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LOT 0105
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Erotic Scene
2ND CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 in. (66 grams, 85 mm).
With broad discus and short nozzle, low-relief scene with two lovers on a bed.
ProvenanceFrom a London collection of erotica, formerly in the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
LiteratureCf. Bémont, C., Lampes en Terre Cuite, Paris, 2007, item D.187, for type.
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:
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LOT 0105
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Erotic Scene
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
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Roman Bronze Architectural Ring
4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Narrow D-section hoop with inverted pyramid to the bezel and knop finial. 4.375 Grams, 29.97 mm.
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Essex, UK, collector. Accompanied by an old typed information card. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of Young Mercury on the Eagle of Jupiter
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Modelled in the round as a figure of an eagle perching with its head turned to the right; on its back, the god Mercury with caduceus on his left arm and petasos on his head; mounted on a custom-made stand. 63.3 grams total, 68 mm including stand
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 figure of the messenger-god Mercury seated on the pinion of the eagle possibly relates to a mythic incident. Similar imagery was used in respect of Jupiter in scenes where the god was supposed to welcome a newly-deified emperor into the pantheon: see Metropolitan Museum of Art accession no. 32.142.2, for a sardonyx instance of this motif. -
Roman Gilt Bronze Phalera with Theseus and the Minotaur
2nd century B.C.- 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Domed roundel with high-relief design of combat between a bearded hero and a monster, wreath and rosettes to the rim. 32 grams, 49 mm
Found near Sedgeford, Norfolk, UK, in the 1980s. Acquired in the late 1990s. Property of a Norfolk, UK, collector.
According to the legend, Theseus, prince of Athens, went to the island of Crete to kill a monster who was the son of queen Pasiphae and a wild bull, although officially he was the son of Minos and Pasiphae. Theseus chased him into the labyrinth, killed him and found his way out with the help of the comb of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos. The myth has its representation in the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic period, and was widely depicted in the Graeco-Roman world. The present repoussé appliqué was probably used as a furniture or horse harness ornament.