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LOT 0700
Roman Silver Key-Ring
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (3.98 grams, 17.81 mm overall, 15.08 mm internal diameter (approximate size British H 1/2, USA 4, Europe 6.81, Japan 6)).
Comprising a flat-section hoop and rectangular panel, short shank and disc-shaped head with cruciform void and pellets in the interstitial quadrants.
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Cf. Pall, M., Schlüssel und Schlösser, Graz, 2012, item 4490.
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 Phallic Mask Pendant
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Displaying the face of a bearded god, possibly Cernunnos or Pan, with curly hair and two horns in the shape of phallus; suspension ring to the top. 25.6 grams, 45 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex property of a UK gentleman.
The head displays typical features associated with Romano-Celtic art, such as the lentoid eyes and the schematic rendering of the hair and beard. The head could be that of Pan, god of the wild countryside and of fertility in nature, thus making the phalli-shaped horns appropriate. It could also represent the Celtic god Cernunnos, a Gallic deity whose worship is known from Britain and the Continent from a number of monuments, inscriptions and figurines, as well as on the famous Gundestrup cauldron found in a bog in Denmark. His name means "the Horned One", and is depicted as a bearded male wearing a torc around his neck and with large horns or antlers on his head. Representations of him are known from as early as the fourth century B.C. from the Paspardo rock carving at Val Camonica, Northern Italy. Other representations include the monument set up by Parisian sailors which was discovered underneath Notre Dame cathedral, and the relief carving from Cirencester where his legs are in the form of two snakes. The Celts' preoccupation with fecundity caused them on occasions to represent their male gods with oversized phalli, and a bronze figure of Mercury from Tongres, France, depicts the god with two phalli on his head. -
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Large Roman Fragmentary Cameo with Face
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Carved in high-relief in (likely) agate; sympathetically mounted on a naturalistic base; chipped; mounted by the late Alison Barker in her own inimitable style. 95 grams, 55 mm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister. -
Roman Bronze Ring with Bird
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Large disc bezel with standing bird and cross(?) within a ring, flanking discs with saltire in a ring. 2.87 grams, 23.05 mm overall, 20.44 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U, USA 10, Europe 22.52, Japan 21)
Ex Garcia collection, France, 1990s.
The bird probably represents the dove symbolising the Holy Spirit.
