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LOT 0967
Roman Silver Horse Head Whorl Brooch
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (10.8 grams, 37 mm).
A swastika-shaped fibula with horse-head decoration, each head with punched ring-and-dot eye, a similar motif to the centre, catchplate and pin hinge to verso. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProperty of the vendor's grandfather, thence by family descent, circa 1985.
From the private collection of a New York, USA gentleman.
Cf. Petcu, R., ‘Swastika-shaped fibulae with horse-head decorations (Almgren 232) from the Roman period in Dobrudja (Moesia Inferior)’ in Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica, 25(1); pp.113-122, fig.4.
FootnotesIn the 3rd century A.D., several examples of fibulae in the shape of four horses’ heads forming a swastika (type Almgren 232) seem to be related to the creation of the Illyrian cavalry corps in Roman army. Many examples of these military fibulae were found in ancient Roman Dacia (Romania), in Roman Illyricum and Moesia.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman and Later Bracelet Collection
4th-17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Including a D-section hoop with ropework detailing, flat-section band with median gusset, penannular hoop and other types. 44 grams total, 46-72 mm
From the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968. -
Roman Bronze Statue of Mars Gradivus
2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,940
Modelled in the round as a young beardless warrior hero with muscular body and rounded shoulders; wearing a high-crested pseudo-Attic helmet with a diadem; the hair arranged in orderly locks over his brow; the bent left hand would originally have held a shield and the extended right hand a spear. 278 grams, 13.5 cm high
Ex collection of Dr Djafari (1900-1981), Kaiserslautern, Germany. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11812-206498.
This statue of Mars Gradivus, the marching god of war, was probably a cult offering. The statuette still presents an archaic Etruscan hairstyle, being part of the Italic statuettes of the god produced as votive offering to the temples or for private lararia. A Gallo-Roman period temple dedicated to the cult of Mars with a similar statuette has recently been found in Brittany. -
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Roman Marble Head of a Young Man
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Worked in high-relief with hairstyle typical of the transitional period from the Consulate to the Empire; oval face with a prominent forehead, oval eyelids and clearly defined lines around the eyes; hair arranged in vertical lines combed back from the forehead; pronounced lips, typical rendering of the wide auricles; the lower part of the tunic visible with a well defined round edge around the neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 5.94 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand
Acquired from Gallery Gryphos, Munich, 1992. European private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11996-211878.
The head was probably pertinent to a series of funerary family portraits. It has realistic modelling of male features, which speaks of a portrait in reduced dimensions or a reference to a well-known person in the environment where it was exhibited. The portrait is worked only on the front, leaving the back, as well as the lower part of the sculpture, roughly treated.
