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LOT 0643
Roman Silver-Gilt Cicada Brooch
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (3.82 grams, 23 mm).
A silver-gilt brooch in form of cicada with hollow-formed D-section head and neck, flat triangular wings; the head with bulbous eyes above a waisted neck; granule detailing to the head; pin-lug and catch-wire to the reverse.
ProvenanceAcquire in the 1990s.
Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Cf. Bona, I., Les Huns, Le Grand empire barbare d'Europe,IV-V siècles, Paris, 2002, figs.178-179, for similar examples.
FootnotesThis type of brooch was popular among the Hunnic tribes, as well as in Roman Pannonia and Illyricum before the arrival of the Huns. Early Hunnic designs from Pannonia may have borrowed from late Roman types. With the arrival of new populations due to migration from the east,
a new material culture developed, described as the Danubian or Ponto-Danubian style, as many of its features appear in the Pontic region as
well. Although the exact meaning of the cicada brooch is not known to us, it is possible that it retained its ancient symbolism of rebirth or regeneration of the soul.
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Roman Medical Instrument Group
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £25
A group of two medical instruments comprising: a probe with one thick rounded end and a triangular blade to the other; a probe with one knopped end and a flat spoon or pallette to the other. 26.9 grams total, 12.3-16 cm
Fine condition.
Ex UK art market, 1970s. Property of a London gentleman. -
Roman Phallic Amulet
1st-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
A bronze pendant comprising male genitals flanked by stubby phalloi above, pierced suspension lug. 19.1 grams, 34 mm
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. -
Roman Herm of the God Hermes
Circa 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A bronze herm lock element representing the god Hermes, with a stylised and beardless face, long hair descending with two parallel lines on the chest with engraved stylised caduceus, finial with a plinth and a squared pin to the reverse. 110 grams, 16 cm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
This miniature herm, with a stylised caduceus engraved on the breast, possibly represents the god Hermes. It could have been used as a lock for a casket or a box where money was kept. Hermes was the protector of homes, symbolised by the Herma (from Hermes), a square or rectangular pillar of stone or bronze topped by a bust of the god.
