Loading, please wait...
LOT 0870
Roman Wooden Wax Tablet Fragment Written in Greek
CIRCA 3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/4 x 2 7/8 in. (45.45 grams, 18.6 x 7.2 cm).
Part of a wax tablet with two holes in the frame for fastening, Greek writing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProperty of a North London gentleman; previously in the Dean family collection since 1975.
LiteratureCf. for a similar tablet in Greek and Latin Wollman, V. ‘Eine Romische Wachstafel (tabula cerata) in der archaologischen Sammlung der ‘Batthyaneum’ Bibliothek, in an V (2010), nn. 9-10, pp.22-31.
FootnotesWax tablets written in Greek or Latin, were used by Romans as account registers (codices accepti et expensi); for transactions (for example, the tablets of the banker Lucius Caecilius Iucundus found in Pompeii); for lists of goods, inventories, and notes to be kept and archived; for Roman magistrates to annotate the salient events of their bureaucratic activities; for writing letters; for drawing up legal texts of various kinds: legacies, declarations of births and citizenship, reports of trials and diplomata militaria.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0870
Roman Wooden Wax Tablet Fragment Written in Greek
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
-
Roman Agate Cameo with Sleeping Dog
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Pear-shaped cameo with a raised image of a reclining hound resting its head on its front paws. 0.84 grams, 15 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
.jpg)
Roman Lead Votive Mirror
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Discoid in plan with slot; reverse with concentric rings. scrolls and pellets; reverse with central rosette. 42.4 grams, 64 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Stork Emerging from a Seashell in Gold Ring
1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,510
The oval intaglio engraved with a whimsical image of a stork emerging from the mouth of a large seashell, its neck arched forward to seize a small mouse by the tail; set in a finely made 19th-century ring with openwork shoulders; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.25 grams, 24.31 mm overall, 19.30 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13365-257944.
The stork, a bird symbolic in antiquity of vigilance, filial piety, and longevity, here appears in an imaginative fusion with a marine shell—an element often associated with Venus and the sea. The capture of the mouse adds an element of humour and narrative intrigue, perhaps evoking themes of cunning, the triumph of wit, or the unexpected in nature. Such unusual compositions are occasionally found in Roman glyptics of the late Republican period, appealing both for their novelty and symbolic richness.
