Roman Swan-Necked Silver Spoon

Comprising a conical sheet-gold body with applied collars to the lower end and centre, applied filigree and granule detailing. 1.65 grams, 26 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Fragment of an elliptical base for a statuary group, with gusset to the forward edge; upper face with two pairs of bare human feet modelled in the half-round, with the left foot of the right pair placed before the right foot of the other pair, suggesting a family group (e.g. parents with baby in their arms) standing very close to each other; mounted on a custom-made stand. 6.2 kg total, 38.5 cm including stand



Pierre Sciclounoff collection, acquired in 1970. Byron Zoumboulakis collection, acquired in 1986. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, dated 11 August 2004. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12673-234639. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Pierre Sciclounoff was a noted 20th century collector with a particular interest in classical and Near Eastern antiquities. His collection was widely regarded for its scholarly depth and was formed during a period of active collecting in Europe during the post-war decades. Byron Zoumboulakis, a prominent Greek collector and art dealer, is known for his extensive contributions to the art world through the Zoumboulakis Galleries in Athens, established by his family. His collection spans antiquities, modern, and contemporary art, and he has played a key role in promoting cultural heritage in Greece.

Blue glass disc with white glass past overlay imitating onyx, showing the nurturing of baby Dionysos, raised by nymphs on Mount Nysa: the infant god standing on the lap of a nymph, another standing right, Silenus standing left and leaning in on the scene, a tree in the background; set into a later gold setting with applied wire scrolls and tendrils on the sides with an applied filigree band below, wide loop above fronted by an applied decorative plaque set with a garnet cabochon. 21.36 grams, 48 mm



Private collection of a London gentleman, acquired between 1965-2020. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Ittai Gradel. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12680-235465. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Dr Ittai Gradel writes: 'Cameos with Dionysiac motifs were especially popular in the mid- to later first century BC, and the prolific workshop of the gem carver Sostratos specialized in such motifs (see I. Gradel, ‘A tale of two fragments: a Sostratos cameo reconstructed’, The Burlington Magazine 162 (March 2020), 181-87). The original, lost stone cameo, from which this glass version was cast, belongs in this period and ambience. The glass cast was presumably contemporary with the original cameo, possibly slightly later, but the glass is in any case clearly ancient (corrosion, iridescence).'