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_900x900.jpg "Romano-British Bronze Adlocutio Type Repousse Brooch")
_200x200.jpg "Romano-British Bronze Adlocutio Type Repousse Brooch")
.jpg "Romano-British Bronze Adlocutio Type Repousse Brooch")
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.
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
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Roman Bronze Phallic Mask Pendant
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Displaying the face of a bearded god, possibly Cernunnos or Pan, with curly hair and two horns in the shape of phallus; suspension ring to the top. 25.6 grams, 45 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex property of a UK gentleman.
The head displays typical features associated with Romano-Celtic art, such as the lentoid eyes and the schematic rendering of the hair and beard. The head could be that of Pan, god of the wild countryside and of fertility in nature, thus making the phalli-shaped horns appropriate. It could also represent the Celtic god Cernunnos, a Gallic deity whose worship is known from Britain and the Continent from a number of monuments, inscriptions and figurines, as well as on the famous Gundestrup cauldron found in a bog in Denmark. His name means "the Horned One", and is depicted as a bearded male wearing a torc around his neck and with large horns or antlers on his head. Representations of him are known from as early as the fourth century B.C. from the Paspardo rock carving at Val Camonica, Northern Italy. Other representations include the monument set up by Parisian sailors which was discovered underneath Notre Dame cathedral, and the relief carving from Cirencester where his legs are in the form of two snakes. The Celts' preoccupation with fecundity caused them on occasions to represent their male gods with oversized phalli, and a bronze figure of Mercury from Tongres, France, depicts the god with two phalli on his head. -
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Free-standing with semi-naturalistic detailing to the head, wing and tail feathers, comb and wattle. 78 grams, 47 mm
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3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £278
Modelled free-standing and in the round with stylised anatomical detailing. 109 grams, 77 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
