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LOT 0157
Roman Silver Statuette of a Genius
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
3 1/2 in. (149 grams total, 88 mm high including stand).
Advancing wearing an ankle-length toga drawn over the head as a cowl, the left hand supporting a partly-unfurled scroll; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 460, for similar.
FootnotesThe statuette represents a priest dressed in a tunic and large cloak, the hem of which covers the head (capite velato). His right hand had to hold a portion of incense, while with his left hand he holds a container for the same incense.
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 Medical Tool Collection
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Including suture needle, bulbous probe, cosmetic or medical spoon, tweezers and other items, all mounted on a rigid board in a wooden frame. 501 grams, 32.4 x 26.4 cm
with Auktionshaus Owl, Bielefeld, Auction 37, 28 September 2013, no.37609. European private collection. -
Large Roman Bronze Staff Finial with Bust of Serapis
Circa 2nd century A.D.Estimate: £60,000 - 80,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £27,778
With luxuriant long wavy hair and characteristic vertical locks at the forehead, full beard with two large ringlets below the chin, wearing a chiton and a himation draped over the left shoulder, the head surmounted by a corn modius decorated with olive branch in relief, the bust supported on the back of an eagle standing atop an orb with spread wings, the eagle with its head slightly turned to the left, the feathers finely detailed; a finial from a staff or a ceremonial standard. 1.4 kg, 29.5 cm high
Repaired.
Ex private collection, South Germany, 1980. with Gorny and Mosch, Munich, 13 December 2003, no.74. with Christie's, New York, 8 June 2012, no.239 (US $120,000-180,000). 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.11789-206489.
The Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.) modelled many of his portraits based on Serapis. But it was under Hadrian that the refurbishment of the statue in the Serapeum increased the demand for small-scale images, like this one, probably made during his reign and used atop of a processional sceptre or standard for the cult of the god. -
Roman Bronze Square-Shaped Bell
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Of quadrilateral form, with a rectangular cross-section at base, tapering to a rounded dome with large integral suspension loop with five facets to the outer face; clanger absent. 162 grams, 82 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
The Romans used bells in ritual and secular contexts, when they could be suspended from the necks of animals, worn for talismanic protection or as anklets by servants.