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LOT 0683
'The Kempsey' Roman Bronze Military Eagle Statuette
CIRCA 43-410 A.D.
3 in. (180 grams total, 76 mm high including stand).
Modelled in the round as a standing eagle with its wings spread, the overlapping wingtips covering the short tail; incised feather detailing to the body and wings, wide head with detailed eyes, remains of a military insignia (a victory wreath or fish?) held in its hooked beak; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Kempsey, Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.WAW-19C7C8.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Portable Antiquities Scheme nos. HAMP-5ED544, WAW-7EC54A and DENO-323D62, for similar examples; Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 268.
FootnotesBoth Ovid and Plutarch place the inception of manipular ensigns with Romulus, where bundles (manipuli) of hay were tied to high poles which served as rallying points for units of the army. Eventually, icons of animals replaced these ensigns: the eagle, wolf, Minotaur, horse, and boar. In 107 B.C., Gaius Marius made sweeping military reforms and the Aquila became the sole standard of the legion, which according to (Pliny NH. 10.5.16) ‘By making the Aquila the standard for all legions improved unity and gave soldiers a symbol that expressed their attachment to an all-encompassing body, to which the soldiers’ loyalty could be directed’. Due to its place at the head of each legion, it became the emblem of the Roman legions, which enforced Roman rule in the provinces, giving the eagle its connotation of dominion.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0683
'The Kempsey' Roman Bronze Military Eagle Statuette
Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
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Roman Bronze Phallic Pendant
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Anatomically depicted with tight curls to the lower abdomen. 27.8 grams, 38 mm
Ex London and Home Counties gentleman, R.W., 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Dark Amber Vessel with Trailing
Circa 1st century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £450
Of bulbous form, slender neck, decorated with polychrome swirling trails. 28 grams, 68 mm
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Bronze Armilla Bracelet
2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Flat-section penannular body and snake-head terminals with linear detailing. 25.2 grams, 63 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
