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LOT 0771
Roman Sheet Gold Phalera Cover Pair with Pelta Shields
4TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 in. (7.28 grams total, 64-65 mm).
Comprising two discoid ornamental appliqués with beaded rims, each with repoussé pelta-shaped panel terminating in opposed bird-heads, surmounted by scrolled tendrils and a kantharos enclosed in a laurel crown. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the early 1990s.
From the collection of a London antiquarian.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Sannazzaro, M., Giostra, C., Petala Aurea, Gold-Sheet-work of Byzantine and Lombard Origin from the Rovati Collection, Truccazzano, 2014, nos.8-9-10, for circular gold sheets with similar decorations; D’Amato, R., Negin, A., Decorated Roman Armour, from the Age of the Kings to the death of Justinian the Great, London, 2017.
FootnotesThe subject represented on these two bracteae is a military shield in the form of a crescent, the so-called pelta, associated in the Late Roman iconography with the Amazon female warriors. This was not necessarily only an iconographic motif, considering that many shields of this typology were represented on the pedestal of the Column of Arcadius in Constantinople (circa 400 A.D.) and they seemed to be associated with the heavy cavalry of the Imperial guard (D’Amato-Negin, 2017, p.252). This could suggest that these gold sheets were applied upon phalerae or military decorations.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0771
Roman Sheet Gold Phalera Cover Pair with Pelta Shields
Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
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Roman Marble Female Torso
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
The upper body draped with an upper part of an exomis, twisted on the shoulder and falling softly on the back; the right breast still visible, as well as the attachment portion of the neck. 7.95 kg, 23 cm wide
Acquired by the current owner in Munich, Germany, 1990s. English private collection.
The way in which the exomis is twisted on the left shoulder and the presence of the exposed right breast could indicate that the original statue was that of an Amazon, with particular reference to the Amazon from the Albertoni collection in Rome, which has now disappeared. -
Roman Terracotta Lamp with Gladiator
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Discoid body with sunken discus with bas-relief scene of a gladiator in combat with gladius poised and scutum raised above his head, D-shaped nozzle with volutes; supplied with a custom-made stand. 167 grams total, 19 cm including stand (lamp 11.6 cm)
Ex Axel Guttmann collection of ancient arms and armour, Germany (1944-2001). Axel Guttmann collection of ancient arms and armour, part 2, Christie's London, 28 April 2004, no.178 (part). Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of the Christie's lot listing. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12235-222198. -
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Roman Tabular Lead Weight Collection
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Square in plan, some with incised markings, one with impressed hole. 95 grams total, 8-25 mm
Ex Simmons gallery, London, UK. From a North London collection, 1990s.
