Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0618
Roman Ring with Dolphin Gemstone
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (3.21 grams, 19.41 mm overall, 16.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G, USA 3 1/4, Europe 4.92, Japan 4)).
A bronze ring with expanding, rounded shoulders, the oblong bezel set with a carnelian intaglio engraved with a dolphin.
Provenance
Acquired before 2000.
From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
VETTING:
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 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. -
Late Roman Silver Ring with Cross
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
A silver ring with carinated hoop, shaped shoulders, discoid bezel engraved with a Chi Rho cross within a dashed roundel. 5.33 grams, 24.90 mm overall, 18.81 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4 3/4, Europe 8.69, Japan 8)
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK. -
Roman Silver Folding 'Travel' Spoon
Circa 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A short silver spoon with shallow piriform bowl, raised neck with movable pinned hinge attached to the hexagonal-section handle and shortened polyhedral knob finial, allowing the handle to be folded into the bowl. 28 grams, 11.2 cm long
Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.
As today, the spoon was used as a measure for dosage in ancient times. Both the cochlear and the ligula could have been used to measure different quantities, particularly in the practice of medicine and in the kitchen. Isidore (Origines, XVI, 26.3) tells us that the cochlear was the smallest unit size and was worth half a drachma.