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Lot 184
A Brewster-Pattern Pedestal Dioramic Stereoscope, by G. Lowden, Dundee, signed to oval ivory plaque on top 'PATENT DIORAMIC STEREOSCOPE, MADE BY G. LOWDEN, OPTICIAN, DUNDEE' and impressed with the number '20', walnut & satin wood veneered case with hinged top, solid wood rear for opaque views only, hinged top, push pull focus to front lens panel, viewing lenses in turned horn collars to front panel, raised on a fluted mahogany pedestal, height adjustment via a wooden screw above turned base, height 34cmA rare opportunity to acquire one of the earliest known (serial No.20) lenticular stereoscopes by George Lowden, the instrument maker responsible for producing Dr. David Brewster’s first ever stereoscope. The lenticular (use of lenses to get a 3D effect) stereoscope was invented by Dr. David Brewster and proved over time to be his best selling invention. Brewster first took his original design of a lenticular stereoscope to a local instrument maker in Dundee, George Lowden. Lowden started making Scientific instruments at the age of 24(1). In 1849 Lowden made several of Brewster’s lenticular stereoscopes which in turn were given away by Brewster to the nobility of England to promote the new discovery of stereo photography (2). Unfortunately, they were given a rather lukewarm reception and as a result were not a successful commercial venture. In Lowden’s autobiography(3) Lowden recounts the development of the stereoscope and how he came to fall out with Brewster:‘Fortunately for me at the end of 1849 I got acquainted with that nobelman so well and favourably known to all Dundonians, George Lord Kinnard, and through him was introduced to many of the servants who were entertained by his lordship at Rossie Priory. Among these was sir David Brewster, who at this period (1849) invented his stereoscope, and I got the making of the first one and sending the copies of it to many scientific men all over Europe. Later on I also improved on them and made a great number for many years afterwards. The fault of Brewster’s stereoscope was that the lens’ were to small, being in fact, only two halved of a spectacle glass. This did not suit every eye and in experimenting I discovered that larger lenses were and advantage. I pointed this out to Brewster but he was wedded to his opinion, and as I feared the idea might be taken up by another, I took out a patent for my improvement – which experience has amply justified – but my action was, unfortunately, resented by Brewster, and gave rise to considerable friction, for which I did not consider I was to blame, seeing that I had pointed out the improvement and he had refused it’Following the disagreement Brewster in 1850, unable to convince another English company to manufacture his stereoscope, visited the French firm of Duboscq et Soliel in Paris, a company that specialised in optical instrument manufacture. Here Brewster showed Duboscq an example of Lowden’s stereoscope. Duboscq produced a model that was exhibited by Brewster at the 1851 great exhibition in London. It attracted the attention of Queen Victoria who was very impressed with the effect it gave. Brewster then presented theQueen with an example of Duboscq’s stereoscope with some accompanying stereo photographs. Queen Victoria’s interest sparked huge demand for the stereoscope and in 1856 Brewster reported sales of over half a million stereoscopes. The principle of Brewster’s lenticular stereoscope has survived until present day being essentially the same as the optical system used on the very latest Virtual reality headsets.Notes:, According to Dr A. D Morrison Low & J. R. R. Christie in their book Martyr of Science, Sir David Brewster, ‘No original Lowden stereoscope has ever been traced, although microscopes (INV RSM TY 1980.238 and A56557 in the Welcome Museum) and telescopes and a camera are known to have been retailed by Lowden’. Since Morison Low’s & Christie’s book, published in 1984, one other Lowden stereoscope has come to light. This stereoscope is held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. It was purchased by the museum in 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grant Board Funds( Registration Number GH007816). Its condition and serial number are unknown. References 1. H. Millar,James Bowman Lindsay and other pioneers of invention ( Edinburgh 19250 , p86, Lowden is assessed and an instrument maker by Clarke. 2. D Brewster, Binocular vision & the stereoscope, North British Review, 1856, 176. 3. D. Morrison-Low & J. R. R. Christie, Martyr Of Science: Sir David Brewster 1781-1868. P62 Provenance: From the Maurice Gillet collection.10/09/2017 Condition Report: Very good condition, optically and structurally, no damage to viewer or stand all appears original, no signs of repair, no significant wear.
Lot 631
Marc Antony Legionary AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony, autumn 32 - spring 31 BC. ANT•AVG III•VIR•R•P•C, praetorian galley to right / Aquila between two signa; LEG XXIII across fields. Crawford 544/39; CRI 383; RSC 60. 3.82g, 18mm, 1h. Good Very Fine. Well centred. Rare. XXIII was the highest number securely known to have been given to a legion within Marc Antony's order of battle. This legion appears to have been disbanded after Actium, as XXIII was never again employed as a legionary numeration following Augustus' reorganisation of the Roman army, in which he consolidated and decreased the total number of serving legions. However, the following numerations of legions unknown to history have been noted on fleet denarii by Sydenham in Roman Republic Coinage, 1952. p. 196, nos. 1247-1253: XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX and XXX; A. Banti and L. Simonetti, in Corpus Nummorum Romanorum II, pp. 38-41, no. 102-8) record denarii for legions: LEG XXIV (= Turin, Fava 1964, pl. 19, 3); LEG XXV (= Hamburger sale 32, 1933, 547); LEG XXVI (= Babelon 104); LEG XXVII (Paris, BnF); LEG XXVIII (= Babelon 143); LEG XXIX (= Paris, BnF); LEG XXX (= BMCRR II, pl. 116, 12; Brunacci collection, Santamaria sale 1958, 797 [struck over a denarius of Julius Caesar with P. Sepullius Macer]; Ratto sale 1924, 1392).
Lot 476
Cn. Lentulus AR Denarius. Spanish (?) mint, 76-75 BC. Diademed and draped bust of Genius Populi Romani right, with sceptre over shoulder; G•P•R above / Sceptre topped with wreath, globe and rudder; EX to left, S•C to right, CN•LEN•Q in exergue. Crawford 393/1a; RSC Cornelia 54. 3.85g, 19mm, 7h. Near Mint State. High relief with golden highlights. Ex Gorny & Mosch 228, 9 March 2015, lot 406; Purchased from Numismatica Varesi, December 1989.
Lot 452
L. Thorius Balbus AR Denarius. Rome, 105 BC. Head of Juno Sospita right, wearing goat skin headdress; I•S•M•R. behind / Bull charging right, I above, L•THORIVS below, BALBVS in exergue. Crawford 316/1; RSC Thoria 1. 3.86g, 19mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Lightly toned with golden highlights. From the Eucharius Collection.
Lot 393
Kushan Empire, Vasudeva II AV Dinar. Mathura/Gandhara, 24th emission, circa AD 267-300. Vasudeva standing left, sacrificing over altar and holding filleted staff; filleted trident to left; [bha in Brahmi to right of altar]; ga in Brahmi below Vasudeva's left arm; vasu in Brahmi to outer right / Ardoxsho enthroned facing, holding filleted garland and cornucopiae; tamgha to left. MK 577 (O15/R-; unlisted rev. die); ANS Kushan 1649. 7.82g, 21mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Struck on a tight flan of lustrous metal.
Lot 561
Marc Antony and Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony (Ephesus?), 41 BC. M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. Bare head of Antony right; M•ANT•IMP•AVG•III•VIR•R•P•C•M•BARBAT•Q•P around / Bare head of Octavian right, with slight beard; CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C• around. Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; RSC 8a. 3.91g, 19mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine.
Lot 879
Constantine VII, with Romanus II, AV Histamenon Nomisma. Constantinople, AD 955-959. + IҺS XPS REX REGNANTIVM, facing bust of Christ Pantokrator / CONSTANT CE ROMAN' AVGG Ь R, crowned facing busts of Constantine VII on left, wearing loros, and Romanus II on right, wearing chlamys, holding patriarchal cross between them. DOC 15; Sear 1751. 4.47g, 20mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Well struck in high relief.
Lot 843
Valentinian III AV Solidus. Rome, AD 440-455. D N PLA VALENTI NIANVS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORI A AVGGG, Valentinian standing facing, holding long cross in right hand and Victory on globe in left, foot on head of human-headed coiled serpent; R-M across fields, CONOB in exergue. RIC 2014; Lacam 12; Depeyrot 46/1; DOCLR 849-50; Biaggi -. 4.50g, 21mm, 6h. Extremely Fine.
Lot 574
Octavian AR Denarius. Southern or central Italian mint, spring - early summer 36 BC. Bare head right, with beard; IMP•CAESAR•DIVI•F•III• VIR•ITER•R•P•C around / Tetrastyle temple of Divus Julius: statue of Julius Caesar as augur, standing within temple holding lituus; DIVO•IVL on architrave, star within pediment, and lighted altar to left; COS•ITER•ET•TER•DESIG around. Crawford 540/2; CRI 315; RSC 90. 3.87g, 19mm, 4h. Good Very Fine. Octavian is here firmly cementing his connection to the now 'divine' Julius Caesar, thinly disguised as the more traditional fulfilment of pietas, in the minds of the Roman people. The bearded portrait on the obverse, the typical attitude of mourning for the male Roman citizen, recalls the assassination of his patron and adoptive father eight years before, but it is with the reverse type that the message is made clear. Depicting a structure that had not yet been built was a calculated move from Octavian that in part renewed his commitment to the project, which had been agreed six years earlier. Finally dedicated in 29 BC, construction having started only after the Battle of Actium, the Temple of Divus Julius was built on the site in the forum where Caesar's body had been cremated fifteen years previously.
Lot 409
Marc Antony and Octavia AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm of Ephesus, Ionia. Summer-Autumn 39 BC. M•ANTONIVS•IMP•COS•DESIG•ITER•ET•TERT, head of Antony right, wearing ivy wreath, lituus below; all within wreath of ivy and flowers / II•VIR• R•P•C, head of Octavia atop cista mystica, between twisting snakes. RPC I 2201; RSC 2; CRI 262. 12.11g, 26mm, 12h. Very Fine.
Lot 144
Ionia, Ephesos AV Stater. Circa 155-140 BC. Draped bust of Artemis right, wearing stephane, and with bow and quiver over shoulder / Cult statue of the Artemis of Ephesos facing, a fillet hanging from each hand; thymiaterion in inner right field, Ε-Φ across fields. G. K. Jenkins, Hellenistic Gold Coins of Ephesos, in Festschrift Akurgal, Ankara, 1987, p. 134, pl. B, 6 (BM) = R Fleuscher I, Artemis von Ephesos und der erwandte Kultstatue von Anatolien und Syrien, EPRO 35, 1973, pl. 53b; LIMC II, pl. 565, 23. 8.39g, 20mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare. The Hellenistic era gold coinage struck at Ephesos is extremely rare and rarely well preserved. Previously thought to have all been struck during the Mithradatic wars, this is now known not to be the case. Some seem to be dated by the era of the Province of Asia and the dates they bear are too early for them to be Mithradatic War issues. Certain other issues such as the present example appear to be part of extraordinary issue of gold struck in conjunction with an extremely rare gold stater type of Magnesia in the mid-second century. The style and fabric of both issues seem consistent with an emergency issue struck to meet an immediate expense. The reverse of this coin depicts the famous cult statue of Ephesian Artemis, housed in the great temple of Artemis that is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The original image of the goddess was a wooden xoanon that had represented a pre-Hellenic goddess who the Greeks later equated with Artemis. This first image, which was kept decorated with jewellery, was possibly lost in a flood in the 8th or 7th century which destroyed the temple; excavations have discovered the tear-shaped amber drops of elliptical cross-section which must have dressed it. In circa 550 BC, when reconstruction of the temple was begun (partly financed by Kroisos), it was undertaken in grand style and was supposedly the first Greek temple to be built of marble. The wooden xoanon was replaced by a new ebony or grapewood statue sculpted by Enoidos, which presumably survived until the temple was again destroyed, this time by an act of arson on the part of one Herostratos. The second destruction of the temple coincided with the birth of Alexander the Great; Plutarch later noted that Artemis was too preoccupied with Alexander's delivery to save her burning temple. The form of the goddess is distinctly near-eastern in appearance; characteristics such as her legs being enclosed in a tapering pillar-like term are closely related to Egyptian and Hittite images, and the curious feature of the many protuberances on her chest (usually described as breasts or eggs) are decidedly non-Greek in origin, and indeed have defied explanation or identification for centuries, though an association with fertility seems implicit.
Lot 558
Marc Antony and Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony (Ephesus?), 41 BC. M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. Bare head of Antony right; M•ANT•IMP•AVG•III•VIR•R•P•C•M•BARBAT•Q•P around / Bare head of Octavian right, with slight beard; CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C• around. Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; RSC 8a. 4.20g, 20mm, 12h. Near Mint State; bankers' marks on rev.
Lot 559
Marc Antony and Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony (Ephesus?), 41 BC. M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. Bare head of Antony right; M•ANT•IMP•AVG•III•VIR•R•P•C•M•BARBAT•Q•P around / Bare head of Octavian right, with slight beard; CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C• around. Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; RSC 8a. 3.74g, 19mm, 12h. Extremely Fine.
Lot 433
Uranius Antoninus Æ32 of Emesa, Seleucis and Pieria. Dated SE 565 = AD 253/4. AVTOK C OVΛΠ ANTѠNЄINOC CЄ, laureate bust right, wearing paludamentum and cuirass / ЄMICѠN KOΛΩN, hexastyle temple of Elagabal at Emesa containing the conical stone of Elagabal shaded by two parasols; crescent in pediment, ЄΞΦ (date) in exergue. BMC 24; Baldus 38-42; R. Delbrueck, 'Uranius of Emesa,' NC 1948, Series I, 2; SNG Hunterian 3174. 24.34g, 32mm, 1h. Very Fine. Pleasant reddish-brown patina with green touches, a well-centred strike on a typically thick flan. Very Rare. The literary sources are unclear about Uranius Antoninus: Zosimus describes a usurper by the name of Antoninus during the reign of Gallienus, while contemporary Christian writer John Malalas speaks of an Emesan priest by the name of Samsigeramus who repulsed the Sassanid king Shapur I. Whether the accounts describe the same person, and whether this person was the Uranius who struck coins at Emesa, is a matter for debate. The era date given on the reverse of this coin, ЄΞΦ = 565 = 253/4, suggests that Uranius established an independent Empire at Emesa around the time Valerian and Gallienus were crowned co-augusti in 253. The dating supports Malalas’ account and Uranius may have indeed come to prominence during the attempts to defend the city of Emesa from the invasion of Shapur, prompting the establishment of his small independent state. If Uranius was the priest described by Malalas, the name Samsigeramus suggests that he may have been a member of the Emesan royal house of the same name and likely, the high priest of Elagabal. If this was the case, we might assume that Uranius was a descendant of the Severan-Emesan house who had previously seen a priest proclaimed emperor in Elagabalus. Though the name Samsigeramus is not attested on the coinage of Uranius, the reverse depiction of the temple of Elagabal certainly suggests the cult was important to his legitimacy. There is little doubt that Uranius’ rebellion came to an end shortly after Valerian marched east and recovered Syria in AD 254.
Lot 564
Marc Antony and Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony (Ephesus?), 41 BC. M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. Bare head of Antony right; M•ANT•IMP•AVG•III•VIR•R•P•C•M•BARBAT•Q•P around / Bare head of Octavian right, with slight beard; CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C• around. Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; RSC 8a. 3.78g, 20mm, 9h. Good Very Fine.
Lot 717
Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 119-122. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P COS III, the Genius of the Roman People standing left, holding patera and cornucopiae; GEN-P R across fields. RIC 123; BMCRE 273; C. 796; Calicó 1267. 6.64g, 19mm, 6h. Good Very Fine.
Lot 606
Marc Antony Legionary AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony, autumn 32 - spring 31 BC. ANT•AVG III•VIR•R•P•C (N retrograde), praetorian galley to right / Aquila between two signa; LEG IX across fields. Crawford 544/23; CRI 359; RSC 37. 3.73g, 17mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. The retrograde N in the obverse legend of this piece, likely a simple error on the part of the die engraver but easily recognisable, shows us that this obverse die was used to strike Legionary denarii for both the Eighth and Ninth Legions concurrently (cf. Goldberg 84, 27 January 2015, lot 3151).
Lot 546
Marc Antony and Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Marc Antony in Cisalpine Gaul, autumn 43 BC. Bearded bare head of Marc Antony right; lituus to left; M ANTO IMP•R•P•C downwards to right / Wreathed head of Julius Caesar right; capis to left, CAESAR DIC downwards to right. Crawford 488/2; CRI 123; RSC 3a. 3.88g, 19mm, 9h. Good Very Fine. Rare. Ex Schulman 264, 26 April 1976, lot 5336.
![C. Servilius M. f. AR Denarius. Rome, 136 BC. Helmeted head of Roma right; wreath above XVI monogram behind, R[OMA] below / T](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/ac896ff6-4417-46ff-8eb7-a19b4dcbdccf/468x382.jpg)
Lot 420
Antinous Æ Hemidrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 19 of Hadrian = AD 134/5. ANTINOOV HPωOC, draped bust right, wearing hem–hem crown / Antinous, cloaked and holding caduceus, on horseback right; L/I–Θ (date) in field. Köln -; Dattari (Savio) 8007-9; K&G 34a.2; Blum 10; Emmett 1347.19; Kellner p. 108, Abb. 14. 16.59g, 31mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Tiny flan flaw to horse's head and slight flatness to tail and caduceus, but well centred and struck, and engraved in the finest style. An outstanding example of the type, and among the finest known. Antinous' death by accidental drowning in the Nile in October AD 130 was a severe blow to Hadrian, for the youth had been his close companion and confidant for nearly five years, and had accompanied the emperor throughout his great tour of the empire beginning in March 127. Hadrian's marriage to Sabina was an unhappy one, and Antinous has been described as "the one person who seems to have connected most profoundly with Hadrian" throughout the latter's life (see R. Lambert, Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous, 1984, p.30). It is unsurprising therefore that Hadrian decreed that Antinous should be elevated to the Roman pantheon as a god, and that a city should be built at the site of his death. What was most unexpected however was that he deified the young man without consulting the Senate, and that he ordered Antinous' image to be placed on coinage across the empire. The coinage in the name of the deified Antinous was substantial. In all, over thirty cities issued bronzes bearing his image, though none as prolifically as Alexandria in Egypt, where his cult, associated with Osiris, was particularly strong. Hadrian himself, we are told, preferred to associate Antinous with Mercury/Hermes, but across the Empire he was far more widely syncretised with the god Dionysus. A great many busts and statues of his were set up in cities across the Roman world, of which numerous examples survive including the iconic 'Braschi Antinous', now in the sala rotonda of the Vatican Museums. That statue, on whose head modern restorers placed a sort of pine cone, would have originally been topped with a lotus flower or hem-hem crown, as on the present coin type. To create the myriad busts, statues and engraved images Hadrian turned to Greek sculptors to perpetuate the melancholic beauty and diffident manner of Antinous, in the process creating what Caroline Vout (Power and Eroticism in Imperial Rome, 2007) described as “the last independent creation of Greco-Roman art”. All of his images share certain distinct features, including tousled curls, a perfect Hellenic nasion, and a downcast gaze – that allow him to be instantly recognized.
Lot 412
Augustus AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm of Pergamum, Mysia. Circa 19-18 BC. IMP•IX•TR•PO•V•, bare head right / Triumphal Arch of Augustus, surmounted by charioteer in facing quadriga, an aquila before each side wall; IMP•IX•TR•POT•V• on entablature, S•P•R• SIGNIS RECEPTIS in three lines below. RPC I 2218; RIC 510; RSC 298; BMCRE 703 = BMCRR East 310; CNR 809/2 (this coin). 11.91g, 25mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Old cabinet tone. Ex Richard Prideaux Collection, Triton XI, 8 January 2008, lot 714; Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 5, 25 February 1992, lot 401; Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 2, 21 February 1990, lot 513; Ex Crippa FPL, April 1971, lot 362.
Lot 711
Trajan Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 103-111. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate head right, with drapery on far shoulder / S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, Dacia seated left on pile of arms before trophy; S-C across fields. RIC 560; BMCRE 786; C. 531. 25.18g, 34mm, 6h. Good Very Fine.
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