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_900x900.jpg "Roman Terracotta Bust of a Boy")
_200x200.jpg "Roman Terracotta Bust of a Boy")
.jpg "Roman Terracotta Bust of a Boy")
LOT 0644
Roman Terracotta Bust of a Boy
1ST-CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 in. (341 grams, 17 cm high).
A terracotta bust of a boy mounted on an integral channeled plinth base, modelled with semi-naturalistic facial features and a cropped hairstyle, wearing a bulla and a sash over the left shoulder.
ProvenanceEx private German collection, 1960; thence by descent.
with Auktionshaus Owl, Bielefeld, Germany, 5 September 2015, Lot 40605.
Cf. Papantoniou, G., Michaelides, D., Dikomitou-Eliadou, M., Hellenistic and Roman Terracottas, Monumenta Graeca et Romana, Brill, Leiden-Boston, 2019, fig.R22661, p.93, for similar style.
FootnotesIn ancient Rome, the bulla was an amulet given to every boy nine days after his birth. The meaning, origins and use of the bulla are in some ways enigmatic and still a subject of research for scholars. The bulla was worn around the neck during childhood and adolescence. Depending on the social status and wealth of the family who commissioned it, different materials were used; on rare occasions it was made fully in gold, if the child belonged to a family of the high Roman aristocracy, or more commonly made in lead covered with a gold foil. The bulla was also made for the poorer classes in lesser materials, such as fabric or leather.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Silver-Gilt Cicada Brooch
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A silver-gilt brooch in form of cicada with hollow-formed D-section head and neck, flat triangular wings; the head with bulbous eyes above a waisted neck; granule detailing to the head; pin-lug and catch-wire to the reverse. 3.82 grams, 23 mm
Acquire in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
This type of brooch was popular among the Hunnic tribes, as well as in Roman Pannonia and Illyricum before the arrival of the Huns. Early Hunnic designs from Pannonia may have borrowed from late Roman types. With the arrival of new populations due to migration from the east, a new material culture developed, described as the Danubian or Ponto-Danubian style, as many of its features appear in the Pontic region as well. Although the exact meaning of the cicada brooch is not known to us, it is possible that it retained its ancient symbolism of rebirth or regeneration of the soul. -
Roman Fragmentary Glass Vessel Group
Mainly 1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A mixed group of glass vessel fragments: two pale green bottles with domed bodies and long tubular necks, iridescent surfaces; a rolled vessel foot; a clear glass molar flask (circa 8th-10th century A.D.), and a brown glass vessel with white decorative trails. 320 grams total, 1.7-27.5 cm high
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998. -
Late Roman Glass Pendant of a Seated Cloaked Male
3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
An opaque glass pendant modelled in the round as a male figure seated cross-legged on a rectangular base, featuring semi-naturalistic facial and anatomical features and an exaggerated phallus; suspension loop to reverse. 9.13 grams, 36 mm high
Fine condition.
Acquired 1969-1999. London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent.
