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LOT 0129
Romano-Celtic Bronze Statuette of a Warrior Wearing Torc
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (53 grams total, 67 mm).
Modelled in the round, standing with right leg bent, right arm raised and left extended before the body; with thick tousled hair, exaggerated torc to the neck, jacket with incised vertical lines, tight-fitting trousers and ankle-boots. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Durham, E., Metal Figurines in Roman Britain, vol. 2, Reading, 2010, pl.124; see also Caesar (translated by S. A. Handford) The Conquest of Gaul, 1982.
FootnotesThe pose of the figure suggests that he is in the action of brandishing a weapon, or possibly holding the reins of a team of horses pulling a chariot. Caesar mentions the expert use of the war-chariot by the Britons (Conquest of Gaul, IV.33). The padded garment suggests a Celtic auxiliary in the Roman army.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0129
Romano-Celtic Bronze Statuette of a Warrior Wearing Torc
Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
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Roman Bronze Bear-Head Dagger Pommel
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Hollow-formed with acute lower jaw, triangular muzzle, gusset and rounded rim to the socket-mouth. 29.5 grams, 44 mm
Property of a Gloucestershire, UK, collector. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.
The function of the animal head terminal in the form of a stylised eagle or griffin head found in the canabae at Caerleon was interpreted as a possible pommel for a sword or other weapon due to the rectangular hole at the top of the head for a tang or other attachment. -
Roman 'Wiltshire' Lead Dice Gaming Piece
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Cuboid with impressed point markings disposed 1:5, 2:3, 4:6; with old collector's record card. 44.8 grams, 22 mm
Found Wiltshire, UK. From the important private collection of dice and gaming pieces of Colin Narbeth, London, UK, collection no.65. Accompanied by a Colin Narbeth catalogue identification card. -
Roman Bronze Pan with Handle
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £535
The bowl with a wide flat bottom and convex sides; the inside with incised concentric circles; flat handle with raised edges and hooked finial for suspension. 483 grams, 39.5 cm
German private collection, Mr O., collecting in the 1950s-1960s; thence by descent. with Bonhams, London, 7 July 2016, lot 191. 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.11735-201189.
This vessel was part of Roman and provincial bronze instrumentum domesticum, i.e. culinary or domestic utility ware. Such cooking vessels are rare: some are found in central and northern Italy, in Pannonia, Germany and in Britain. The Aylesford Pan, today in the British Museum (inventory no.1886.1112.1), is one of the most important finds. This specimen (Eggers type 130), probably pre-Caesarian or Caesarian, was found in a grave together with a Celtic bucket and a jug.