Roman bone toy doll
€1,500
available
Object number
AR3500F03
| Object: |
Roman bone toy doll
|
| Material: |
Bone.
|
| Period: |
Late 2nd century AD, Roman Imperial period. |
| Description: |
This intricately carved bone figurine portrays a stylized human form, showcasing fine craftsmanship. It is a figure of a woman featuring simplified anatomical details, emphasizing its artistic abstraction rather than realism. The head was made separately and can be taken off. Also the legs and arms were made separately. The arms - now missing - could once be moved, the holes for mounting them can still be seen. The figurine was probably a toy doll. But it could also have held a symbolic or ritual significance. Sometimes archaeologists label this type of figure as Venus. The closest parallels to the piece described here were found in Italy or the Levant.
|
| Dimensions: |
19cm high without modern wooden base, 20.2cm high with wooden base.
|
| Condition: |
Some stable or stabilized cracks on the body. Two fragments near the legs have been reattached on the back, with larger remaining missing parts. The face of the head is preserved and loosely inserted into the body by means of a glued-on piece of wood. The head was made as a separate piece in ancient times and attached to the body. Instead of the two arms, which have not been preserved, there are two drilled holes at each shoulder. These holes once held the arms to the body. This elegant figure has been glued to a modern natural wooden base by a previous owner. On the back of the base is a sticker with the inscription "0548."
|
| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 from the German private collection T. Buttler. Previously in the German private collection of Dr. Fritz Ohrtmann and Gerda Ohrtmann. Acquired by them in the Near East between 1960 and 1967 from private ownership or the local art trade. Exported to Germany in 1967.
|
| References: |
Cf. a figure from the Palazzo Massimo in Rome, originating from a 2nd century woman's grave found on the Via Cassia near La Giustiniana. Cf. Getty Villa Roman Collection, acc. no. 79.AI.208, a closely comparable figure from Italy, described by the Getty Museum as a doll and dated to the last quarter of the 3rd century. For comparable pieces in the art market, cf. Christie's New York, auction 21841 "Antiquities" of 17 October 2023, lot 103. A bone doll from the Levant, dated to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, estimated at USD 4,000 to 6,000 excluding premium (equivalent to EUR 4,500 to 6,750 at the time and including premium). And see Christie's London, auction 5952 "Antiquities" of 27 October 2009, lot 113. The doll there, dated to the 3rd to 4th century AD, sold for GBP 2,750 (equivalent to EUR 3,000 at the time). |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
|