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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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Eastern Roman Gold Bead Group on Loop
3rd century B.C.-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Comprising four annular beads on a later gold-coloured loop. 0.21 grams, 5 mm
Ex private British collection, formed in the 1980s. Property of a West Northamptonshire, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Orange Jasper Gemstone with Clasped Hands
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With intaglio motif of two hands clasped beneath a vase on a pillar flanked by cornucopiae; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.65 grams, 13.22 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
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Roman Marble Head of a Veiled Goddess
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
With a palla drawn up over her hair, stepped at the rear to indicate a chignon; soft, youthful facial features with fleshy cheeks and a rounded jawline; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.47 kg total, 18.5 cm including stand
with Gorny & Mosch, Munich, 21 June 2005, no.344. Private collection, Europe. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13198-250132.
The head comes from a statue that most likely represented a matronly deity, Demeter or Hestia/Vesta, the goddess protector of the home hearth. The latter seems the most likely, as she was usually depicted (as in the Hestia Iustiniani, a prototype often replicated in the Roman era) with a covered head (velato capite), a symbol of modesty and marital virtue for the Roman matron.
