Description:

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A cast-copper distaff used as a wool-wrapping tool prior to spinning thread. The distaff has a bulb-form midsection with an X-filled box beneath, a spiraling top section surmounted by a stylized bird, and an integral ring on the bottom. Large bunches of wool were first hooked around the bird's beak and then wrapped around the body before the end was fed through the ring hole. This ring enabled one to spin tight woolen threads around a separate instrument without creating an unruly mess of hair or spun thread. Size: 8.2" L x 1" W (20.8 cm x 2.5 cm)

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 74.51.5692

Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000

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#158616

  • Condition: Repair to ring finial with very light adhesive residue along break lines. Very slight bending to overall form. Nice patina throughout.

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December 17, 2020 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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