Roman Silver Statuette of Aesculapius

Modelled in the round figure of a hoplite with later pelta shield and corinthian helmet; the figure modelled nude with exaggerated muscles and genitals; mounted on a custom-made stand. 227 grams total, 10 cm high including stand



Old private collection. Anonymous sale, Delorme du Bocage, Paris, 31 March 2010. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12050-211847.

From the yoke of a chariot comprising a D-section ring, collar and knop-ended crescents, broad pierced lateral flanges. 365 grams, 16.5 cm



Reputed to have been excavated near Viables in Hampshire at the end of the 19th century. From the estate of the late Jennifer Simmonds. Acquired from Jacobs & Hunt auctioneers, Petersfield, Hampshire, UK.

Displaying a figural scene in relief with an arch decorated with egg-and-dart motifs and resting on smooth pillars with foliate capitals; the upper field dominated by Sol wearing a radiate crown with seven rays and driving a facing quadriga, holding a globe and whip in his left hand; the central field showing the Dioscuri on horseback, raising their right arm in salutation of their divine sister Helen of Troy at the centre, the twin on the left, whose horse is trampling a naked prisoner, followed by an armoured warrior holding an oval shield and spear, wearing a crested helmet in pseudo-Attic style, the twin on the left, whose horse is trampling over a big fish, followed by a woman dressed in a long garment and raising her hand in salute; the lower field showing worshippers preparing an offering meal; a coiled serpent to each top corner; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 321 grams total, 10.6 cm including stand



Acquired before 2000. From a Los Angeles collector. with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 22 September 2016, no.58. Private American collection, New York, USA. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The complex iconography of the plaque relates to the pre-Christian religions of the Lower Danube region. It was concentrated on the figure of Sol Invictus, the sun god, who was often represented driving a quadriga. This cult came from the Near East but spread into the Roman Empire with imperial patronage; symbolism like this was part of the cult of Mithras that was found throughout the empire from Britain (a temple to Mithras can still be seen in the modern City of London) to its eastern coasts in the ancient colonies of Thracia and Dacia, Moesia, Pannonia and Dalmatia. The rest of the plaque shows worshippers (probably the donors of the votive plaque) who are preparing the offering meal, while the riders on horseback, the divine twins Castor and Pollux, evoke the cult of the Danubian rider. Their sister Helen of Troy stands at an altar of Sol like a priestess, representing fertility. As suggested by Aimone, the presence of the two horsemen seems suggest a military context, a connection underlined by the presence of the fully armoured soldier at the left. This iconography was very popular in the Roman Empire and lasted until the 4th century A.D., being also the subject of other artworks, like the fabulous tray in the recently published Wyvern collection (Aimone, 2020, pp.95ff.).