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LOT 0159
Romano-Scottish Legion XX Valeria Victrix 'Inchtuthil Fort' Boxed Educational Iron Nail Hoard Set
CIRCA 83-87 A.D.
14 1/8 x 6 1/4 in. (713 grams total, 36 x 15.8 cm).
Group of five iron clout-nails permanently mounted in a wooden display case with sloping sides and sliding glazed lid; with information panel 'Iron Nails / From / Roman Legionary Fortress / at / Inchtuthil, Perthshire, Scotland / A.D.83-87'; supplied with a printout on the subject of the Inchtuthil fortress. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom excavations started by Richmond in Perthshire, Scotland, from the 1950s, and discovered in the summer of 1960.
Selected and boxed by David Colville & Sons by 1963.
Property of a Norwich, Norfolk, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Mapelli, C., Nicodemi, W., Riva, R.F., Vedani, M., Gariboldi, E., ‘Nails of the Roman legionary at Inchtuthil’ in La Metallurgia Italiana, January 2009, pp.51-58; fog nails used for crucifixion Connolly, P., Living in the time of Jesus of Nazareth, Oxford, 1983, pp.50-51.
FootnotesThe fortress at Inchtuthil was a fortified headquarters and forward supply depot for the forces led by the Roman governor, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, when he undertook a lengthy campaign against the Caledonian tribes in the north of Britain. The campaign is mentioned in the biographical work written by his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, which has been studied in order to understand the Roman plan for the subjugation of the island. The troops chosen for the campaign were drawn from the 20th Legion (Legio XX Valeria Victrix). While the construction of Inchtuthil and other strongholds took place, the troops lived in temporary encampments which were also fortified and formed a chain of defensive sites from which domination of the surrounding territory could be achieved. Subsequently once the site was abandoned late in the 1st century A.D., (around 86 A.D.) no further building took place there or in the area. Excavation in the 20th century by Sir Ian Richmond (begun in 1952) revealed a pristine site with its complete plan recoverable - unique in the Roman Empire. The defences were a broad ditch and turf wall with stone facing, with watchtowers and gatehouses. The site was thought to have been abandoned due to relocation of troops to counter an invasion from eastern Europe into the province of Dacia, although this is no longer certain. A huge quantity of iron nails (more than 875,000) was recovered from a pit in the fort as well as other ironware; the goods had been buried in order not to let them fall into the hands of the Caledonians. The excavated nails and other items were sorted and sold in small parcels, which was completed by 1963.The nails range in size from small nails between thirty-eight and seventy millimetres long, up to the massive spikes three hundred and seventy-two millimetres long. These kind of long nails were also used for crucifixions.
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LOT 0159
Romano-Scottish Legion XX Valeria Victrix 'Inchtuthil Fort' Boxed Educational Iron Nail Hoard Set
Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
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Life-Size Roman Bronze Head of an Empress
Mid-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £16,000
A member of the Imperial family, possibly an empress, depicted with an elaborate coiffure, the hair at the back of the head parted in the middle and the two strands folded over each other, then pulled to the front to form a looped horizontal layer parted in the middle of the smooth forehead and drawn back, individual curls represented as vertical lines along the forehead hairline up to the exposed ears, two locks hanging down the sides behind the ears, extending to the upper part of the neck; beautiful facial rendering with stoic expression, exquisite detailing to the eyebrows, eyelids and pupils; snub-nose, closed lips, thin and graceful neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 4.07 kg, 40.5 cm high including stand
Acquired on the German art market, early 1970s. German private family collection; by gift to the owner's son in 2015. Private collection, London. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffele D'Amato, and Dr Marina Mattei, former curator of the Capitoline Museums for over 40 years. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12607-234556.
The mature age of the woman depicted in the portrait is revealed by the oval gaunt, deep-set eyes and the folds at the sides of the nose and mouth. The woman’s head shows the typical traits of the full and mature 3rd century A.D., executed in a Hellenistic style tradition. Our sculpture is well inserted in the imperial portrait type, bearing technical and aesthetical parallels to portraits in bronze. The hairstyle could be Scheitelzopf (or reverse plait), tightened by a hairnet, pinned to the top of the head. The same type of hairstyle, albeit with variations in the details (decorative curls and position of the hair loop), is found on a few other portraits of women that were dated to the Period of Gallienus by Marianne Bergmann. Some of the portraits in this typologically related group are likely to be private portraits. Hereby physiognomic features and especially imperial coin portraits need to be taken into account. In this context, it is important to compare the portrait with that of Trebonianus Gallus in the MET. Like the sculpture of Trebonianus Gallus, the head fits stylistically with Roman provincial bronzes from the Eastern Mediterranean or North Africa, possibly from workshops of Asia Minor or from the great metropolis of Alexandria, where bronze statuary was more common and Hellenistic influences remained strong. -
Roman Bronze Ring with Dolphin
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Expanding hoop with angled shoulders, oval bezel with a stylised dolphin. 2.89 grams, 19.63 mm overall, 16.64 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G, USA 3 1/4, Europe 4.92, Japan 4)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Amber Glass Bottle with Trail
1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
With bulbous body, tall tubular neck, broad everted rim; applied trail from lower neck to base; extensive iridescence. 21.77 grams, 90 mm
Previously from a German private collection. Acquired Sotheby's, London, 13 & 14 July 1981, no.442 (illus). From a private Wiltshire, UK, collection. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Sotheby's catalogue pages.
