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LOT 1004
Roman Silver Ring with Apollo Gemstone
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (4.53 grams, 22.48 mm overall, 17.58 mm internal diameter (approximate size British H, USA 3 3/4, Europe 6.18, Japan 6)).
A round-section hoop expanding to broad shoulders, flat plaque with inset carnelian cloison, intaglio image of Apollo (Sol), cloaked, advancing with a patera in each hand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an important collection of jewellery formed over 40 years by a German collector.
LiteratureCf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 189.
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 Silver Ring with Iron Core and Mars Standing
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
The hoop with expanded shoulders and a sub-rectangular bezel with a raised oval intaglio image of the God Mars standing right, wearing a helmet. 16.01 grams, 27.09 mm overall, 23.53 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
Mars Ultor was linked with Roman war imagery. Mars represented military power, the strength of the army and violence in battle. The ring was probably a gift for a soldier. -
Roman Gnostic Magic Stone Amulet Fragment
3rd-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Comprising a half of a bifacial seal, one side showing a standing figure above a lion, Greek inscription before the figure; the other side with Abraxas and Greek inscription on the edge. 5.04 grams, 34 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Large Eastern Roman Green Glass Bottle with Iridescence
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Piriform in profile with a narrow neck and flared mouth with a chamfered rim, dimple base. 945 grams, 29.5 cm high
From the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès private collection. with Artcurial, Paris, 25 March 2014, no.39. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12959-245241.
On ancient glass, iridescence is the soft play of colour that develops as the surface ages and becomes silica-rich. Minute layers form over time and break light into shifting blues, greens and golds. It is not a modern finish but something time has drawn out of the material itself, so the pattern and palette are unique to each piece. Collectors prize good, stable iridescence because it lifts the form: ribs read more crisply, profiles glow, and simple vessels take on depth and movement. Museums now tend to preserve these surfaces rather than polish them away, recognising both their beauty and what they tell us about an object’s long life (though it is not, by itself, a dating test). For display, iridescent glass performs brilliantly under gentle, directional light, where the colours “turn” as the vessel is moved. Well-preserved, even iridescence of this quality is not common and adds materially to the presence and desirability of the piece.
