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LOT 0079
Roman Sard Gemstone with a Maenad Mask
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
3/8 in. (0.49 grams, 11 mm).
With intaglio profile bust of a woman facing left; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenancePrivate English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Private collection, London, UK.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0079
Roman Sard Gemstone with a Maenad Mask
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
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Late Roman Bronze Tweezers
4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Formed as two narrow flat-section arms with impressed ring-and-dot ornament. 8.422 grams, 62 mm
From a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s. -
Roman Bronze Phallic Dagger Quillon or Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £40
With a rectangular plaque with central void, phallus to one short edge and a stylised fist to the other. 25.5 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
In the Roman world the phallus was symbol of luck or fertility, and it as well was believed to have apotropaic functions. Pendants, amulets and small objects were worn by all sorts of people as symbols of protection, especially from young children according to Varro and Pliny the Elder. The phallus is commonly found on reliefs, frescoes and lamps from the Graeco-Roman world. This object can have been the quillon of a small dagger, but also hung as a charm from a tintinnabulum, a wind chime adorned with bells and intended to ward off evil. -
Roman Pillar-Moulded Honey-Coloured Glass Bowl with Fine Iridescence
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
With iridescent surface, narrow base and vertical ribbed segmentation to the sidewall, gently flared rim. 164 grams, 11.1 cm wide
Ex London, UK, gentleman, 1990s.