Live Auction 1186The Collection of Professor Sir Albert Richardson, P.R.A.
A ROMAN MARBLE COLUMN
Lot 141

A ROMAN MARBLE COLUMN

CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Closed19 September 2013

Price Realised

GBP 31,250

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A ROMAN MARBLE COLUMN
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
Carved in relief with intricate interwoven vines laden with grapes, with small birds perched amongst the tendrils pecking at the fruit
58½ in. (148.5 cm.) high

C. Pratt & Sons, Brompton Road, London, where acquired on 12 January 1952.

Specialist note

Roman columns were intricately decorated on their shafts, the most prominent example being the colossal free-standing Trajan's Column (113 A.D.), which narrates the Roman wars against the Dacians in its spiral relief. Popular motifs of the Augustan 'Golden Age' included stylized depictions of nature, of which the present column, with its delicate foliage inhabited by birds pecking at grapes, is a captivating example. This vegetal visible language represented fertility and prosperity.