Classical Roman Antiquities
CLASSICAL ROMAN STYLE
During Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D., Pompeii and Herculaneum in today’s Italy were preserved as they were on the day of their destruction. Particularly at Herculaneum, furnishings were carbonized beneath volcanic ash. This was pivotal to understanding how Classical Roman furniture was designed. Archaeological investigations and printed reproductions of discoveries would influence styles evoking this ancient civilization, from the Renaissance to neoclassicism.
While knowledge of Classical Roman furniture comes from rare surviving pieces, it is also derived from frescoes and sculptures portraying Roman life. Much of Roman art, architecture and design was informed by Greece — Roman architect, military engineer and writer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, whose timeless De architectura is taught in contemporary architecture classes and pays tribute to classical architecture, visited Greece while working under Julius Caesar and admired the country’s architectural developments. The Roman solium references the Greek thronos, a stately chair of honor with an upright form and footstool. As the Roman Empire spread across Europe and into North Africa and Western Asia, the expansion of trade for silver, silk, marble and wood allowed for more luxurious designs.
Classical Roman furniture was made from bronze, wood and stone — in particular, marble — with ornate touches like tortoiseshell veneers, bone and glass inlays and claw feet. Ornaments depicting lion heads and mythological figures were sculpted from silver, bronze and ivory. Compared to the decorative attention given to the mosaic floors and wall paintings, however, furniture for even a wealthy house was minimal. It focused on the necessities for guests arriving for both socializing and business and the rooms housing family, relatives and enslaved people.
The triclinium dining room had banquet couches, items so prized they were sometimes interred with the deceased. Tall bronze or terracotta candelabras held oil lamps for lighting. Carved marble tables reflected status, while the lararium home shrine demonstrated faith.
Find a collection of Classical Roman decorative objects, tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: Classical Roman
Epitaph for Quirinia Felicia
Located in London, GB
A rectangular marble slab carved with the Latin inscription ‘QVIRINIAE C(retr.) L / FELICLAE / OLLAM DAT / C VALERIVS PYLODAMVS’, which translates as ‘Gaius Valerius Pylodamus gave the burial urn to the freedwoman Quirinia Felicia’. This is a tablet to the memory of Quirinia Felicia, who had been born a slave and later freed by her owner.
The vast majority of surviving Roman inscriptions date from the imperial period – between the reign of the first emperor Augustus (27 B.C. – 14 A.D.) until the third century A.D.. Although it is impossible to estimate the number of surviving Roman inscriptions, it must run into the hundreds of thousands, with archaeologists continuing to uncover more. Epigraphic material such as this provides information about many different aspects of the Roman world, including political, social, and economic features of people’s daily lives. Funerary monuments make up the largest group of Roman inscriptions. The specific details recorded about the deceased, often including their age, occupation, and life history, provides key insight into Roman society.
Exhibited
Writing and Lettering in Antiquity, Folio Fine Art Ltd., London, 9-20 October 1970, no. 52.
Published
Guilelmus Henzen, Johannes Baptista de Rossi, Eugenius Bormann, Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, vol. 6, part 4, fasc. 1, ed. Christianus Huelsen (Berlin, 1884), p. 2537, no. 25338.
Writing and Lettering in Antiquity, Folio Fine Art Ltd., London, 9-20 October 1970, no. 52.
Heikki Solin, ‘Analecta Epigraphica’, Arctos: Acta Philologica Fennica, XVI (1982), p. 202.
Alessandro Teatini, I Marmi Reksten e il Collezionismo Europeo di Antichità tra XVII e XIX Secolo (Rome, 2003), p. 128.
Adelina Ramundo, ‘Caratteri e trasformazioni del paesaggio urbano delle vigne intorno a S. Cesareo’, PhD thesis (Roma Tre University, Rome, 2012), p. 242.
Epigraphic Database Roma, EDR129669.
Trismegistos Database, no. 587590.
Provenance
Reportedly found during excavations at the gardens of the Collegio Clementino, Rome, 1731-1733.
Previously in the Private Collection of Francesco Ficoroni (1664-1747), Rome, circa 1733-1735.
Private Collection of William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough (1704-1793), Parkstead House, Roehampton.
Private Collection of William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale (1787-1872), Lowther Castle, Lowther, Penrith, acquired from the above, most likely between 1842 and 1872 and recorded in the c. 1879 catalogue Ancient Sculpture at Lowther Castle, by W. Atkinson.
Most likely sold at: Egyptian, Western Asiatic...
Category
15th Century and Earlier European Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Bronze
Romano-Egyptian cartonnage mummy mask depicting a female head
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Romano-Egyptian cartonnage mummy mask depicting a female head
MATERIAL: Linen and Gesso
CULTURE: Egyptian, Roman period
PERIOD: 1st Century B.C – 1st Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 20...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Gesso, Linen
Roman oil lamp, Type ‘Herodian’, Kennedy 3, Hadad 4
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Oil lamp, Type ‘Herodian’, Kennedy 3, Hadad 4
MATERIAL: Terracotta
CULTURE: Roman, Judaea
PERIOD: 1st Century B.C – 2nd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 25 mm x 62 mm x 82 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex Jerusalem private collection, acquired between 1975 – 1990.
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license (If you live outside the European Union, We will have to apply for an export licence for your country and shipping will take 3 to 5 weeks.)
Oil lamps used during the time of Herod, which falls within the period of the Second Temple in ancient Judea...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Israeli Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Pottery
Roman statuette of Eros-Harpocrates
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Statuette of Eros-Harpocrates
MATERIAL: Bronze
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 1st Century B.C – 1st Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 82 mm x 31 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex Ameri...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Bronze
Roman oil lamp with leaves and fruit
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Oil lamp with leaves and fruit, Type Bussiere B III 1
MATERIAL: Terracotta
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 1st – 2nd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 20 mm x 65 mm x 90 mm
CONDITION: Good condit...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Pottery
Roman military cheek piece of a helmet fragment with Jupiter’s eagle
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Military cheek piece of a helmet fragment with Jupiter’s eagle
MATERIAL: Bronze
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 3rd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 180 mm x 123 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex Alison Barker private collection, a retired London barrister, acquired between 1960s – 1990s
BIBLIOGRAPHY: RUCINSKI, E., Get the picture?: Iconography of cheek pieces on Roman Imperial cavalry helmets...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Bronze
Ancient Rome 100 AD Asian Amulet Seal Necklace in 22Kt Gold With Tiger Eye
Located in Miami, FL
Ancient piece from the imperial Roman period, circa 100 AD.
A very rare amulet-seal found at the Roman provinces region in Asia. This piece is carved and smooth polished from a natu...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Syrian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Agate, Gold
Sotheby's Antiquities Catalog Benzina Collection of Ancient Glass July 1994
Located in Stamford, CT
Sotheby's auction catalog of the exceptional Benzian Collection of Ancient and Islamic Glass. An invaluable reference for the collector, scholar or anyone interested in the most delicate and beautiful of antiquities, ancient glass...
Category
20th Century English Classical Roman Antiquities
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Paper
Roman portrait head of a Patrician
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Portrait head of a Patrician
MATERIAL: Marble
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 1st Century B.C
DIMENSIONS: 250 mm x 175 mm x 215 mm (without stand), Life-siz...
Category
15th Century and Earlier European Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
Materials
Marble
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After the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) had interfered in the battle between the Lord of Bungo Province Ôtomo Yoshi-mune (1558-1605) and the Shimazu of Hyûga Province, he split the Bungo Province in a number of small fiefs and transferred in 1594 Nakagawa Hideshige (1570-1612) from Miki Castle
in the Harima Fief to Oka Castle in Kyûshû.
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After the Nakagawa’s left, the castle and the building soon dilapidated and is now known as Oka Castle Ruins. The castle is located in Taketa Village part of Taketa Town in Ôita Province on Kyûshû.
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Total width 148.66 in/377.6 cm (2 x 25.35 in/64.4 cm, 4 x 24.48 in/62.2 cm); Height 72.63 in/184.5 cm.
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Previously Available Items
Roman relief of Medusa and Hercules knot
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Relief of Medusa and Hercules knot
MATERIAL: Limestone
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 2nd – 3rd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 465 mm x 362 mm x 103 mm (without stand)
CONDITION: Good condition. Includes stand
PROVENANCE: Ex English private collection, P.A., Hertfordshire, specialist collector of Greek Art, acquired between 1980s – 1990s
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 4 to 6 weeks.
In Roman mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon, a creature with snakes for hair whose gaze could turn anyone to stone. While the Greek mythological tradition portrayed Medusa primarily as a monstrous figure, in Roman art and culture, she often took on a more complex and varied role. The Roman interpretation of Medusa frequently blended elements of her monstrous aspect with her protective qualities, leading to a range of representations in various contexts.
One common motif in Roman art is the use of Medusa’s head as a protective symbol. The image of Medusa’s head, with its petrifying gaze, was believed to ward off evil and protect against harm. It appeared on a variety of objects, including household items like door knockers, as well as on armor and shields worn by soldiers. This protective aspect of Medusa was derived from her ability to avert danger with her gaze, turning potential threats to stone before they could harm the beholder.
In addition to her protective role, Medusa also featured prominently in Roman architectural reliefs...
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Roman mosaic depicting a bird
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
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Roman shipwreck amphora, Type Dressel 1B
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Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
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Roman relief with togate
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Relief with togate
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Roman statuette of an eagle on pedestal
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Statuette of an eagle on pedestal
MATERIAL: Bronze
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 1st – 3rd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 60 mm x 20 mm x 20 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex German private collection, acquired before 1980s
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license (If you live outside the European Union, We will have to apply for an export licence for your country and shipping will take 3 to 5 weeks.)
In the Roman period, bronze statuettes of eagles held significant cultural and symbolic importance. The eagle was a powerful and revered symbol in Roman society, representing strength, courage, and military prowess. As the national emblem of Rome, the eagle was associated with the Roman legions and the divine authority of the Roman state. Consequently, bronze statuettes of eagles were commonly used as military standards...
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15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
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Bronze
Roman lorica thoracata depicting a medallion with eagle, fragment
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Lorica thoracata depicting a medallion with eagle, fragment
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15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Classical Roman Antiquities
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Roman head of a child
Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
ITEM: Head of a child
MATERIAL: Marble
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Roman fragmentary herm of youthful Bacchus / Dionysos
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Located in EL CAMPELLO, ES
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Classical Roman antiquities for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Classical Roman antiquities for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage antiquities created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include asian art and furniture, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with stone, marble and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Classical Roman antiquities made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and Asia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for antiquities differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $145 and tops out at $110,000 while the average work can sell for $1,813.