
Francesca Hickin
Head of Department
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£20,000 - £30,000

Head of Department

Senior Specialist
Provenance:
Property from a Princely Collection, acquired at Cultura (international art fair) in Basel in October 2002.
On loan to the Antikenmuseum Basel from 24th October 2002 to 31st July 2018.
Cf. a Roman silver dish excavated at Chaourse and now at the British Museum, London (museum no. 1890,0923.1); the decorated bands encircling the central tondo are very similar to the present lot. The BM example is adorned with a figure of Mercury, alongside a cockerel and a ram, which were originally gilded. Dishes such as these, with low-relief medallions in the centre, are thought to have served a practical, rather than ritualistic, function; see D.E. Strong, Greek and Roman Gold and Silver Plate, Glasgow, 1966, p. 172-3 for further discussion.
Please note this lot is withdrawn.