Menu
EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBStunning Roman Wall Fresco - Pheasant / Geometrics
Lot 61a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Categories
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$9,000 - $12,000
Absentee vs Live bid
Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Feb 13, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-02-13 10:00:00
2020-02-13 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-4848
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (411)
- Lot Description
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. Wow! A stunning fragment of a wall fresco with a grey background, a colorful horizontal band, and a bird - probably a pheasant, a bird beloved by the Romans - perched atop the horizontal band. The band has white borders, with a deep, wine red background, white-delineated repeated triangles, and thick pale yellow wavy dashes that look like abstract birds in flight at the center of each triangle. The bird has a pale blue-grey body with wonderful darker grey, creamy white, and red details creating a speckled appearance on the feathers and a lifelike face. Long legs extend down from the back of the bird's body, ending in three long toes that rest against and dangle over the white upper border. Size of fragment: 11" W x 13.25" H (27.9 cm x 33.7 cm); size of frame: 14.2" W x 16" H (36.1 cm x 40.6 cm)
The pheasant was an important bird for the Romans, who probably imported them from Asia to southern Europe via Greece and who then spread them throughout the Roman Empire. Roman officers bred the birds for the table but also admired their beauty. This painting would have graced an interior wall of a Roman building, which we know - mainly from Pompeii and Herculaneum - were sumptuously decorated with colorful artwork, frequently covering not just the walls but also the ceilings! They were made by coating the wall surface with several layers of mortar, then polishing the surface, and adding bright pigment. Interestingly, it seems that Romans sometimes preferred darker, earthier colors - like the grey background here. The beautiful bird here calls to mind one of the most surviving examples of Roman wall painting: the gardens of Livia's Villa, Rome.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Gorny & Mosch, Munich, Germany (sale 163, December 14, 2007, lot 52); ex-private European collection, acquired in 1979
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#146817Restored in two areas - one in upper right (facing) and one on lower left. Repaired from what looks like three pieces. Small areas of overpaint along the restored area of the horizontal band. Light deposits on surface. Set into a modern matrix with a metal frame to protect the back.Condition
- Shipping Info
-
All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.
-
- Buyer's Premium
