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LOT 0959
Silver Roman Coin and Framed Limited Edition Print
3RD CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
19 1/2 x 14 3/4 in. (1.26 kg, 49.5 x 37.5 cm).
The coin of Constantine the Great (272-337 A.D.) mounted on 22 carat gold foil, framed with an art print signed by the artist David McAllister, depicting scenes of Roman military activity; limited edition number 3/1150. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK gallery, early 2000s.
Accompanied by a previous certificate of authenticity.
Cf. for parallel scientific reconstructive paintings Wilcox P., McBride A., Rome's Enemies (2), Gallic and British Celts, London, 1985, pl.G.
FootnotesDavid McAllister's exciting design is a 'one of a kind' work that portrays the might and riches of the Roman civilisation. This limited edition print is a celebration of the award winning artist's lifetime dedication to historical paintings of the ancient world. To enhance appreciation of this rare and historic work, each individual print is signed and numbered by the artist.
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
AUCTIONS:
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Roman to Medieval Bronze Ring Group
1st-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Comprising twelve rings of different sizes and types, some with incuse motifs on the bezel. 56.2 grams total, 20-32 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Glass Inlay, Bead and Fragment Group
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
Comprising: a polychrome mosaic glass fragment with leaf decoration and a banded yellow rim; a white mosaic glass inlay with red and black floral motifs; an oblate bead with 'eye' motifs; a turquoise-coloured thick inlay of four fingers with white nail detailing; a blue and a yellow shoe-shaped fragment with applied bosses. 5.48 grams total, 9-20 mm
Ex private Swiss collection. Acquired by Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, from the above in 2011. -
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Late Roman Imperial Porphyry Fragment
4th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Formed as an irregular block with three possibly later polished sides, with the other three sides presenting a descending wall and two hollows carved in the upper and lower part; probably from an Imperial sarcophagus or monument; mounted on a custom-made stand. 10.55 kg, 31 cm including stand
Acquired from the private collection of a Somerset gentleman who was related to Sir Arthur Evans. From the private collection of a UK gentleman since before 2005.
For the Romans, porphyry was the Imperial marble par excellence, and from Constantine the Great until the end of the 5th century, but probably also later, it was used to create sarcophagi for the emperors and members of the Imperial families. This particular stone was connected with the Imperial family because of its red colour, recalling the violet and red shades of the purple (porphyra), the precious colour assigned only to emperors and their relatives. In Constantinople, a room of the Imperial palace was called Porphýra, located on one of the palace terraces overlooking the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. It was perfectly square in shape with a pyramidal ceiling and was entirely covered in purple porphyry speckled with white dots: this was the room where the empresses gave birth to the heir of the Roman Empire, called Porphyrogénnētos, meaning ‘born in the purple room’. Porphyry was widely used for building churches in the Christian Empire, and Justinian exhausted the supplies from Egypt by building the Great Church of Hagia Sophia, where still today a great amount of this material can be seen. The impressive Imperial sarcophagi were kept in the Church of the Holy Apostles, as well as the great porphyry sarcophagus of Constantine the Great, of which only a small fragment survives today in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul.
