Bertolami Fine Art - Riversdell Close 27, KT16 9JW Chertsey
Auction 86 - Glyptics and Ancient Jewelry sessione unica
Wednesday 9 December 2020 hours 14:00 (UTC +01:00)
A late roman rock crystal fragment of a bulla. Constantinian inscriptions with emblema.
A late roman rock crystal fragment of a bulla. Constantinian inscriptions with emblema.
4th century A.D.
22 x 28 x 8 mm
On the front of this fragmentary bulla, a crescent moon with a star flanked by the letters D-N is visible at the top. Below, the inscription C-O-N (identifiable with DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG ) and below: laurel wreath that converges towards a floral corolla; alongside, military insignia and at the center of the crown there must have been the Christogram, as can be seen from the engraved details still visible. This depiction and the inscription are identifiable in some monetary specimens of the Constantinian Era. The precious pendant, carved in a rock crystal of extraordinary transparency and brightness, has a through hole for vertical fastening, signs of wear and residues encrusted in the marks. Rare.
U.K., private collection 70's.