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_900x900.jpg "Roman Silver Dionysus Pendant")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Silver Dionysus Pendant")
.jpg "Roman Silver Dionysus Pendant")
LOT 0680
Roman Silver Dionysus Pendant
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (6.2 grams, 23 mm).
Ellipsoid pendant, hollow to the reverse with high-relief mask of Dionysus flanked by vine leaves and bunches of grapes. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the glyptic collection of Mr X; thence by descent.
Acquired Hotel des Ventes, Drouot, Eve SVV, Paris, France, 28 June 2017, no.147 (Part).
Property of a French collector.
Cf. similar motif on an iscillium in the British Museum under accession no.1873,0820.562.
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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Scaphoid bezel with incuse image of a perching bird looking to the rear. 2.17 grams, 20.27 mm overall, 16.57 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Large Roman Marble Relief of a Theatre Mask
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £23,400
Carved fragment with a female tragedy theatre mask modelled in the half-round, features strongly delineated, eyes detailed with small cylindrical pupils; the hair sculpted on the upper part with rich locks fastened by a taenia, divided into regular rows falling stiffly on the forehead and down along the sides, bound by laces, open mouth in an expression of sorrow. 30 kg, 51 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. 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.12362-226705.
The mask is known to have been used in tragic theatre since the time of Aeschylus (first half of 5th century B.C.) and considered to be one of the iconic conventions of classical Greek theatre. Masks were also made for male members of the chorus, who play a part in the action and provide a commentary on the events in which they were caught up. The theme of decorative tragic masks as architectural elements passed from the Greek to the Roman culture and is largely visible in all the corners of the Roman Empire. However, these colossal heads are typical of the great architecture of temples and theatres of Roman Asia Minor, and the style and workmanship of this wonderful fragment of frame can be traced back to Hadrian’s era. The face suggests an architectural use, perhaps as a corbel or a lintel. -
Roman Ribbed Terracotta Vase
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
With bulbous body and trumpet-shaped mouth; bands of rouletting to the sidewall below the shoulder, corrugated profile to the neck and mouth. 369 grams, 18 cm
From a family collection mostly formed in the 1940s-1950s, thence by descent.
