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_900x900.jpg "Roman White Gemstone with Alexander the Great and Philosopher Diogenes of Sinope")
_200x200.jpg "Roman White Gemstone with Alexander the Great and Philosopher Diogenes of Sinope")
.jpg "Roman White Gemstone with Alexander the Great and Philosopher Diogenes of Sinope")
LOT 0006
Roman White Gemstone with Alexander the Great and Philosopher Diogenes of Sinope
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (1.24 grams, 16.27 mm).
Frieze depicting a seated Alexander the Great holding a ring or collar towards a philosopher emerging from a cauldron; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
FootnotesDiogenes of Sinope (c. 412-323 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism. He became famous for rejecting wealth, comfort, and social rules, choosing instead to live with very few possessions. He is often said to have lived in a large ceramic jar in Athens, sometimes described as a barrel or tub. Known for his sharp wit and simple way of life, he is also remembered for telling Alexander the Great to step out of his sunlight.
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 0006
Roman White Gemstone with Alexander the Great and Philosopher Diogenes of Sinope
Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
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Roman Enamelled Bronze Cloak Fastener
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising a T-shaped hook and drum-shaped body with central enamelled roundel and surrounding annular cell with reserved pellets. 7.63 grams, 22.8 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Romano-Egyptian Terracotta Figure of a Slave with Fruit Basket
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Hollow-formed figure of a servant with grotesque facial features, pointed cap and a short tunic, carrying a pouch in the right hand and shoulders an overflowing fruit basket on the left; a large recess between his legs may be for the insertion of an oversized model phallus; pierced lug to rear of neck for suspension. 286 grams, 17.5 cm
Acquired from Galerie Puhze, Freiburg, between 2002 and 2010. From the collection of R. L., Lower Saxony. Ex Gorny & Mosch, auction 300, Munich, no.75. Accompanied by a certificate from Galerie Günter Puhze and a German export licence.
Grotesque and exaggerated figurines were produced in late Hellenistic times, especially in Alexandria. The artisans, fascinated with realism, started to reproduce scenes and figures from daily life, and seemed to have a preference for emphasis on ill and deformed persons. The characters with caricature features are usually referred to as grotesques. -
Roman Iridescent Moulded Fluted Glass Perfume Bottle
Cyprus, circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Piriform fluted body with narrow neck and everted rim, flared base. 19.7 grams, 60 mm
Private collection, Oxfordshire, UK, by direct descent from the collection of Judge George Cyril Griffith-Williams (1893-1983), Supreme Court Judge of the Colony of Cyprus; items having been collected in the 1930s and 1940s in Cyprus during his tenure there.
