Mammoth five-day sale of antiquities, art, natural history and coins offered at TimeLine March 5-9

Life-size Roman marble statue of a magistrate, dating from the late 3rd or early 4th century, estimated at £200,000-£300,000 ($251,350-$377,025) at Timeline Auctions.

HARWICH, U.K. – A life-size Roman marble statue of a magistrate, dating from the late 3rd or early 4th century, leads the mammoth five-day dispersal at TimeLine Auctions. The series of auctions, which spans Tuesday, March 5 through Saturday, March 9, begins with four days of antiquities and works of art followed by a session devoted to natural history and coins. The catalogs are all open to bidding now at LiveAuctioneers.

The near-complete marble group is a distinctive type with the toga, the short haircut and the stylized facial features dating it to the period of the Tetrachy under the emperor Diocletian (284-305 A.D.). Made for a high-ranking citizen with political and ritual responsibilities, it is likely to represent an official of an Eastern empire city, either in Greece or Illyria. Unlike many late Roman sculptures, in which a portrait head is often attached to an earlier body, it appears to have been created as a whole. The footwear, a crepida sandal of Greek type, is particularly well carved. The statue comes for sale with a provenance to a private collection in Switzerland and was previously owned by the vendor’s father in Munich, Germany in the 1980s. The estimate is £200,000-£300,000 ($251,350-$377,025).

Dating to the 2nd century is a pair of Roman gold rings made for a married couple. The two matching solid hoops with expanding shoulders are each set with a dark blue nicolo intaglio, with one bearing a profile bust of a young Hercules and the other having a profile bust of a woman wearing a taenia or a wreath on her head. They come from a London collection with an estimate of £3,500-£4,500 ($4,400-$5,655).

Recent metal detecting finds are a regular feature of these sales. This catalog features a medieval bishop’s ring estimated at £5,000-£7,000 ($6,280-$8,800) that was unearthed near Drayton in Oxfordshire, England in September 2018. The ring was declared under the country’s Treasure Act and is accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme report, dating it to around 1200-1300 A.D. Set with a cabochon sapphire within an asymmetrical hexagonal cell, it is particularly remarkable for an enigmatic inscription NI ONAN NRIO ONIC NIAI AINO ANIOI NAN. Many late medieval rings and brooches bear similar apparently meaningless inscriptions. It may be that many engravers and their clients were illiterate, but it is equally possible such random groups of letters were felt to be ‘magical’ by the owner.

Other early medieval works of art include both a Byzantine silver offering dish (estimated at £20,000-£30,000, or $25,135-$37,700) and a 13th-century Limoges gilt bronze and enamel casket with provenance to John Pierpont Morgan (estimated at £10,000-£14,000, or $12,565-$17,595). The dish, dated to the 11th or 12th century, comes by descent from a European family collection formed in the 1990s. The decorative scheme worked in niello is centered by the Greek letters Chi Rho and flanked by Alpha and Omega. To the rim in capitals is a Byzantine inscription translated as For the eternal rest of him who had knowledge in the name of the Lord.

The small Limoges casket or chrismatory is one J. P. Morgan, a voracious collector of early European works of art, owned until 1917. A type typically dated to the first half of the 13th century, it features enamel vignettes of Christ in Majesty and a repeating pattern of floral lozenges to two sides and end-panels of angels added at a later date.

Life-size Roman marble statue of a magistrate, dating from the late 3rd or early 4th century, estimated at £200,000-£300,000 ($251,350-$377,025) at Timeline Auctions.

Life-size Roman marble statue of a magistrate, dating from the late 3rd or early 4th century, estimated at £200,000-£300,000 ($251,350-$377,025) at Timeline Auctions.

A pair of Roman 2nd century gold and intaglio rings made for a married couple, estimated at £3,500-£4,500 ($4,400-$5,655) at Timeline Auctions.

A pair of Roman 2nd century gold and intaglio rings made for a married couple, estimated at £3,500-£4,500 ($4,400-$5,655) at Timeline Auctions.

Medieval gold and sapphire bishop’s ring, estimated at £5,000-£7,000 ($6,280-$8,800) at Timeline Auctions.

Medieval gold and sapphire bishop’s ring, estimated at £5,000-£7,000 ($6,280-$8,800) at Timeline Auctions.

Byzantine silver offering dish from the 11th or 12th century, estimated at £20,000-£30,000 ($25,135-$37,700) at Timeline Auctions.

Byzantine silver offering dish from the 11th or 12th century, estimated at £20,000-£30,000 ($25,135-$37,700) at Timeline Auctions.

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell

Roland Arkell is editor of Auction Central News and deputy editor at Antiques Trade Gazette. He has been writing about all aspects of the art and antiques market for more than 25 years.

Authenticated ancient art, artifacts and jewelry emerge at Apollo Dec. 17

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LONDON – Antiquities and cultural art continue to grow in popularity, particularly for those who recognize the way in which an ancient artwork – whether a statue, a tapestry or a painted vessel – can elevate the tone of a room’s décor. Apollo Art Auctions has announced a Sunday, December 17 online-only auction of expertly authenticated, well-provenanced artifacts from Classical Europe through Egypt and the Near East, as well as many art treasures of China, India and the Islamic world. The catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

Nearly 60 lots of ancient Egyptian art will be auctioned. This rimmed stone plate or tray with a surface displaying a beautiful array of natural veins is among the leading lots. Made circa-3000-2750 BCE, it was formerly the property of a North London gentleman and, prior to that, was part of a private collection formed in Paris in the 1970s. It is estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520).

Applied arts were at the center of Classical Greek culture. An Attic red-figure krater with an attractive inverted bell-shape body dates to around the late 4th-3rd century BCE and measures 290 by 290mm (11.4 by 11.4in). Its richly painted program consists of a winged figure of Hypnos holding a trident on Side A, and a robed female, probably representing the deceased, on Side B. British and Continental European provenance can be traced back to its 1990s purchase in Paris. The krater is estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520).

The sale will commence with a much earlier Greek production dating to circa 5th century BCE: a compelling bas-relief marble face with well-formed, nicely proportioned features, mounted on a custom-made stand. Its provenance includes the collection of a North London gentleman and, prior to that, a European collection and acquisition in Paris in the 1990s. The piece is estimated at £6,000-£9,000 ($7,520-$11,290).

From the Roman Imperial period, a circa-100-300 CE marble funerary plaque serves as an eternal tribute to ‘ABURIA PROCULA’ and is carved with three lines of Latin inscription. It measures 220 by 330mm (8.7 by 13in). Most recently the property of a London gallery and previously acquired on the Dutch art market, it was also once owned by Cedric Renard, who obtained it on the Brussels art market in 1984. It carries an estimate of £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520).

A circa-400 BCE Hellenistic carnelian intaglio portrait of a mature bearded man set in a gold ring of a later period is also featured. It has been held in successive British collections since its 1970s acquisition on the U.K. art market. It is estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520).

Another wonderful jewelry highlight is a Byzantine gold ring dating to circa 1200 CE. Its rectangular bezel is carved with an ‘IC’ monogram for Jesus and has a laurel-wreath inscription for ‘Scorpio.’ The ring has been XRF tested and claims an illustrious provenance. Prior to its ownership by a London ancient art gallery, it was part of the celebrated collection of the late London barrister Alison Barker, who acquired it sometime between the early 1960s and 1990s. The ring has an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 ($2,500-$3,760).
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Greek 5th century BCE marble face, estimated at £6,000-£9,000 ($7,520-$11,290) at Apollo Art Auctions.
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4th-3rd Century BCE finely modeled pottery krater, estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520) at Apollo Art Auctions.
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Roman CE 100-300 marble funerary plaque for ABURIA PROCULA, estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520) at Apollo Art Auctions.
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Egyptian 3000-2750 BCE stone shallow plate or tray, estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520) at Apollo Art Auctions.
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Hellenistic 400 BCE carnelian stone intaglio, estimated at £4,000-£6,000 ($5,010-$7,520) at Apollo Art Auctions.
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Byzantine 1200 CE gold finger ring, estimated at £2,000-£3,000 ($2,500-$3,760) at Apollo Art Auctions.
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London’s Apollo Galleries to host top-tier Nov. 21 Ancient Art & Antiquities Auction

Ancient Egyptian sculpted gilt wood and bronze ibis, circa 664-32 BC, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, of a type often formed as coffins for mummified ibises. Size: 190mm x 250mm. Provenance: private London collection; ex Attal collection, Austin, Texas; via family descent from great uncle, initially acquired in first half of 20th century. Estimate £10,000-£20,000

LONDON – After 10 years as a recognized leader in the field of ancient art and antiquities, London’s Pax Romana has rebranded as Apollo Galleries. Adopting the name of the Greek god of the sun – and everything under the sun, including art, knowledge, music, poetry and truth – Apollo Galleries hopes to be every bit as multifaceted in its worldly domain as Apollo was in his divine realm. Secured by a deep investment in its future, the company has expanded its elegant two-floor gallery directly opposite The British Museum, increased its roster of managers and expert consultants; installed new scientific equipment for in-house object analysis, and launched new divisions, including Ancient Interiors and Wearable Ancient Jewellery. The firm will be hosting regular events and lectures, and producing informative videos while also hosting a year-round slate of exceptional specialty auctions.

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