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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]
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
See D'Amato, R., Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces (2), Oxford, 2022, p.41, for the iconography of Geryon as Roman legionary.
FootnotesThe 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.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Roman Deer Brooch for Flaina
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
A copper-alloy zoomorphic plate brooch, in the shape of a deer with two legs, a short tail and a complete antler, characterised by a series of transverse grooves, the body of the animal with the inscription 'FLAINA' in Latin letters; pin lugs and remains of ferrous pin to the reverse. 11.5 grams, 41 mm
Acquire in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Roman fibulae came in a variety of shapes and embellishments. In the Roman Empire, the fibula was both functional and decorative, as men and women wore it to fasten their aprons and cloaks. A similar function was performed by pins intended to hold heavy garments such as cloaks. This type of fibulae were probably produced in Pannonia, from where they were exported around the Empire. Another centre of production of deer fIbulae was probably Roman Britannia.
