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_900x900.jpg "Roman Schist Dolphin")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Schist Dolphin")
.jpg "Roman Schist Dolphin")
LOT 0682
Roman Schist Dolphin
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 in (30 grams total, 59 mm long (58 mm high including stand)).
A carved schist dolphin figure with stylised detailing to the fins and face; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 284, for type.
FootnotesThe dolphin was among the animals sacred to Aphrodite, but in Graeco-Roman mythology it was also considered to be the animal accompanying the souls of the dead into the afterlife.
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 Glass Unguentarium
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
A piriform glass bottle with slender tubular neck and everted rim; some iridescent surfaces. 15.5 grams, 98 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Roman Mars Gemstone in Gold Ring
1st-2nd century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
An ellipsoid carnelian gemstone with intaglio figure of Mars wearing a helmet and bearing a cornucopia in one hand and a miniature figure of Victory in the other; set in a later gold ring. 8.93 grams, 21.88 mm overall, 17.70 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Ex Marianne Maspero, 1980. with Pierre Berge & Associes, Paris, France, 16 May 2018, lot 230. English private collection.
Mars was the ancient Roman god of war and agriculture; the majority of his festivals were held in March, when the season for military campaigning commenced, whilst the season for farming ended. Mars symbolised military power as a method for securing peace and stability and was believed a protective father of the Roman people. In Roman mythology, Mars raped Silvia, thus fathering Romulus and Remus, the famous twins suckled by the She-wolf and founders of the city of Rome. The animals most closely associated with Mars are the woodpecker, wolf and bear. -
Roman Stucco Head of a Bearded Man
Provincial, 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
A stucco head from a cornice modelled in the half-round as a mature male with full beard and short, tufted head of hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 623 grams total, 12.8 cm (16.5 cm high including stand)
Fair condition.
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
