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LOT 0154
Roman Silver Eagle Holding a Deer
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (21.5 grams, 38 mm high).
The eagle standing with its wings folded, erect head with natural facial detailing, claws gripping the body of a reclining doe with raised head and pricked ears.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1980s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Cf. statuette in bronze of the same typology in Getty Museum, inventory no. 78.AC.336.
FootnotesThe motif of an eagle and a stag or a deer is typically associated with the God Jupiter/Zeus Dolichenus and his wife Juno Dolichena, name derived from his sanctuary in Doliche, Anatolia. Jupiter Dolichenus was a soldier god, usually portrayed wearing full military attire and standing on a bull, while his consort would have been shown standing on a deer or stag.
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 Cell with Jasper Cabochon
1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Ellipsoid in plan cell with flange rim and a pair of loops at each end for connection to a chain; inset jasper cloison. 9.63 grams, 34 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980-1990, thence by descent. Private collection, since 1993. -
Roman and Other Blue Glass Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £59
Composed of small annular beads with larger beads as a central feature; restrung with a clasp. 7.29 grams, 45.5 cm
From London, UK, gallery collection, 1990s. -
Roman Iridescent Glass Cosmetic Flask with Spiral Trail
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Bulbous body with long funicular neck and everted rim, applied strap handles to the top, applied spiral decoration to the body. 14.6 grams, 76 mm
Ex London gallery, UK, 1986. Ex private UK collection.
Small cosmetic flasks with tubular bodies, conical feet and trailed decoration were a common product of the Syro-Palestinian workshops in the Eastern Roman Empire, during the 4th-5th century A.D. Many such vessels had elaborate basket-handles, from which they could be suspended.