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LOT 0938
Roman Silver Crossbow Brooch
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (15.3 grams, 54 mm).
With barrel-shaped knops with collar beneath to the ends of the headplate and medially along the top edge; deep trapezoidal-section bow with median gusset and notch detailing; D-section footplate with chamfered sides open to one edge, its upper face of the bow with notched detailing; hinged pin to reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s.
LiteratureCf. Beck, H. et al., Fibel und Fibeltracht, Berlin, 2000, fig.114(1), for similar.
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 Silver Ladle with Beast Finial
1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
With broad bowl and in-turned rim, square-section long handle looped at the end with a beast-head finial; repaired and mounted on a custom-made display stand. 70 grams, 22.5 cm (317 grams total, 25.5 cm including stand)
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. -
Roman Bronze Lower Section of Adonis-Tammuz Statue
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Modelled in the round as a belted torso and legs with tiered tasselled robes and bare feet. 128 grams, 10 cm
UK art market, 1981. Private collection, London, UK.
Adonis was the offspring of an incestuous union between Smyrna and Cinyras. As an infant, he was given by Venus (Aphrodite) to Persephone for protection, but later became an object of desire for both, resulting in a decision by Zeus that he would spend four months with Persephone, four months with Venus and four months with whomever he wished. According to mythological traditions, Adonis was killed by a wild boar during a hunt - either sent by Artemis, or Ares in disguise. Aphrodite pleaded for Adonis' life with Zeus, who allowed the youth to spend half of each year with her and half in the underworld. -
Roman Glass Flask
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £304
With squat bulbous body and broad shoulder, tapering neck with flared rim, dimpled base. 81 grams, 15.5 cm
From an important London collection of glass, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This kind of bottles are common in the Eastern Empire workshops of the Levant. Similar vessels, with faint ribs, have been excavated in the necropolises of Beit Ras, Jordan, and Samaria-Sebaste, Israel.