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LOT 0865
Roman Silver Cochlearium Spoon
2ND-4TH CENTURY A.D.
6 7/8 in. (19.7 grams, 17.5 cm).
With 'swan-neck' junction; facetted, round-section tapering shank; shallow bowl shaped like a flask in profile.
ProvenanceProperty of a Bedfordshire, UK, private collector.
Accompanied by an illustrated collector's identification tag.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Cf. Riha, E., & Stern, W.B., Die Römischen Löffel aus Augst und Kaiseraugst, Forschungen, in Augst 5, 1982, for discussion; cf. Jackson, C.J., The Spoon and its History, in Archaeologia, vol.53.
FootnotesThe spoon's shaft tapers to a point; it was used for extracting seafood or snails from their shells. Spoons executed in precious metals were highly valued items in this period in history, so much so that historians and classicists see them recorded in inventories compiled for noble households. Cochlearia like this one have even been discovered in treasure hoards. The absence of Christian symbolism or of a Christian inscription on this spoon might suggest that it dates from a pre-Christian era, or that its owner/commissioner was pagan.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Marble Portrait Head of a Putto
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Carved in the round with detailed layered hairstyle swept back from the temples, broad brow with defined furrows, deep-set eyes, flat nose and small puckered mouth; provincial workmanship; mounted on a custom-made stand. 4.32 kg total, 27.2 cm including stand
Friedlinger-Brandt, circa 1950-1960, ambassador in Cairo before 1920. Thereafter, Münzen und Medaillen AG, Basel, 1960-1970. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00064834. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The generally puffy and rounded appearance of the features and the copious hair suggest that the subject is not a human male but rather a putto or possibly the deity Cupid himself. -
Roman Glass Vessel
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
With a bulbous body, broad flared neck, recess to base; extensive iridescence, repaired. 47 grams, 10 cm
Ex London art market 1990s. From a London, UK, collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
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Roman Marble Portrait of Gaius Caesar
Augustan, circa 1 A.D.Estimate: £18,000 - 24,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £10,000
Modelled in the round and carved in Parian marble, head of a male youth depicted turning slightly to his left, hair trimmed in the Julian style; with soft facial features and long neck; believed to be of Gaius Iulius Caesar Vipsanianus (20 B.C.- 4 A.D.); mounted on a custom-made stand. 17.4 kg total, 48 cm high including stand
Acquired on the London art market in the 1970s by the previous owner’s late father. with Christie’s London, 25 April 2007, no.260. UK private collection, London. Anonymous sale, Bonhams, London, 16 April 2015, no.130. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.163499-10061. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Gaius Caesar (20 B.C.-4 A.D.) and his brother Lucius Caesar (17 B.C.-2 A.D.) held significant positions in the political and dynastic plans of Emperor Augustus. Born to Augustus's daughter Julia and his advisor Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, they were adopted by Augustus in 17 B.C. to become his heirs, since he lacked natural-born sons. Portraits of the brothers depict them as resembling Augustus, indicating their importance within the imperial family. Gaius's portraits were classified into five types, with this head identified as Type IV, likely created in 1 A.D. to celebrate his consulship. A similar portrait of Gaius exists in Corinth alongside his brother and Augustus. In 1 B.C., Gaius was appointed to govern the eastern provinces, where he successfully negotiated a peace treaty with King Phraates V of Parthia. However, tragedy struck when Gaius fell ill in Anatolia and died at 23 years of age, following the death of his brother Lucius. These deaths disrupted Augustus' plans for succession and led him to adopt Tiberius, his stepson, who eventually became emperor in 14 A.D.
