Roman Sard Gemstone with a Maenad Mask

Intaglio engraved with a profile bust of Apollo, the god of lyrical poetry, wearing a wreath; a kithara in the field; set into a later substantial gold ring with D-section hoop, a conical projection to each shoulder; separately made bezel with floral motif to the domed underside; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 13.26 grams, 31.15 mm overall, 19.61 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)



Ex Japanese collection, 1990s. Private collection, England. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13166-249547.

Incuse profile bust of a youth wearing a mantle secured at his chest, with a wreath in his tousled hair; probably Caracalla or Geta; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.63 grams, 14 mm



Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, London, UK.

The naturalistic rendering of the animal is particularly evident in the modelling of the muscles and shaggy fur, which originally belonged to a multi-figure group intended for prominent display in an official space, such as a public bath, or in the private gardens of a luxurious villa; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 155 kg, 89 cm (long), 41 cm (high) excluding stand



Acquired in Brussels, circa 1980. with Christie's, South Kensington, 6 October 2011, no.121. Jean-David Cahn AG, Basel, Switzerland. Private collection, England. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00074876. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13079-249669.

The sculpture may represent the goat Amalthea, nurse of Zeus, one of the most famous animals in Graeco-Roman mythology. At the same time, it could simply be a representation of a ram, an animal typically sculpted in sacrificial reliefs of the Roman world.