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LOT 0075
Romano-British Bronze Adlocutio Type Repousse Brooch
2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (12.9 grams, 33 mm).
Imitating Hadrian's sestertius adlocutio, the emperor with a companion (or Castor and Pollux) on horseback, one of the horsemen holding a round shield; arrayed legions in front of them wearing crested helmets, raised spears and quadrangular shields; legionary eagle in the foreground; the scene enclosed within a rope border; pin lugs and catchplate to the reverse.
ProvenanceFrom a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection, 1990s.
This brooch is an extreme rarity and is believed to be the finest known example.
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.11747-202502.
Cf. Hattatt, R., Ancient and Romano-British Brooches, Sherborne, 1982, p.147, no.140; for the Hadrian’s coin see Mattingly, Roman Coins from the earliest times to the fall of the Western Empire, London, 1977, pl.XXXIX, 25 (BM inventory no.1672).
FootnotesThese brooches were a mystery until one was excavated at Wiggonholt, Sussex, together with three other damaged specimens now in the Devizes Museum, all from Wiltshire (more precisely Cold Kitchen Hill). The image of the original coin was slightly modified. The local craftsman improved the coin type making his brooch more interesting, transforming the Emperor Hadrian on horseback into two cavalrymen, probably the sacred Dioscuri, while the Roman Aquila, symbol of the legions, was taken from the top of the signa and placed in the foreground.
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Large Roman Pale Green Glass Cinerary Urn
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Of piriform shape with everted rim, gently chamfered upper lip and concave underside; lid with bevelled rim, gently dished upper face rising to a central dome and cylindrical handle with piecrust pleats; iridescent surfaces. 831 grams total, 29.5 cm high
Ex Sangiorgi collection, acquired in the 19th century. with Christie's, 3 June 1999, lot 121. The remains of a 19th/early 20th century label can be seen on the glass on one side. with Christie's, New York, 9 December 1999, lot 476. American private collection, Westchester, New York, acquired in 1999. with Bonhams, London, 30 September 2015, lot 91. 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 no.203222.
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Each formed as a figure-of-eight-shaped plaque with beaded edge and central bridge, bronze reinforcement to the reverse and ferrous attachment pin. 71.3 grams total, 15-15.2 cm
Fine condition, edge chipped.
Acquired on the European art market in the 1990s. Ex property of a Suffolk collector. -
Section of Roman Newark Pavement
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The section comprising square and rectangular tesserae set into Roman cement; held in a wooden frame with identification plaque. 4.1 kg, 33.3 cm wide
From a 19th century collection based on the bone plaque and frame. From an old collection of antiquities built up by a family in Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK.
This floor section was originally found presumably near the the site of Ad Pontem, a large walled Roman town on the outskirts of Newark.