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LOT 0110
Roman Silver-Gilt Military Belt Plate with Hercules Killing the Nemean Lion
4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (18.5 grams, 53 mm).
A silver-gilt strap tongue from military belt, rectangular shape with soldered bead on the back, a repoussé work representing Hercules, naked and covered only by a mantle, killing the Nemean lion, a palm of victory under the feet of the hero, a dog attacking the lion from above, foliage around the scene.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
See Sommer, M., Die Gürtel und Gürtelbeschläge des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts im römischen Reich, Bonner Hefte zur Vorgeschichte, 22, Bonn, 1980 (1984), pl.54, 11.
FootnotesThe belt fitting finds parallels with parts of belt from Asia Minor, today at the British Museum, inv. EC 252-254. These kind of plates, decorative and engraved with classical scenes, can be dated possibly to the age of Theodosius I. The quality of decoration can support the thesis of their belonging to officers of the Comitatus (the Imperial mobile army).
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0110
Roman Silver-Gilt Military Belt Plate with Hercules Killing the Nemean Lion
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
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Roman Silver Brooch with Dedicatory Inscription
4th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £325
A silver military crossbow fibula with rounded knobs, the bow with a dedicatory inscription in Latin letters 'VTER FELIX IURE VICTO'. 19.5 grams, 62 mm
Acquire in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
The dedicatory inscription 'VTERE FELIX', 'use it with good luck' or 'with happiness' is often found on Roman military artefacts, like belt fittings, brooches, and armlets; but it is rarely accompanied by 'IURE VICTO' inscription ([being the] rightful winner). The inscription is typical of the late Roman military world, but it can also refer to people using the brooch in civil duties, these fibulae being ordinarily gifted to the militia armata and non armata. -
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1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
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Acquired in the 1990s. Collection of a Suffolk, UK, gentleman. -
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Circa 4th century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
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French collection, 1960s-early 2000s. From an important Paris gallery, France.
