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LOT 0690
Roman Redware Sherd with Venator Gladiator
4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 3/4 in. (18 grams, 70 mm).
The fighting venator dressed in a long sleeved tunic embroidered with orbiculi and pectorarin, segmenta on the sleeves, brandishing a javelin of venabulum type; suspension loop to the reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
See the famous mosaic in Villa Borghese, in Gilbert, F., Devenir Gladiateur, la vie quotidienne á l'ecole de la mort, La Capelle-Marival, 2013, p.136, for a similar scene with similar costumes.
FootnotesThe combat scene is likely a reference to the gladiatorial fights between men and animals; such games in the arena were a principal form of entertainment through the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. Both men and women would partake in such fights. The venatores (hunters) were the most specialised in this field, fighting with a spear with winged blades and long knives (culter venatorius).
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AUCTIONS:
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Gemstone with Lion
Roman, 2nd-3rd century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £195
Of truncated conical form, the agate stone engraved with a prancing male lion facing right, one front leg and tail raised; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. 1.79 grams, 14 mm
Acquired on the European art market in the late 1960s-early 1970s. -
Roman and Other Jet Bead Group
Late 1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £130
Mainly comprising polished beads of various types and sizes, including examples cut with ring-and-dot ornament; some chipped in antiquity. 28.6 grams total, 8-20 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Late Eastern Roman Gold Ring with Emerald and Garnets
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,420
Comprising a square-section hoop with expanding shoulders, each shoulder set with a garnet cabochon and the raised square bezel with an emerald. 6.97 grams, 24.18 mm overall, 15.20 mm internal diameter (approximate size British E 1/2, USA 2 1/2, Europe 3, Japan 3)
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection. 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 a search certificate number no.11783-204563.
The presence of emerald suggests that the place of origin of this ring could have been in Roman Egypt, and the good colour of the emerald proposes a dating to the 4th to 5th century A.D.
