SOLD- Greek terracotta head of Demeter

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #320018
SOLD -u127

A Greek terracotta head from a votive statuette of the goddess Demeter. The head is surmounted by a Polos headdress below which the goddess' hair is arranged in a voluminous wavy centre-parting. Eroded, fragment as seen. Greek, 6th Century BC. Size: 4.5 x 3 cms Ex. Danish private collection

SOLD - May 2006

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #320010
SOLD - May

A group of six pottery fragments from decorated Samian ware vessels (the pieces do not appear to originate from the same object). Most of the pieces are decorated with geometric motifs though one fragment depicts the hindquarters of a hound next to a vine leaf. Roman, 1st Century AD . Reputedly found in Germany around Trier and Cologne. All pieces are fragments, the sides not shown are not decorated. Size: 9 x 6 cms (largest) to 4 x 2.8 cms (smallest). Ex. German private collection.

SOLD -Roman marble finial fragment

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #320006
SOLD -

A white marble fragment showing a knopped finial above finely twisting fluted "s - scrolls". This would probably have formed the top of a lid of a baluster vase. Roman 1st Century AD Fragment, good cream patina. Size: 9 x 7 cms Provenance Ex: private UK collection.

SOLD - Roman gold ring with cabochon garnet

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #319990
SOLD - j3

A large and fully wearable Roman gold ring mounted with a central oval cabochon garnet. The shank of the ring comprises a broad band hammered into a series of slightly flattened lozenges. The oval bezel is flanked by a pair of granulated clusters, probably representing bunches of grapes. The garnet is a deep purple-red colour. Roman, 2nd or early 3rd Century AD Intact Size: External diameter (including stone) 2.6cms, internally 1.9 cms, the width of the gold bezel is 1.8 cms. Ex. UK Private... Click for details

Nice Syro-Palestinian Oil Lamp, Holy Land

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #313677

Oil lamps are among the most collectible of ancient artifacts for those on a budget. Unfortunately, their low prices sometimes call into question their authenticity, probably because decades of Indiana Jones movies have erroneously taught us that all antiquities are immensely rare and one of a kind. This, fortunately, is not the case! Oil lamps are a good example. For thousands of years, literally every person from the smallest child to the wealthiest ruler would have owned at least one oil lamp... Click for details

Affordable Oil Lamp with Eros, the God of Love

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #306011

This choice lamp features Eros standing to the right and looking back over his shoulder. In Greek mythology, Eros was a god who was in charge of passionate and physical love. (His Roman equivalent was Cupid.) The Greeks considered him to be the child of Aphrodite and either Ares or Hephaestus. He was the god created to harness the power of the primordial "Eros" and direct it into mortals with such force that it consumes them; hence he is the god of desire or lust. This would be apt for the issue... Click for details

Affordable Roman Oil Lamp with Zeus and Sol

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #306009

This choice Roman oil lamp was found in Egypt and probably manufactured in North Africa. The tondo depicts a radiant Sol with his arm around Serapis, who wears a modius on his head.

While the sun god Sol is fairly well-known, Serapis is a more interesting deity. Serapis is a conglomerate god created to help fuse the Greek and Egyptian religions following Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt. Linguistically, "Ser... Click for details

Rare Roman Marble Statue of Venus (Aphrodite)

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #297806

Venus was the Roman version of the original Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Reinterpreted again and again in art, Venus was thought to be perfect of form and shape. She was the goddess of chastity in women, despite the fact that she had many affairs with both gods and mortals. As Venus Genetrix, she was worshiped as the mother of the hero Aeneas, the founder of the Roman people. (Aeneas, hero of the Aeneid, led the survivors of Troy on their long journey to find a new ho... Click for details

Choice Roman Glass Jug from Syria

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #295462

Modern-day Syria, Israel, Palestine and Jordan were backwaters of the early Roman empire, but as the seat of Roman power began to shift east in the second and third centuries A.D. this region began to take on greater importance. The near east in particular became the primary source of cheap and mass-produced pottery and glass for the empire. This small glass jug is one of countless pieces of glass produced in Syria to be sent throughout the expanse of the Roman empire. ... Click for details

Choice Roman Silver Denarius of Marc Antony

Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Roman Pre AD 1000: item #266664

This coin, issued just before Marc Antony lost his civil war against Julius Caesar at the Battle of Actium, is a fantastic piece of Roman history! Antony, whose affair with Cleopatra has become infamous courtesy of Shakespeare, lost this final fight for the control of Rome in 31 B.C. Short on funds, Antony minted these denarii to pay his soldiers between 32-31 B.C. As the Battle of Actium was to be a sea battle, the obverse features a Roman galley, while the reverse features two legionary standa... Click for details