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LOT 0815
Roman Silver Military Ring with Inscription
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (10.59 grams, 25.88 mm overall, 21.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)).
With facetted hoop and rectangular plaque, legend 'DME / RGVR' (D(eo) ME/RCVRI(o) (RI in ligature): ‘To the god
Mercury), in rustic capitals.
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s.
From an East Anglian private collection.
Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 217, for type.
FootnotesThe inscription is to be segmented 'D MERGVR for D[EO] MERGVR[IO]' meaning '(dedicated) to the god Mercury'. A common formula for Roman inscriptions in Britain.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Gemstone with Bull Trampling a Dog
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £60
Plano-convex in profile with chamfered rim, intaglio scene of a horned bull one baseline with a hound attacking it from below; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.90 grams, 13 mm
From a Swiss collection, 1980s onwards. Property of a North London, UK, gentleman. -
Roman and Other Bead Necklace
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £65
Restrung designer necklace including oblate, biconvex, barrel-shaped and other types. 16.6 grams, 38 cm
Acquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. Ex London, UK, gallery. -
Roman Bronze Strigil
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
With C-section profile to the blade, rectangular handle with flare to the upper end, old notch to one edge, repaired. 46 grams, 19 cm
Ex collection Dr. Kuhn-Lucht, Germany. with Kölner Munzkabinett, Cologne, before 2016. Private European collection.
An emblematic instrument of the ancient sporting world, the strigil was mainly used by athletes as a scraper for personal hygiene. After training, which took place in the gymnasiums on tracks and arenas covered with sand, athletes and young people rubbed their skin with olive oil. They then used one of these distinctive scrapers remove the sand-oil mixture before washing in water. These actions are reproduced on famous statues (including Apoxyomenos, one of Lysippus’ masterpieces), on reliefs (such as funerary steles) as well as on countless vase paintings. In Attic and Italian red-figure imagery, the strigil is often depicted on perfume vases, like the aryballos and alabastron.
