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LOT 1046
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3RD CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
1/2 - 7/8 in. (30 grams total, 14-22 mm).
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. [20, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
FootnotesThe term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' refers to a four-sided shape. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term ‘token’ is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1046
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
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Roman Imperial Military Iron Ring with Burnt Agate Gemstone with a Helmetted Warrior
1st century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Comprising a slender D-section hoop expanding at the shoulders, oval bezel set with an intaglio of a young soldier wearing a crested helmet, either Minerva or Roma. 6.30 grams, 25.14 mm overall, 19.63 x 16.97 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
UK private collection, acquired on the English market in the 2000s. -
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Roman Vessel with Actor's Mask Handle
Early 3rd century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
A squat jar in lead-rich copper-alloy with concentric rings to the base, bulbous body, trefoil mouth with egg-and-dart detailing, strap handle with vine-leaf detailing, actor's mask at the lower end and a lion's head with open mouth at the other. 695 grams, 13.2 cm
Acquired on the Swiss art market, 2001. Private European collection. 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.12586-232162.
This type of vessel (spouted jugs with trefoil mouth) was part of Roman and provincial bronze instrumentum domesticum, i.e. culinary or domestic utility ware. The typology was assigned by H.U. Nuber to the E type (Millingen type), pieces characterised by a trefoil, highly splayed rim, a short neck and usually a spherical body. -
Roman Green Glass and Other Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterEstimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Composed of mixed beads with larger beads as a central feature, restrung. 15.7 grams, 35 cm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex London, UK, collection.
