Los Nr. 496 - Auction 66 - Part II

Los Nr. 496

Glyptics
A very fine late Roman chalcedony Phalera. Lion's head.
Ergebnis:
10.000,00 GBP
Gebote:
1

Gebote

Status:
geschl. Auktion

Beschreibung

A very fine late Roman chalcedony Phalera. Lion's head.
Diam. 68 x 42 mm
Lion's head in frontal position, slightly open jaws; the teeth are visible at the sides, in the center the tongue is hanging from the lower lip. The snout is linear, the skull is massive. The eyes show the iris and the engraved pupil (typically late Roman). the mane is arranged neatly in a radial pattern around the snout, short locks divided by curvilinear incisions. The ears are rounded in a regular hollow. The whiskers are engraved on the snout. The artifact is carved in high relief with great skill. The back is concave, and is dug deep to lighten the piece and give the stone transparency and color. On the edge there are four circular through holes, with cruciform correspondence, to fix the stone to an edge. Even the half-open mouth has a through hole between the teeth. Phaleras are military decorations to be worn on armor, as evidence of an act of valor. These decorations were usually made of bronze (and depicted as protomes of lions, masks of Eros and Gorgon or busts), which were more suitable for battles, and also for the harness of the horses. The chalcedony specimens, much more delicate and precious, are mostly referred to triumphal parades or military valor assignments. Phaleras were mounted on three rows and tied with reinforced leather straps; forming a sort of breastplate that was worn and then fixed to the Roman soldiers’ armor. The funeral stele of the highly decorated centurion Marcus Celius, who bravely died with the VIII legion in the Teutoburg forest, faithfully testifies all his military decorations; among these were five phaleras on the chest (Landesmuseum, Bonn).
About the here presented chalcedony phalera with head of a lion in front position, the model must be identified, in addition to the already known bronze lion's head phaleras, both in the sculptural production (lion's masks set on marble sarcophagis of the late imperial production- oriental ateliers ), and in the bronze studs that held the rings to knock on the doors (so-called "roman lion head door knocker"). Due to the typology and stylistic rendering of some engraving details, this comparison between the chalcedony phalera and these bronze lion mask door knocker is pointful (the bronze studs present lateral fixing holes too: the two symmetrical details engraved on the lion's forehead that look like lance-shaped leaves, positioned vertically between the meeting between the septum and the ocular orbit, can be also found on some bronze studs like the above mentioned one. It testify a recurrent stylistic detail in the late ancient Roman production (between the 3rd and 4th century AD ). An interesting comparison also comes from the glyptic collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna: chalcedony phalera-cameo, frontal lion's head, n. inv. X 11, light blue chalcedony with opalescent tones, dated II-III century A.D. (from Coll. Joseph de France - Baroness K. von Hess 1808). Extraordinary variety of blue variegated chalcedony with opalescent and milky tones; with the backlight it assume a pleasant vivid brown-orange hue. Whitish nodule vein centered with skill on the forehead, near the two orbital arches. Mirror polishing made with great skill. Slight signs of wear, especially on the edge and on the back. Extremely rare. English private collection, since 1978. For comparison: the specimen is published in D. Del Bufalo, Precious Portrait. Tiny Sculptures Masterpieces of Imperial Rome, the Renaissance Taste and the Antique, Allemandi 2019 n. 534; M. Feugère “Phalères romaines en calcédoine” in Miscellanea di studi archeologici e di Antichità vol 3, 1989, pp. 31-51; idem vol 2, 1986, pp. 89-132.
3rd-4th century AD.
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