The Roman Lighthouse at Dover: An Unlikely Survivor from Antiquity

Located on the grounds of Dover Castle in Kent, England, is a well preserved Roman lighthouse constructed from the orange-red tiles found throughout the Roman world, and from local flint and other stones. The original structure seems to have been erected about 50 AD with major reconstruction around130 AD, and was perfectly situated atop the high chalk cliffs of this area to help guide maritime traffic moving through the Channel between the ports of southeast Britain and what is now France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It was originally one of a pair, the other lighthouse having been situated on the cliffs about one thousand meters to the southwest. That structure did not survive the centuries and its foundation is now buried beneath 18th Century fortifications.

The lighthouse’s function is known with certainty due to its very close resemblance to other surviving lighthouses in Egypt and Spain and excavated examples in Italy, as well ancient depictions of the famous Pharos lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt. In its original form it would have been square inside and octagonal outside, with four levels. It stands about 75 feet tall today, with the top 19 feet being Medieval reconstruction. It owes its survival mainly to having been used as a church tower in the Middle Ages and a variety of other uses over the centuries. Adjacent to it is the church of St Mary in Castro, the original fabric of which was partly constructed of material recycled from the lighthouse and other nearby Roman remains by the Saxons around 600 AD. Roman tile and worked flint are clearly visible throughout the structure. The Saxon church is a significant monument in itself, though it has seen much rebuilding. It is still in use today.

Trains from London to Dover take between one and two hours, depending on time of day. The lighthouse can be accessed today with an admission ticket to Dover Castle. The site is managed by English Heritage. Dover Museum offers excellent exhibits covering the Roman and Saxon periods and these strongly complement a visit to the lighthouse and church. Views from this location are spectacular, with the French coast visible on a clear day, the harbor of Dover directly below and the expanse of the Channel and the Dover cliffs stretching off for miles.

Links:
English Heritage page for Dover Castle – http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/dover-castle/
Dover Museum – http://www.dovermuseum.co.uk/Home.aspx

 

Dover Roman Lighthouse. To the right is the Saxon period Church of St Mary in Castro. Note the use of Roman building material in the church’s fabric. In the distance at left is Dover Castle.

A close up view of Dover Roman lighthouse. The figure standing at bottom right between the lighthouse and church offers a sense of scale. Note the layers of Roman tile alternating with worked flint and stone.

View from inside the lighthouse, showing clearly the square interior plan and four levels.

Exterior detail, showing the use of Roman tile in the window arches.

Everyone should read this! Museum staff, not antiquities dealers, arrested for theft of artifacts!

Everyone should read this! Museum staff, not antiquities dealers, arrested for theft of artifacts! - http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/macedonian-police-arrest-8-for-big-museum-theft/2014/02/27/c8a13ebe-9fdc-11e3-878c-65222df220eb_story.html

Italian government releases funds for Pompeii amid new damage to site

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26443808

The Italian government - or more correctly, successive Italian governments - should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. When will they step up and do their own fair share, particularly in light of the amount of revenue cultural tourism generates in Italy annually? For so many years now the EU and mainly American and British philanthropic institutions have done all the heavy lifting.

Clio Ancient Art Valentine's Sale

Hello Customers, Friends and Fans of Clio Ancient Art:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we are holding a sale on selected antiquities. This sale ends 7:00 PM Saturday, February 15.

ROMAN ANTIQUITIES (coins not included), 15% OFF

56 items to select from in stone, ceramic, bronze and glass. You can find these here –

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c15_p1.html

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c16_p1.html

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c17_p1.html

ANCIENT JEWELRY AND PERSONAL ADORNMENT, 15% OFF

36 items, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval European and early Islamic, in silver, bronze, faience, enamel and glass. You can find these here –

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p1.html

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p2.html

BOOKS, CATALOGS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS, FRAMED AND UNFRAMED ART, 15% OFF

24 items available. You can find these here –

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c25_p1.html

As always, thanks for looking.

Best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone: 704-293-3411
Web: http://www.clioancientart.com/

Scholars Discover New Poems from Ancient Greek Poetess Sappho

Link to this story - http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/28/scholars-discover-new-poems-from-ancient-greek-poetess-sappho.html

Collecting Ancient Coptic / Byzantine Textiles

The colorful textile above is a fragment from a Coptic Egyptian ecclesiastical garment depicting saints and biblical figures and dating to the 7th Century AD, now in The British Museum. Thanks to exceptionally dry conditions, many types of artifacts made from perishable materials that would not survive elsewhere are common finds on Egyptian archaeological sites. Between the late 18th and early 20th Century great numbers of ancient Egyptian textile fragments from all periods were retrieved by local Egyptian treasure hunters and artifacts dealers for sale to foreign visitors, by foreigners conducting their own ad-hoc “excavations” and by archaeologists, often excavating using methods that would by today’s standards be considered little more than treasure hunting.

While textiles of all types, from the most humble garments to the most elaborate, and from every period of Egypt’s long history have been preserved in the dry environment, Coptic textiles are a class unto themselves. In common parlance, use of the term “Coptic” here refers both to the time period from which these textiles date – corresponding to the roughly 300 year period of Byzantine rule in Egypt – and the Christian culture that created them, as the Coptic Church, still very much alive today in Egypt, gives its name to both the ancient and modern Coptic culture. This uniquely Coptic textile style continued on in Egypt long after the Islamic conquest of the 7th Century AD.

Many Coptic textile fragments, and in some cases entire garments, have since found their way into museum collections. This has somewhat reduced the number of high quality examples available on the legitimate art market. But many fine examples can be acquired from the major London and New York auction houses and reputable antiquities dealers in Europe and the North America.

Our own website offers a small but quality selection of Coptic textiles:

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i284.html

The example above is a large 5th-7th Century fragment featuring human, animal and geometric decorations. It has been sewn on a linen backing for mounting and custom framed. A brief description in modern Arabic from a late 19th – early 20th Century Cairo dealer enhances its value.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i285.html

This 5th – 7th Century example, from the same old collection, is also framed and features complex foliate and geometric patterns.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i176.html

Finally, this 4th – 7th Century example features a broad band of highly abstracted animal forms, including fish, birds and rabbits, with lovely deep red borders.

Some of the finest examples of Coptic weaving, which was generally made in linen and wool, were reserved for ecclesiastical garments. The 5th – 7th Century fragment pictured below, now in The British Museum, depicts a cross and bird; the bird may have been part of an allegory of the seasons, thus combining ancient pagan and the newer Christian iconography.


 
There are excellent print and online resources for the student or collector of ancient Coptic textiles.  The Coptic Tapestry Albums & The Archaeologist of Antinoe, Albert Gayet  by Nancy Arthur Hoskins, is a very accessible, lavishly color illustrated guide to the collection amassed by the controversial French psuedo-archaeologist Albert Gayet in the late 19th Century. It describes Coptic textile production techniques as well as offering insight into how collections of these objects were built in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Two online resources that we recommend are the Rietz Collection of Coptic textiles in the California Academy of Sciences – http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/coptic/Collection.htm – and the Indiana University Museum’s small but excellent online collections – http://www.iub.edu/~iuam/online_modules/coptic/cophome.html.

New Items, A Sale and Much More for January

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i516.html

 Hello Clio Customers, Friends and Fans,

Thank you for helping make 2013 another successful year for Clio Ancient Art and the Trust for Ancient Art. I hope 2014 proves to be a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year for you.

I'd like to start off by sharing a few new offerings on our website:

* A 3rd Century Roman mold-blown glass jar - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i516.html

* A 1st-2nd Century Roman glass bottle - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i518.html

* A Roman Bronze Claw Foot - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i517.html

We're having a SALE, ending January 20, on the following specific categories of items --

* Cypriot Antiquities Section: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c1_p1.html 15% OFF

* Byzantine, European, Medieval and Islamic Antiquities Section: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c26_p1.html AND http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c21_p1.html 15% OFF

Please note coins are not included in this sale.

Clio added many very affordable antiquities and ancient coins leading up to the holidays and despite the holiday sales rush many are still available. Didn't get what you really wanted for Christmas? Treat yourself to something from the website; prices range from $25 to $2,500 - http://www.clioancientart.com/.

Now for a very important invitation: Clio has a simple ONLINE SURVEY WAITING FOR YOU. It's just 9 questions, anonymous, mostly point and click, and only takes 2 or 3 minutes to complete. To help Clio better serve you, please click here to participate in our survey -- http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/chris-CB3/clio-2014-new-year-survey/

Clio received some positive press in the Wilmington, NC Business Journal recently. A copy of that article is attached. Here a link to the article - http://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/retail/2014/01/03/clio_debuts_in_wilmington/11225

Our Trust for Ancient Art ended the year by facilitating transfer of a fine collection of Roman glass from a donor in Atlanta to the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC. Here's an article from our Wordpress Blog about this - http://clioantiquities.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/clios-trust-for-ancient-art-facilitates-gift-of-ancient-glass-to-mint-museum-of-art/

As always, thanks for viewing our website.

Best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone: 704-293-3411
Web: http://www.clioancientart.com/

Roman Bronze Brooches Revisited: Zoomorphic Types

 

In a blog post dated August 20 of last year we reviewed some examples of Roman bronze fibulae (brooches), a ubiquitous find both in controlled excavations and by metal detectorists. In this post we’d like to elaborate on the topic, focusing on zoomorphic brooch types.

The example pictured above, a horse brooch dating to the 1st to 3rd Centuries AD, while not unknown, is a very uncommon type. It has been modeled in the round rather than as a flat plate with pin on the reverse. For more details, it may be viewed here: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i475.html

 Far more typical of Roman brooches depicting mammals is the example above of a so-called “horse and rider” brooch. As is frequently the case, the schematically rendered rider has broken away but the Celtic style horse is well defined and shows a strong sense of movement. This type, dating to the 3rd or 4th Century, may have been closely associated with the Roman army. The bronze has been tinned to resemble silver. For more details on this example, go here: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i474.html

In addition to mammals (rabbits or hares, dogs, horses, etc.), birds were a popular source of inspiration for Roman craftsmen involved in making brooches. The superb example above, depicting a duck in resting posture with wings folded back, illustrates the use of enamel decoration on Roman brooches. In this case, the wings have a piriform cell containing blue enamel surrounded by red with another stretch of blue enamel around that. In addition, the animal itself is depicted in a highly naturalistic way; even the duck’s eye has been indicated with a tiny point of incision. For more on this example, go here: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i489.html

An uncommon type of bird brooch, dating to the 2nd or 3rd Century AD, is illustrated above. This example appears to depict a dove or small water bird. Unusually for zoomorphic brooches, it’s original pin and coil are intact. Unlike many zoomorphic types that were also popular on the European continent, this specific type appears to be unique to Roman Britain. More about this example here: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i476.html

For many more examples of brooches, mainly Roman, of many different types, visit the “Ancient Jewelry and Personal Adornment” section of our website at: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p1.html

All the brooches presented above are individual UK metal detector finds, declared not treasure and legally exported.

For further study, we recommend the following sources:

Roman Brooches in Britain, a Technological and Typological Study Based on the Richborough Collection, The Society of Antiquaries of London, 2004

AND

A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattat’s Ancient Brooches, Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2007

It's Always Nice to Get Positive Press Coverage...

http://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/retail/2014/01/03/clio_debuts_in_wilmington/11225

Amateur speleologists in Rome are mapping the city's network of 11 ancient aqueducts for the first time in modern history.

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-roman-aqueducts-20140101,0,2669673.story#axzz2pLPIhQw5

Trust for Ancient Art Facilitates Gift of Ancient Glass to Mint Museum of Art

We are pleased to announce that our Trust for Ancient Art has rounded out the year by facilitating the donation of a collection of ancient Roman glass from an anonymous Atlanta collector, acquired many years ago in Israel, to the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mint had previously benefited from the Trust’s donation of a superb Medieval English encaustic glazed floor tile. A few images of the Roman glass vessels now at the Mint Museum are included here.

Vatican to Open Roman Cemetary to Public

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25421841

Christian (and Pagan) Symbolism on Some Late Roman and Byzantine Coins

Although not all Christians celebrate Christmas Day on December 25 (some still use the Julian Calendar date corresponding to January 7), as we are, in  either case, a few days away from Christmas this seemed an appropriate time to examine a few ancient coins on our website that carry early Christian symbols, all created after the Roman Empire had adopted Christianity as the state religion.

We begin with a bronze Centenionalis of Aelia Flacilla (died AD 386), wife of the Emperor Theodosius I. The reverse of this fairly large medium value coin bears an image of the formerly Pagan personification of Victory seated and inscribing a shield with the “Chi-Rho” symbol that had been used by Constantine I, the first Emperor to adopt Christianity some 50 years earlier, as his standard at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

Despite popular belief the Chi-Rho, formed by combining the Greek capital letters chi and rho to form the sound of the first two letters of Christ’s name,  has its roots in Paganism, having been used by much earlier Greek scribes as a means of indicating in the margins of a scroll or manuscript a key passage, abbreviating the Greek word “chreston” (good). This scarce coin is shown in its entirety below, with a link to it on our website.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i470.html

Next is the reverse of a tiny bronze coin of Theodosius II, Emperor from AD 408-450, struck at Constantinople, which had long since replaced Rome itself as hub of the Empire. This is a very early instance of the cross or christogram appearing as the sole decorative device on the reverse of a coin.

 

There is no text to accompany the image, simply a laurel wreath surrounding it (the wreath again conveying much pre-Christian symbolism). The issuer of this coin, Theodosius II, is perhaps best known for 2 achievements: the Theodosian Code, a compilation of laws issued in the Empire since the time of Constantine I, and building the great land walls of Constantinople, which survived all siege attempts until the final Ottoman assault in 1453. Here is the coin again, showing both obverse and reverse, with a link.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i512.html

Finally, we have a medieval coin of the Byzantine Empire (even at this stage, the Byzantines certainly thought of themselves as Romans), dating to AD 1185-1195, the reign of the Emperor Issac II Angelus, There is little to say about Issac II, other than he was the first of 3 consecutive incompetent rulers whose mismanagement resulted, just 20 years later, in Constantinople falling into the hands of western armies for 50 years, before liberation under dynamic new rulers who helped inspire the final flowering of Byzantine art and culture.
There is much to say about the coin. It is made from about 2.5% silver with the rest copper. These poor quality coins, usually very badly struck, were made in great numbers and are today quite affordable. Our example is fairly well struck with relatively clear images. The obverse depicts the Virgin seated and supporting the head of the infant Christ.

 

Unlike Roman coins of the Christian era, Byzantine coins carry the Emperor’s image on the reverse, with purely Christian images or symbols on the obverse. In this case, the emperor is depicted facing, holding an elaborate ceremonial cross and ceremonial clothing rich in Christian symbolism. Here is the coin in its entirety with link.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i515.html

All of these small objects are heavy with symbolism, both Christian and Pagan, and should remind us of how the images and ideas of so long ago have shaped our world today.

Well, this is going to cause a stir...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2522067/Chinas-Terracotta-Army-inspired-ancient-GREEK-art-claims-expert.html

Antiquity of the Week: Roman Enameled and Tinned Bronze Rabbit Brooch

Our selection for "Antiquity of the Week" is this very small but remarkable Romano-British rabbit brooch with surviving traces of a tin coating (to resemble silver) and enamel decoration.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i506.html

CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Roman England but of Continental origin.

DATE: 1^st or 2^nd Century AD

DIMENSIONS:  2.3 cm (0.90 in.)

DESCRIPTION: A remarkable and very uncommon type of Roman rabbit brooch, of the so-called "Rabbit with Young" type - so named because the 2 cells in the surface each form of a small seated rabbit.  These rabbit cells still contain traces of the original red enamel fill, while the surface around them shows remains of tinning. The animal's front and back legs are delicate and clearly represented, with an overall naturalistic body. The tiny head is now missing. The back is flat and undecorated with the hinge and catch plate for the now missing pin still present. The UK Portable Antiquities Scheme's vast database contains only 11 examples of rabbit brooches, found in England but mostly of Continental origin, probably from Gaul, and only a few of these are the "Rabbit with Young" variety. A tiny, remarkable and very uncommon type at a very reasonable price.

PROVENANCE: UK metal detecting find, declared not Treasure and legally exported.

COMPARISONS: For a nearly identical example, also missing part of the head and the pin, see the UK Portable Antiquities Database at www.finds.org.uk, Unique ID: SF-D91D84

ANTIQUITY OF THE WEEK: Roman Bronze Arm, Hand and Purse of Mercury

 

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i490.html

Exceptional Roman Bronze Arm, Hand & Purse of Mercury

CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Roman Britain

DATE: 2^nd-3^rd Century AD

DIMENSIONS: 4 cm (1.57 in.) long, 3.5 cm (1.38 in.) tall

DESCRIPTION: A beautifully preserved hollow cast bronze arm and hand holding a purse from a statuette of the Roman god Mercury (equivalent to the Greek god Hermes). The arm is bent at the elbow, in the god’s typical stance, and the detailed hand grasps a shepherds purse. Mercury was the patron god of financial gain and commerce, among others roles, and statuettes of the god were especially popular in the western European provinces of the Empire. Mercury’s Greek equivalent, Hermes, was also a protector of shepherds, so his purse, which resembles an animal skin, is referred to as a shepherds purse. Unlike most smaller statuette fragments, this example is just large enough to have come from a hollow cast statuette, probably from a household or military shrine. The point at which the arm has broken away from the statuette reveals its hollow inside. The surfaces are a very smooth dark green, almost black, with small areas of pale earthen highlighting.

PROVENANCE: Oxfordshire, UK metal detecting find, declared not treasure and legally exported.

COMPARISONS: See the UK Portable Antiquities Scheme online database, object SF-EBF-303, for a smaller hand and purse found in Suffolk, and the British Museum collections online, number 1851,0813.9 for a complete figurine of Mercury found in France, measuring about 6 inches tall, holding the purse in this same posture.

More Fine Antiquities Added to Our Website

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i489.html

Hello Again:


Just a brief note to let you know we’ve added still more fine antiquities to our website.
Here are quick links to some of these –

* Exceptional Roman Bronze Arm, Hand & Purse of Mercury – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i490.html

* Roman Bronze Bird Fibula (Brooch) with Blue Enamel – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i489.html

* Mixed Group of 6 Roman Bronze Fibulae (Brooches) – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i491.html

And many more…

We’ve also added several more excellent Roman coins, some from an exceptional hoard of Constantinian bronzes – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c18_p1.html

As always, thanks for looking. We will be adding a variety of other objects to the website in December and we will update you at that time.

Best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone: 704-293-3411
Web: http://www.clioancientart.com/

Latest Clio News: Our Move is Complete, Website Uodated and More!

Hello Customers, Friends & Fans of Clio Ancient Art:

Most of you know that in early October we were planning our move from Charlotte, NC to the coastal City of Wilmington, NC. That move has been completed and we are happily settled in our wonderful new home. Wilmington is a modest sized city of just 110,000 people but thriving, with a lively performing arts scene, major film industry, sophisticated restaurant and food community, a strong academic base with a campus of the University of North Carolina, a large Historic District featuring remarkable homes and public buildings dating from our nation's Colonial Era, the Antebellum period and later, and, of course, magnificent beaches, offshore islands, inland waterways and other natural wonders.

Now that we've settled in, we've updated our website - http://www.clioancientart.com/ - with many fine antiquities. These include -

* An Egyptian writing tablet amulet in moss agate - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i462.html

* 2 small Egyptian Late Period faience ushabtis - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i472.html

and - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i473.html

* A superb Roman bronze zoomorphic brooch in the shape of a duck - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i476.html

* A small Roman bronze zoomorphic brooch in the shape of a stylized Celtic horse - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i474.html

* A Roman bronze zoomorphic brooch in the shape of a standing horse - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i475.html

* Many examples of Romano-British and Pre-Roman Celtic bronze fibulae, too numerous to list individually here but these may be viewed in our "Ancient Jewelry and Personal Adornment" section here - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p1.html

* A great selection of Roman coins in bronze and silver. Far too numerous to list individually here, these are listed in both our Roman Antiquities pages and in our Ancient Coins section - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c18_p1.html

Please note our new mailing address below.

Thank you and best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone (704) 293-3411
http://www.clioancientart.com/

Antiquity of the Week

Last week we began a new weekly series, “Antiquity of the Week” to focus on selected examples of ancient art currently on our website at http://www.clioancientart.com/index.html.

This week we offer a large mold-made Roman red slip ware flask from North Africa, dating to the 3rd Century AD. Here are the details –

Web link: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i204.html

Roman Red Slip Ware Flask
CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Roman North Africa (modern Tunisia)
DATE: Circa 3rd Century CE
DIMENSIONS: 16 cm (5.25 in.) tall.

DESCRIPTION: A Roman North African red slip pottery flask with applied decoration. The fabric is very fine and the vessel thin walled and light. The piriform vessel is decorated with appliques, including nude male figures with drapery, possibly depicting Herakles, on either side, with a lion or panther running beneath. Other appliques include three tall palm branches, one to either side of the handle and one between the male figures, and above each male figure a victor’s crown bearing a pair of laurel sprays and central rosette. The handle is mould made and bears a detailed palm branch in relief along its entire height. A simple double moulding below the mouth defines the decorated area of the vessel’s body, and the mouth itself is flattened, projecting outward. The vessel rests on a small splayed foot. Reassembled from fragments but complete with no fill. An impressive example.

 

PROVENANCE: Ex Dr. Harley Baxter (1947-2009) Collection, Melbourne, Australia.

 

COMPARISONS: For a very closely related example, see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession number 74.51.383, part of the Cesnola Collection, reassembled from fragments: http://metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/74.51.383
Also, John W. Hayes, Roman Pottery in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 1976, Number 96 (Plate 12). Also, Christies antiquities sale of 8 June, 2004 (Sale 1384, Lot 166) for another similar example, also reassembled from fragments, that brought $1,434.00.

 

As the demand for high quality Roman red slip pottery, frequently referred to as Samian Ware, outpaced the supply in the 1st Century AD, local imitation and variations sprang up at workshops all around the Mediterranean, especially in North Africa and Asia Minor. The North African examples, made in the Roman province that now corresponds to Tunisia, had the most longevity, with fine quality pottery and oil lamps continuing in production well into the 6th Century.

 

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i204.html

 

Below is a 2nd Century AD example of locally produced red ware from western Asia Minor, gifted by our Trust for Ancient Art and now in the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California.

 

 

 

Fine quality red ware ceramic oil lamps are perhaps the best known output from the North African pottery workshops of the later Roman period. Many examples of 4th Century AD onwards display Christian symbolism. Here is an earlier example of the 2nd Century with an unusual motif of a dwarf or pygmy holding an amphora

 

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i128.html

Antiquity of the Week: Roman Marble Fragmentary Eros Sculpture

Beginning this week we will post detailed information once each week about one particular antiquity from our inventory.

We begin with a Roman marble fragmentary Eros sculpture.
 


Here are the basic facts on this piece -

CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Roman Empire, possibly western Asia Minor
DATE:1st or 2nd Century CE
DIMENSIONS: 17.2 cm. (6.7 in.) long, 10.8 cm (4.2 in.) wide, 8 cm (3.1 in.) deep

DESCRIPTION:A Roman marble relief fragment of Eros, probably from an architectural relief or sarcophagus panel. the figure’s posture is such that it may be reclining, hovering in a larger scene or stepping downward or forward with the left leg. The figure is preserved from just above the navel to the ankles, with the legs parted, one leg bent at the knee more than the other. The figure has the rounded belly and chubby legs typical of Roman Erotes. The preserved surfaces are smooth, with only a few chips. The marble is medium grained with a faintly tan or beige patina, with a few small areas of darker brown and gray discoloration. The bottom section has received two drill holes in the modern period for mounting on a display stand. The flat back side, possibly the interior wall of the sarcophagus panel, has slight remains of a modern adhesive material.

PROVENANCE: Ex UK Private collection

PUBLISHED: Bonhams, ANTIQUITIES, 1 May, 2008, London, Page 206, illustrated in color on Page 207

The posture and general style of this partially preserved figure of Eros suggest it was once part of a much larger sculpted panel composition on a marble sarcophagus. The particular crystalline characteristics of the marble suggest either an Italian origin or stone from western Asia Minor. From the lateFirst Century BCE onward Roman sarcophagai were frequently adorned all around with deep relief figural sculpture. Some examples are noted in the COMPARISONS below.


COMPARISONS: For related examples of Erotes from sarcophagai, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston website (www.mfa.org/collections/search), Accession Number 76.719 for a fragment of a sarcophagus with Erotes playing with a Silenos mask, one of them having fallen on his back. Also, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston website (www.mfa.org/collections/search, Accession Number 1973.480, with 2 Erotes or Amorini in very high relief, dated 200-225 CE.

 Note that this item will likely be consigned to a one year exhibit of Mediterranean antiquities at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC, beginning Spring of 2014.