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LOT 0158
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Erotic Scene
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 in. (51 grams, 87 mm).
Discoid in plan with short nozzle, broad shoulder with impressed rosettes, discus with scene of two lovers in a bed; underside with concentric rings.
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market before 2000.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Olive Green Glass Vessel with Blue Spot Decoration
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
With tapering sidewall and flared rim, applied blue glass splashes. 37.8 grams, 68 mm
Acquired Christie's, London, Antiquities, Works of Art and Important Renaissance Bronzes, Plaquettes and Limoges Enamels, 8 July 1981, no.6 (part). From a private Wiltshire, UK, collection. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. -
Graeco-Roman Bronze Appliqué in the Shape of an Actor's Mask
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £211
Modelled in the half-round, with grotesque facial features and scooped crescentic mouth, segmented beard; ferrous stud to reverse. 27.2 grams, 30 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. -
Roman Marble Figure of a Phrygian Deity on Horseback
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,040
The rider, Mithras-Sabatios, wearing a distinctive knee-length belted tunic and Persian trousers, with a riding cloak secured at each shoulder and the end folded over as a cowl; the left hand gathering the reins and the right extending a patera in offering; the horse surmounting a capital, with its remains preserved beneath the belly; mounted on a custom-made stand. 4.3 kg, 25.5 cm
Private collection, Bavaria, since the 1980s. Anonymous Sale; Gorny & Mosch, 29 June 2011, no.234. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. 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.12965-245245.
The composition closely recalls a small bronze of Mithras on horseback in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Villa), acc. no. 71.AB.160. The rider's Eastern (Persian) costume suggests his identification with Mithras, the focus of a mystery religion which spread among the Roman legions from the 1st century BC onwards. The horse appears to be passing over a column, indicating that the piece likely formed part of a larger furniture mount or architectural fitting. If so, this would be an exceptionally rare representation, as equestrian images of Mithras are markedly less common than the familiar tauroctony.