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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 Honey-Coloured Cast Glass Flask
1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
With piriform body, tubular neck with everted rolled rim, raised rib below the shoulder. 54 grams, 97 mm
From an important London, UK, collection, 1970-1990s. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of Mars on Horseback
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Wearing a crested helmet, cloak, bloused tunic and braccae, the god bestriding his mount with right arm raised and hand open to support a spear; mounted on a custom-made stand. 80.1 grams total, 68 mm including stand
From 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. -
Roman Redware Ram Pottery Sherd
Circa 4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Fragment of a terracotta votive statuette representing a ram, detail to the horns, ears and fleece; set with a suspension ring on the reverse. 50 grams, 77 mm wide
Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Many figurines of this type have been found in the Hellenised Roman provinces of the east and one identical in the Athenian Agora. They are all rendered with incisions that are characteristic of the technique of the late fourth century. Many similar examples were found in the Kerameikos and some are in the National Museum of Archaeology, Athens. A similar technique is observable in the handles representing animal heads which occur on red pottery ornamented with white paint.