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LOT 0137
'The Uttoxeter' Roman Octagonal Rolling Dice
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (58 grams, 54 mm).
An octagonal bronze 'Stabwuerfel' rolling dice with rounded terminals, drilled dot numbering rotating the rod clockwise: 1; 4-4; 3; 5; 2; 7; 4; 6; an additional single dimple to the end face of one terminal; all numbers are drilled at the centre of the rod with the exception of the number 8, which is split into two groups of 4, located at either end.
ProvenanceFound whilst searching with a metal detector rear North Uttoxeter, East Staffordshire, UK, on Saturday 11th March 2017, by Martin Colclough.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no. LANCUM-E6101C where it states: 'Stabwuerfel (germ. rod dice) are very rare in this country and this is the first one recorded on this database...This die will be marked a Find of Note for the area...and has been designated: Potential for inclusion in Britannia.'
Cf. The British Museum, museum number 1871,0910.2, for a similar hexagonal bone example.
FootnotesThe PAS report describes this find of note as being 'in extremely good condition'. The dots may once have had an enamel fill.
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 Marble Head of a Goddess
Late 4th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £416
A marble head of a lady or a goddess from a statuette, carved in the round with semi-naturalistic facial features and dressed hair with fillet; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 477 grams total, 12 cm high
London art market, 1988.
The head could represent a late Aphrodite, when compared with heads of the goddess of small late Roman statuettes. In these examples, like here, the goddess’ face is typical of idealised late-mythological statuary, with heavy eyelids, pronounced brow ridges, small lips and a soft jaw. -
Roman Gemstone in Gold Ring
2nd century A.D. and laterEstimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
A sardonyx intaglio of a bird pecking at a worm, set into a Georgian gold finger ring with openwork tendril detailing to the hoop, cupped bezel with rosette to the underside. 3.13 grams, 25.68 mm overall, 18.43 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)
UK private collection. with Bertolami Fine Art, London, 22 April 2022, lot 79. English private collection. -
Roman Statuette of the Goddess Fortuna
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
A bronze statuette of the goddess Fortuna, modelled in the round standing on a circular plinth base, her feet emerging from beneath her floor length robes, her hair held in a chignon at the back of the head and crowned with a diadem. 205 grams total, 13 cm high including stand
Acquired London art market in early 1960s. From the private collection of the late Walter Steinberg, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11633-199467.
The cult of Fortuna was associated with the round of the agricultural year, the wheel of time and the changing fortunes of the individual, both bad and good. The Rota Fortunae (wheel of fortune) is a symbol of the changeable nature of one's luck and was already a recognised idiom by the time of Cicero, writing in the 1st century B.C.
