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_900x900.jpg "Roman Silver Fish Brooch")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Silver Fish Brooch")
.jpg "Roman Silver Fish Brooch")
LOT 0938
Roman Silver Fish Brooch
2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (4.98 grams, 38 mm).
Plate brooch formed as a fish with broad, gently curved lozengiform body, small lateral fins, chevron tail, D-shaped head with large discoid eye; the body with five rows of crescent punchmarks denoting scales; hinge-plate and catch to the reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProperty of a gentleman from Vienna; from his private collection formed since 1970.
LiteratureCf. Hattatt, R., Iron Age and Roman Brooches, Oxford, 1985, item 616.
FootnotesThe brooch is of a type found in Britain, corresponding to Hull's type 223. The fish represented here is likely a salmon.
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 Bronze Statuette of Eros
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Eros modelled in the round, advancing, carrying an amphora on his left shoulder, wings spread to the rear, right hand open to accept a bow(?); mounted on a custom-made stand with brass nameplate. 160 grams total, 12.5 cm including stnad
Ex Phillips UK in 1998. 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. -
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. -
Roman Gold Rings for a Married Couple with Nicolo Bust Gemstones
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Comprising two matching solid hoops with expanding shoulders, each set with a dark blue nicolo intaglio, one bearing a profile bust of a young Hercules, and the other with a profile bust of a woman wearing a taenia or a wreath on her head. 12.83 grams total, 20.25 mm overall, 15.50 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G, USA 3 1/4, Europe 4.92, Japan 4) 20.86 mm overall, 16.35 mm internal diameter (approximate size British H, USA 3 3/4, Europe 6.18, Japan 6)
From the private collection of the late A.B., London, UK; acquired before 1989. Accompanied from an archaeological report of 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.12006-213034.
The iconography here is simple, possibly referring to a married couple, or to important public persons. The 5th century Roman writer Macrobius wrote that the engagement ring was worn on the fourth finger. Legend has it that the vena amoris, literally the ‘vein of love’, ran from the heart to the fourth finger of the left hand. Gemstones and fancy embellishments have been found in Roman rings of every age, although usually for engagement or wedding rings the iconography of clasped hands, symbolising the ‘fides’ among the spouses, was used. Intaglio portraits were engraved into a large variety of stones but nicolo, carnelian and red jasper were generally the most popular for imperial portraits or for the members of the imperial family.
