usually represented with three bodies and three heads, or three heads and one body, or three bodies and one head. In the Roman iconography (but already visible in Greek iconography) he is often represented as an armoured warrior. The original pottery to which the fragment belonged was probably originally decorated with the labours of Hercules.
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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Roman Steelyard and Other Weight Group
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A group of various weights comprising three biconical steelyard weights each with the remains of the iron loop, a barrel-shaped weight with five dots to one end, and a tabular-shaped weight with three large stamped dimples to one fate surface. 478 grams total, 24-34 mm
Found Rodings, Essex, UK. Acquired on the UK antiques market between 1974-1985. Albert Ward collection, Essex, UK. -
Roman Square-Shaped Bell
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A bronze bell of quadrilateral form, with a rectangular cross-section at base, tapering to a rounded dome with large integral suspension loop with five facets to the outer face; clanger absent. 160 grams, 83 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
The Romans used bells in ritual and secular contexts, when they could be suspended from the necks of animals, worn for talismanic protection or as anklets by servants. -
Roman Military Compass and Tweezers Multi-Tool
Circa late 2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A bronze multi-tool featuring a compass and tweezers, free-moving collar to one arm, one arm with two oval terminals and one tapering to a point. 19 grams, 90 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
This instrument, a type of circinus formed of two flat-section arms, was widely used by masons and carpenters, as well as for making wall decorations for the preparation of repetitive elements such as spirals or circles. It was widely used by the agrimensores of the army, as is proven by a very similar specimen found in Carnuntum, the camp of the Legio XIIII Gemina.
