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LOT 0763
Roman to Post Medieval Bell Collection
1ST-18TH CENTURY A.D.
1 - 2 5/8 in. (126 grams total, 23-67 mm).
Including cow-bell, hemispherical, jingle and other types; many of these objects are published in the Detector Finds book series. [4, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.
LiteratureCf. Bailey, G., Finds Identified, Witham, 2000, p.64-65.
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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Roman Early Christian Terracotta Oil Lamp
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £211
With decorated bow shaped nozzle, large central filling-hole surrounded by a dotted ridge, shoulder decorated by geometric patterns; the handle shaped as a human face representing a head of Christ or a saint. 64 grams, 10 cm
Collected from 1970-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
The lamp seems to be a variant of the type Beit Nattif lamps, usually with pyramidal handle (here substituted by a head of a saint or Christ) and a reddish slip on the upper part. This was the most widespread type of lamps in use in Judaea in the Late Roman Period. -
Roman Bronze Eros Statuette Fragment
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Modelled in the round, the left hand of Cupid-Eros gripping the stem of a bloom with three radiating leaves; mounted on a custom-made stand. 46 grams total, 72 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. -
Large Late Roman Sigma-Shaped Marble Offering Table Top
Eastern Mediterranean, 4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
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.
