A Roman bronze foot from a monumental statue topped an auction of Antiquities held by Bonhams in London when it sold for a hammer price of £160,000, far in excess of its £10,000-15,000 estimate.
Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette | Anne Crane
The foot, which dates from c. the 2nd century AD, is shown encased in a Greek-type trochades traveller’s sandal and the auctioneers note that a similar type of footwear is shown on a monumental Roman bronze statue in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, thought to portray the Emperor Marcus Aurelius as a philosopher.
It measures 13in (33cm) long.
Bonhams’ foot had a provenance to a private collection in the US, having been acquired from the Merrin Gallery in New York in 1994.
Bonhams said they were unable to release any details about the buyer.
The 205-lot auction, which was held on November 28, also included a 13in (33cm) high Egyptian basalt bust of an official from the late Period, c.550-334BC, which doubled its estimate to take £110,000.