Loading, please wait...
LOT 0812
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Cybele Riding a Lion
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 in. (172 grams, 12 cm).
Lug handle to the rear, shallow discus with filling holes and a low-relief image of goddess Cybele riding on her frequent companion, a lion.
ProvenanceAcquired on the European art market, 1980s.
English private collection.
See The Getty Museum, inv.no.83.AK.438.418, for similar in Bussière, J., Lindros Wohl, B., Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 2017, no.358, p.252, type Loeschcke VIII; Bussière form D IX.
FootnotesThis lamp belongs to the group of Provincial African lamps with a plain shoulder and a heart-shaped nozzle. The shoulder form of the lamps (irrespective of African, Italic, or eastern place of manufacture or origin) varies widely. Some of them had undecorated shoulders, like our example. Discus decors include mythology, amphitheatre, daily life, animals (our example), geometric patterns and plain discus.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Roman Bronze Figure of a Grotesque Warrior
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
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. -
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,778
Semi-circular with raised and slightly everted edge, the top with a recessed area with a funnel-shaped outlet; for votive offerings within a church; restored. 84.5 kg including backplate, 91 cm wide
In general good condition, re-assembled.
Acquired in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Ex David Read 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.12080-214035.
Marble tables such as the present example are called in archaeological terms sigma tables, in consideration of their resemblance to the Greek letter sigma. Sigma-shaped tables appeared in the banquet halls at the end of the 4th century and within Christian buildings from the following century. Most of the undecorated slabs were used as liturgical table tops for feasts to honour the deceased. This commemorative practice was known throughout the late Roman world in west and east, where it continued in the daily life of the citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. In ecclesiastical settings, circular and sigma-shaped tables were used to collect offerings or for celebrating the agape, more generally as secondary furniture, while the rectangular form was preferred for use as an altar. -
Roman Bone Venus Statuette
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Modelled in the round, Venus standing nude with hands raised to dress her hair; dorsal pillar pierced at shoulder height for suspension. 4.9 grams, 40 mm
From 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.
The iconography of Venus Anadyomene was one of the most commonly used images of the goddess in classical sculpture, and was still popular during the late Roman Empire. The best example of this is the Louvre Venus Anadyomene (Ma 3537) of the 4th century A.D., found in the 19th century at Saint George de la Montagne near Bordeaux, inside a rich aristocratic house and coming from Aphrodisias, an ancient place of statuary production for export.
