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LOT 0168
Roman Silver Crossbow Brooch
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4 in. (14.6 grams, 46 mm).
Parcel-gilt crossbow brooch with onion-shaped knops to the ends of the headplate and medially along the top edge; deep trapezoidal-section bow with median gusset; D-section footplate with chamfered sides open to one edge; upper part of one face of the bow with niello-filled running scroll design, lower part of the other face with running guilloche; beaded wire collar at the end.
ProvenanceEx N.C. collection.
Acquired on the Swiss art market in 2000.
European private collection.
Cf. Marin, E., Salona Christiana, Split, 1994, no.6 p.220 (inv.no.H5723); Beck, H. et al., Fibel und Fibeltracht, Berlin, 2000, fig.114(1), for similar.
FootnotesCrossbow fibulae of this type were worn by high officers and, if in gold, even emperors, from Constantine to Justinian, as symbols of military rank. These fibulae are an important element in the graves, for the classification of the category of the dead, as belonging to the militia (armed or not); many of them were in gold, or gilded silver, and decorated with an inscription.
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 Gold Drop Earrings
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Matched pair each with carnelian cabochon on the ring, garnet and pearl seed beads on the dangle. 2.51 grams total, 29-32 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s. Accompanied by a previous catalogue identification card. -
Roman Marble Head of a Young Man
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,000
Worked in high-relief with hairstyle typical of the transitional period from the Consulate to the Empire; oval face with a prominent forehead, oval eyelids and clearly defined lines around the eyes; hair arranged in vertical lines combed back from the forehead; pronounced lips, typical rendering of the wide auricles; the lower part of the tunic visible with a well defined round edge around the neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 5.94 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand
Acquired from Gallery Gryphos, Munich, 1992. European private collection. 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 search certificate number no.11996-211878.
The head was probably pertinent to a series of funerary family portraits. It has realistic modelling of male features, which speaks of a portrait in reduced dimensions or a reference to a well-known person in the environment where it was exhibited. The portrait is worked only on the front, leaving the back, as well as the lower part of the sculpture, roughly treated. -
Roman Bronze Statuette Group
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Group of three votives comprising: standing female (Venus?) with right hand drawn up to the lips; bearded male (Hercules?) with one hand on his buttock; triangular mount with human mask, annulet detailing. 43.6 grams total, 30-43 mm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
