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_900x900.jpg "Roman White Chalcedony Cameo of a Theatrical Mask")
_200x200.jpg "Roman White Chalcedony Cameo of a Theatrical Mask")
.jpg "Roman White Chalcedony Cameo of a Theatrical Mask")
LOT 0088
Roman White Chalcedony Cameo of a Theatrical Mask
1ST CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (1.07 grams, 13 mm).
Showing a New Comedy, 'Cook' type theatre mask with an open mouth; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenancePrivate English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Private collection, London, UK.
Cf. Spier, J., Ancient Gems and finger Rings, catalogue of the collections, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1992, no.292, for a gemstone with a similar bearded comic mask in three-quarter profile.
FootnotesMiniature models of theatrical masks were mass-produced in the ancient world, and can be linked with the Dionysiac mysteries, in association with funeral rites, illustrating the Dionysiac thiasos, the orgiastic world of satyrs and maenads. However, they can also be miniature models of masks linked with highbrow Sophoclean and Euripidean tragedy, or with so-called Middle Comedy, which now only survives in fragments.
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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