Loading, please wait...
Details
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]
Provenance
Acquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
Literature
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 284, for type.
Footnotes
The 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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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
-
Romano-Egyptian Silver Snake Ring
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
A slender silver ring in the form of a coiled flat-headed cobra with punched head and scale detailing. 5.03 grams, 27.56 mm overall, 22.13 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z, USA 12 1/2, Europe 28.77, Japan 27)
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK. -
Roman Asclepius Gemstone in Gold Ring
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
A carnelian intaglio of Asclepius in a loosely draped himation with serpent coiled around his forearm, probably Asclepius the Greek god of healing; set into a later gold ring. 4.99 grams, 23.32 mm overall, 16.68 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L 1/2, USA 6, Europe 11.87, Japan 11)
Ex private East Coast, USA, collection. with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 21 February 2017. English private collection. Accompanied by a copy of a certificate of authenticity from Artemis Gallery, dated 21 February 2017.
Asclepius was the Graeco-Roman god of medicine, healing, prophecy and a son of Apollo and Coronis. He had two daughters with Epione, the goddess of soothing- Hygeia (goddess of health) and Panacea (goddess of healing). As a child, Asclepius was given to the centaur Chiron, who raised him in the ways of the healing arts. During his training, Asclepius healed a snake, which in turn granted him secret knowledge. Asclepius became such a proficient healer that he discovered a way to resurrect the dead, for which Zeus had him killed, in order to maintain the balance of life on Earth, placing him on the night sky under the constellation of the Ophiuchus (the snake holder). -
Roman Lock Plate Figure
Circa 1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
A bronze key composed of a tapering shaft with hatched and notched detailing, finial in the form of a bust with stylised facial detailing, rectangular openwork ward; perforated through the finial for suspension. 30.7 grams, 79 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
