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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 Terracotta Sigillata Bowl
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
A terra sigillata bowl with rounded base and everted rim, base exterior decorated with a raised stylised floral motif composed of a large flower head with leaf-like petals and a second smaller flower head to centre. 189 grams, 12.5 cm wide
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. -
Large Roman Aucissa Bow Brooch with Wolf's Face
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
A large bronze Aucissa variant type bow brooch with annulet decoration to the head, narrow half-round cross-section bow; the lower bow and foot forming a stylised wolf's face with pellet eyes and curved muzzle; hinged pin and catch to the reverse. 36 grams, 94 mm
German art market before 2000. With a European gentleman living in the UK. Property of a Surrey gentleman.
The fibula belongs to the series C of the Buchem classification of variant Aucissa fibulae. According to Kovrig, these military fibulae were produced in specific centres like Siscia (Sisak) in Pannonia and distributed throughout the Empire because of the mobility of the army. -
Roman Lead Sealing with Bust of an Emperor
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
A round lead seal with male portrait, wearing a military mantle fastened on the right side by a fibula, three Latin letters on the left side, possibly 'I A A'. 2.3 grams, 13 mm
Acquired in the 1970s. Important European collection.
Lead seals were used to seal documents. The sealing shows a facing male head with a bearded face, probably the portrait of a Roman emperor or a high imperial functionary, like a Dux or a Praefectus. The hairstyle is that of the Dominate, or late 3rd century AD.
