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LOT 0759
Romano-British Legionary Terracotta Tile Fragment Group
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/8 - 6 in. (1.46 kg total, 13-15.4 cm).
Group of three terracotta fragments with impressed stamps '[..]NVAC', 'LEG.AVG' and one marked freehand '[..}LITOF[..]'. [3, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound UK.
From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK.
He amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s.
Cf. Warry, P., ‘Legionary Tile Production in Britain’ in Britannia, volume 41, November 2010, pp.127-147, fig.3, p.133, for similar tiles; for the history of the Legio II Augusta see D'Amato, R., La grande storia delle legioni romane (The great history of the Roman legions), Roma, 2023, pp.156-160.
FootnotesThe bricks belonged to the famous Legio II Augusta, (Legio II Gallica Augusta Sabina Britannica Felix) which since the 43 A.D. until the 5th century A.D. were linked to Britain. Its headquarters were at Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum (Newport in South Wales) and in the Late Empire at Rutupiae (Richborough). Traces of this legion were still found in Sub-Roman Britain and Sub-Roman Gallia in 5th-6th centuries A.D.
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LOT 0759
Romano-British Legionary Terracotta Tile Fragment Group
Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
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Roman Veined Marble Torso of an Athlete
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £48,100
Standing contrapposto with his weight on his right leg and the left leg brought slightly forward; the musculature of the torso displaying well-defined pectoral muscles, prominent abdominal muscles and wide shoulders, the back with equally toned musculature and well-formed rounded buttocks; the veining of the marble accentuating the idealised anatomy; the now-absent head was most probably turned towards the supporting leg and the left arm would have been raised; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 42.95 kg total, 64 cm high including stand
Formerly in a French private collection in Compiègne, since the 1960s. Acquired from Galerie Chenel, 2015. Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.166817. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Laura Maria Vigna.
The model of the sculpture recalls the Polykleitian tradition. In particular, the tension of the muscles of the athletic body recalls the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, a famous bronze sculpture erected in Argos in around 450-440 B.C., as evidenced by a stele found there. The statue represented a hero, perhaps Achilles, or a winning athlete. Many Hellenistic and Roman copies of this sculpture are preserved, most notably in marble. These include the Tiberian-era Doryphoros in the National Museum of Naples, from Pompeii, the nude male statue, a copy of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, in the Doria Pamphilj Collection, dated to the end of the 1st century A.D. The raised left shoulder is reminiscent of the Diadumenos, a work by the same artist made in Argos in around 430-420 B.C., depicting an athlete girding his head with ribbons or fillets, a symbol of victory, known from many copies. The Polykleitos original and the subsequent copies were enormously popular and became canonical representations of physical perfection and refinement. -
Roman Redware Lamp Sherd with Bird
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With flange handle to the rear, band of fronds and squares to the shoulder, dove with olive branch in its beak to the discus. 83 grams, 12.1 cm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister. -
Late Roman Highly Ornate Solid Gold Frame
3rd-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
With applied heart-shaped openwork panels and octahedrons on the outer face of a decorative ring band. 12.4 grams, 32.4 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s.
