EXCLUSIVE SHOWCASE
An exclusive selection of historically significant treasures of unparalleled rarity from our private collection, that are not formally priced.
Please enjoy the showcase!
Please Contact us regarding any enquiries
POA
Ancient Roman Kitten’s Paw Print and Human Finger Marks on Terracotta Floor Tile
Eastern Roman Empire
c.100-400AD
Two ancient fingers, likely the index and middle, have been dragged diagonally across the surface, perhaps during marking, counting, or handling before firing.
Directly on top of these indents, a young kitten left a single paw print, stepping over the human marks as if curious, capturing a fleeting moment of playful curiosity, as if the kitten followed its master’s hand across the surface, creating an extraordinary overlapping narrative in clay.
A museum quality display of human and animal interaction, curiosity, and the accidental evidence preserved in clay for almost two millennia.
(You can almost hear the tile makers shout when you hold this piece!)
POA
Ancient Roman Bronze Military Plaque with Latin Inscriptions naming a Soldier of Legio XX Valeria Victrix under Emperor Vespasian
Eastern Roman Empire
69-79AD
This bronze military plaque bears well-preserved Latin inscriptions, hand- engraved in the late first century, commemorating a soldier named ‘L. Augustus Germanicus’ of Legio XX Valeria Victrix (Legion 20 of the Roman army, under Emperor Vespasian (69-79AD).
Latin Inscription:
LEG XX
IMP CAESAR OIVI
VESPASIANI F O M
L AUGUSTUS GERMANIC
NOMINA MILITUM COS
English Translation:
'The Twentieth Legion.
Under Emperor Caesar Vespasian.
Lucius Augustus Germanicus.
[This records] the names of the soldiers, dated by the consulship.'
Ancient Roman Wine Amphora
Recovered From The Mediterranean Sea,
Off The Coast Of Dènia, Southern Spain
c. 150BC - 50AD
Recovered from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Dénia in Southern Spain, this remarkably intact Roman amphora was onceused primarily for the transport of wine, one of the most important commodities traded throughout the Roman world. Vessels such as this formed the backbone of Roman commerce, travelling aboard merchant ships that crossed the Mediterranean between Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, connecting the vast Empire.
This amphora is morphologically attributable to the ‘Dressel 1C’ horizon of Italic wine amphorae, based on its overall proportions, rim profile, handle configuration, and pointed spike base. Comparative analysis also reveals similarities to ‘Pascual 1’ type Hispanic wine amphorae. The vessel is therefore best understood within the broader Dressel 1C morphological tradition of Roman wine amphorae, dating to approximately c. mid-2nd century BC to mid-1st century AD.
