London, Italy
Terms of sale
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jun 20 2020 - 3 pm BST (4 pm CEST)
The auction has ended
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LOT 67:
A roman late republican black onyx intaglio. Memento mori. Allegorical emblema.
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Sold for: £6,500
Start price:
£
280
Estimated price :
€700
Buyer's Premium: 25%
More details
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A roman late republican black onyx intaglio. Memento mori. Allegorical emblema.
1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.
10 x 12 x 2 mm
This unusual late republican emblema, is composed by a human skull surrounded by three attributes. From the left, a burning torch, a butterfly over the skull and a lictor's bundle. The first two attributes refer to the journey of the soul in the underworld. The last attribute could be referrable to the owner's professional charge: a lictor. The skull is deeply engraved with marked volumes and mirror polished as the other elements. The color of the stone symbolizes the underworld and the funerary context. Ancient wear marks. Rare.
