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A Rare and Important Marble Relief of the Resurrection of Christ
A Pre-Columbian Standing Figure
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Very Rare and Early Carved Vessel in the Form of a Hedgehog
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A Heavy Cast Gilded Bronze Right Hand of the Buddha Shakyamuni
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Unusual Brass Swan Collar Etched with M. BAK. AGTERBROEK. and Dated 1891
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A Fine Tanala Shield Ampinga Madagascar
Very Fine Safavid Pierced Steel Quatrefoil Panel
Rare Drawing Watercolour of Maharao Ram Singh of Kota and his Sons Hunting
A Fine and Large Nazca Jar
Superbly Carved Figure of Adonis
A Polychrome and Parcel-Gilt Marble Group of theVirgin and Child
Rare and Tall Turned Rhinoceros Horn Cup
An Exceptional Narwhal Tusk of a Very Early Date
Very Fine Pair Ormolu
Mounted Ruby Glass Bottle Vases
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A North American Indian Shaman's Talking Wand Finial
Fine Pair of Bronze Chariot Fittings / Handles
A Rare and Important Sarcophagus Wedding Casket
Fine Rapa Nui Standing Male Figure
25 a.
A Carved Stag-Horn Powder Flask with Classical Engraved Scenes
A Fine and Rare Scroll Painting Depicting the European Hendrik DoeV (1764–1837)
Fine Nayarit
Seated Ball Player
A Mother of Pearl Veneered Devotional Plaque
A Rare Large African Wicker Pipe
A Sailors Silver Gilt Mounted Nut Locket
Superb Pair of French Brass Mounted Tortoiseshell Veneered Collectors Cabinets
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Polynesian Royal Whale Tooth Pendant Lei Niho Palaoa
An Early Carved Wood Madonna and Child
A Gold Damascened Helmet Khula Khud
An Unusual Memento Mori CoYn Housing a Wax Skeleton
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Fine Maori Nephrite Hei Tiki Breast Pendant
A Rare Pair of Late Gothic English Poppy Head Carved Oak Pew Ends
An Amazonian Spear with Suspended Feathers
and
42 Superb
Very Large Early Baroque Sculpture of Christ Christo Vivo
44 Rare Berlin Silver Gilt Mounted Rock Crystal and Enamel Pendant
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Finely Modelled Moche Stirrup Spout Vessel in the Form of a Frog
47 a. Very Fine Fijian Striated Hardwood Pole Club Bowai with a Whale-Tooth Inlay to the Butt
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Charming Woodlands Platform Pipe Modelled as a Recumbent Deer
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A Rare Grand Tour Model of a Striding Lion with Inlaid Eyes
A Very Rare Testicle Pendant
A Very Rare and Important Marble Relief of the Resurrection of Christ
Attributed to the Master of the Mascoli Altar Marble
Venice, Italy
Second half of the 15th Century size: 89 cm high, 74 cm wide, 14 cm deep – 35 ins high, 29¼ ins wide, 5½ ins deep provenance: Former French Private collection, gallery of Gustave Clément-Simon (1833–1909), in his Castle of Bach, Naves (Corrèze, France) since the late 19th century Thence by descent until 2013 Ex Private collection
This rare enchanting example of early fifteenth century Venetian sculpture depicts the resurrection of Christ from the tomb in a profoundly moving way, his arms shown wide open and his palms turned towards us exposing the stigmata and the wound in his chest. The slender acanthus leaves and the stepped sharply outlined tabernacle framing the scene are strongly reminiscent of the decorative elements present in the oeuvres of the sculptor referred to as the Master of the Mascoli Altar, a name derived from the marble altarpiece of the Virgin and Child with Saint Mark and James in the Mascoli Chapel of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. Almost identical naturalistic foliage can be found in other altarpieces, such as the one signed by Andrea da Giona, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York or even the very similar though far less exquisitely executed altarpieces of Vescovato, presumed to be the
work of the Genovese Gaggini’s. However, this relief with its elegant composition, its linear drapery, and the positioning of Christ together with the tomb in a forward plane, more convincingly matches the late Gothic style of the Mascoli Altar.
Above the altar is an inscription dating the foundation of the chapel to 1430. Both the figures as well as the architectural frame of the altar were probably commissioned at that time. The relief of the Virgin and Child with Two Angels in the Corner Chapel of the Santa Maria dei Frari, Venice, is also commonly presumed to be by the same Master. Typical of both works is the tightly pulled drapery that reveals the lines of the body, accenting the pose and movement of the figures. The conventional Gothic frames were probably designed and executed by Venetian masons. There has been some debate about the style of the works attributed to the Mascoli Master. According to most scholars the master was a Venetian and he has been identified with a number of celebrated sculptors, in particular with Pierpaolo dalle Masegne, Giovanni Buon and Bartolomeo Buon. Others have argued the master was a Florentine on the basis of stylistic parallels, most notably with the works of Lorenzo Ghiberti. The Mascoli Master’s works in Venice influenced a number of artists in Venice during the 15th century, including for example Bartolomeo Buon.
2
A Pre-Columbian Standing Figure
Green Diorite Mezcala Culture, Guerrero Region, Mexico
Late Pre-Classic 300 bc to 100 bc size: 15 cm high, 5 cm wide, 4 cm deep – 6 ins high, 2 cm wide, 1½ ins deep
provenance: Rupert Wace Ltd. June, 2000 Ex Private London collection
From the mountainous region of Guerrero in modern-day Mexico, the Mezcala culture is famous for its prolific production of stone sculpture, which includes human figures, animal eYgies and architectural models, dating from 300–100 bc . Little is known about this ancient civilisation, other than that it chose to bury its dead with these abstract, esoteric stone carvings, and that it was the only one of the Mesoamerican civilisations to have been so focused on architecture.
An Exceptional Charivari a Talismanic Hunters Charm Composed of: Rock Crystal, Stag Horn, Deer Teeth, Bear Claw, Silver Amulets, Bezoar, Dog and Deer Teeth, Silver Chain 19th Century size: 37.5 cm wide – 14¾ ins wide
provenance: Ex Private English collection
cf: For further Charivari examples see: Finch and Co no. 95, catalogue 17, 2011, no. 48, catalogue no. 32, 2019 and no. 82, catalogue no. 34, 2020
The word amulet comes from the Latin amuletum which is thought to be derived from the Arabic noun Hamatet. They are believed to provide protection and lend special magical powers to their wearer. The talismanic amulets
worn by hunters in Bavaria on the belt of their lederhosen are known as charivari and are thought to have the ability to appease and calm all intended prey as well as providing protection. These powers were ascribed to the particular natural materials they are made from. Highly prized in Germany, they acted as both status symbol and talisman to farmers and traditional sportsmen and were handed down through the generations.
vessels in the shape of animals were not for everyday use, but rather for luxury items or cult related objects.
made as a form of protection for the swan belonging to the its owner, and would have prevented it from being taken by the swan herders from adjacent land.
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5
A Heavy Cast Gilded Bronze Right Hand of the Buddha Shakyamuni
Showing the gesture of meditation Old smooth dark patina with remains of gilding Bronze China
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A Very Rare and Early Carved Vessel in the Form of a Hedgehog Alabaster
Near Eastern 3rd Millenium bc
size: 9.5 cm high, 9.5 cm wide, 15.5 cm deep – 3¾ ins high, 3¾ ins wide, 6 ins deep provenance: Rupert Wace Ltd, London, April 2010 Ex Private English collection art loss register: Certificate number: S00036728 / 29th April 2010
The body with cross hatching to suggest spines. The small face with two drilled holes to represent eyes and a snub snout. The delicate carving allows us a small glimpse into the world, and to see through the eye of the sculptor their free style and simple, yet superb use to enliven the material, in this case, alabaster. Over millennium the surface has developed a beautiful golden patina
A similar vessel of a hedgehog can be seen in: Syria, Land of Civilisation, Michel Fortin (translation: Jane Macaulay) Quebec, 1999, p. 177 no. 106. However our example is more complete. It was also noted, that the mammal was only found in very small quantities at sites, and
15th Century – Early Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
size: 25 cm long, 13.5 cm wide, 10 cm deep – 9¾ ins long, 5¼ ins wide, 4 ins deep provenance: Ex Finch and Co, no. 108, catalogue no. 16, 2010 Ex European Private collection
The forefinger and little finger of this hand are slightly lifted away from the others and are making the gesture of meditation, which is associated with the moment of the Buddha’s enlightenment. From the position of the fingers it is probable that this is the right hand of a monumental, double life size, image of the Buddha seated in meditation.
6
An Unusual Brass Swan Collar Etched with M. BAK. AGTERBROEK. Dated 1891 Brass Netherlands
19th Century size: 2.5 cm high, 7 cm dia. (max) – 1 ins high, 2¾ ins dia. (max) cf : further swan collars can be seen with Finch and Co, no.13, catalogue no. 30, 2018 and no. 60, catalogue no. 38, 2022
This brass collar was most probably
A Rare Marine Ivory Educational Throwing Dice Etched with the Letters of Alphabet used to Teach Spelling and Literacy
The letters I and U doubling for J and V Walrus Ivory England
Late 17th – Early 18th Century size: 4.5 cm dia. – 1¾ ins dia. provenance: Ex English Private collection
cf: for another example see Finch and Co no. 56, catalogue no. 20, 2013
8
A Fine Tanala Shield
Ampinga
Covered with a finely marked Hide
Zebra Equus quagga
Areas of wear through use and fine patina to reverse Madagascar
Late 19th Century size: 47 cm high, 41.5 cm wide –18½ ins high, 16¹⁄³ ins wide provenance: Ex Keith Gormley, England
Ex Edric Van Vredenburgh collection
:Joseph Mueller Collection, Geneva, inventory no. BMG1030–17 and Finch and Co no. 71, catalogue 31, 2018, for another example
Dating from before the colonisation of the island by the French in 1897 this shield was used for parrying spears and was made by the Tanala people. They are a unique group who inhabit the forested inland region of south east Madagascar. Their
name means people of the forest and they are skilled woodsmen, food gatherers and hunters, trading in honey, beeswax and other forest products. They also grow rice as part of a slash and burn agricultural practice.
They can trace their origins to a noble ancestor named Ralambo who is believed to be of Arab descent. Historically they were famous for being great warriors having led a successful conquest of the neighbouring Antemoro people in the 18th century. They have a talent for divination and practise astrology which was brought to the island by the Arabs. Observing patrilineal descent the Tanala lived in large compounds consisting of a father, his sons or group of brothers. Tanala society was divided into nobles, free people and slaves and although the nobles ruled they were always assisted by an advisor who was a commoner. The king was accountable to his people who had the power to remove him from his position of leadership.
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A Very Fine Safavid Pierced Steel Quatrefoil Panel
With a band of extremely delicate reciprocal trefoil designs around the rim, traces of gilding The inscription reads: ya Muhammad O Muhammad Steel
Iran
Second half 17th Century or Early 18th Century
size: 14.5 cm dia. – 5¾ ins dia.
provenance: Ex Private UK collection since 1990 Christies Important Islamic Art Auction, 7th April 2011, 120A Ex Private English collection This panel has the same basic outline and basic layout as a small
group of Safavid cut steel panels, an example sold at Christies, from the collection of Professor Ehsan Yarshater, 10th April 1999, lot 63 and another, 17th April 2007. Similar quatrefoil panels are found amongst the door fittings formerly in the Harari collection said to be from the Dar-i-Imam in Isfahan (A.U. Pope, A Survey of Persian Art, Oxford, 1938, pl.1389). Another example is in the David Collection (Kjeld V. Folsach, Islamic Art: The David Collection, Copenhagen, 1990, no.349, p. 208). Two further panels from that group were sold at Sotheby’s, 22nd October 1992, lot 179.
The present panel diVers from previously published examples partly in that the central panel has a brief inscription, further more, in the exquisite pierced reciprocal trefoil border. This motif was frequently encountered in the seventeenth century, on carpets, pottery and manuscripts as well as metal. Rarely however has it been so delicately worked as here, in steel.
10
An Early Priest’s Oil Dish dari ni waiwai nio bete Dry surface with fine patina (old losses)
Wood Fiji
Late 18th / Early 19th Century
size: 46 cm high, 44 cm wide, 23 cm deep – 2¹⁄³ ins high, 17¹⁄³ ins wide, 9 ins deep / 44.5 cm high –17½ ins high (with base) provenance: Ex Private English collection cf : for another oil dish see Finch and Co no. 100, catalogue no. 4, 2004
The finely carved sacred vesi wood, classic spade-form dish raised
upon tripod feet with a square handle. A rich old dry patina has developed over many years of use from the priest anointing himself with coconut oil, prior to invoking his God.
11 A Rare Drawing / Watercolour of Maharao Ram Singh of Kota and His Sons Hunting with numerous Rajasthani inscriptions Paper, Watercolour, Pencil India
Late 18th Century – Early 19th Century size: 49 cm high, 71 cm wide –19¹⁄³ ins high, 28 ins wide provenance: Ex Private English collection, 1960’s to 2020 Ex Private collection
Maharao Ram Singh II of Kota 1827–66 is depicted hunting tigers, in the company of a young man who must presumably be his son Maharajkumar Bhim Singh, the future Maharao Shatru Sal II, 1886–89. The two are in an odi shooting-box, along with three other men who are preparing their guns for them. Five magnificent tigers stride or run through the undergrowth. These are fully drawn and painted, while the other figures and the landscape are sketched in briefly. As always with Kota drawings, one admires the splendid sure line which the tigers and the main trees are sketched in, even though this is a working drawing and pentimento is visible.
The presence of Rajkumar Bhim Singh, who looks as he does in a drawing published by Bautze, fig. 2, allows a dating of the painting in the last decade of Ram Singh’s life. Bhim Singh was born 1839–40, and his small moustache and growing sideburns indicate an
age of at least sixteen. Finished paintings of Ram Singh hunting tiger are rare, although other drawings do exist: Christie’s, London, 12 June 2018, lot 69, and Philadelphia Museum of Art (Cameron, pl. 20). A drawing of Chattar Sal shooting tiger is in the Mittal Museum in Hyderabad (Topsfield, no. 115).
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A Fine and Large Nazca Jar Terracotta, Polychrome Peru
Circa 50 ad to 450 ad size: 30 cm high – 12 ins high provenance: Arthur M. Sackler collection 1913–1987 Ex Private UK collection published: Art of The Andes Pre-Columbian Sculpted and Painted Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler collection, pg. 265
exhibited: The City Art Centre Edinburgh, Scotland, August 15th 1983 to October 2nd, 1983 and Bayley Art Museum, University of Virginia, November 15th, 1983 to January 15th, 1984
The globular ovoid vessel with a cylindrical neck, decorated with a human face. The main upper body of the vase depicting the figure wearing a large poncho with their arms exposed and resting above. An old collection number: N 340 painted to the underside.
13
A Superbly Carved Figure of Adonis Hunting
Raised upon a turned circular base Boxwood Southern Netherlands
17th Century / Circa 1650 size: Adonis: 23 cm high – 9 ins high / 31.5 cm high – 12½ ins high
(with base)
provenance: Ex Giani Giachine 1970
Ex Anita Gray, London
Ex Private collection Edric Van Vredenburgh collection published: Catalogue entry no. 77, Vol. 1, EVV collection catalogue 2014
Adonis was the lover of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. While out hunting he was gored by a wild boar and died in the arms of Aphrodite as she wept. His blood and her tears combined producing the anemone flowers. The figure of Adonis has been used throughout history from antiquity through to the 19th century and is the subject of sculpture, frescoes and paintings.
14
A Polychrome and Parcel-Gilt Marble Group of theVirgin and Child
Attributed to Giovanni Di Balduccio (1317–1349)
Marble, Gilt, Polychrome Italy
Circa 1330–1340
size: 65 cm high, 28 cm wide –25½ ins high, 11 ins wide provenance: Possibly Trivolzio Collection, Milan
With Piero Tozzi Inc., New York Acquired by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation for The Los Angeles County Museum (A.5832.47-42), 1947
An auction of property deaccessioned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to benefit new acquisitions; Sotheby’s, Los Angeles, 21-23 June 1982, lot 161
Ex Private collection literature: W.R. Valentiner, Art Quarterly, Winter, 1947
La Critica d’Arte, no. 27, May 1949, p. 74 W. R. Valentiner, Gothic and Renaissance Sculpture In the
Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum: Catalogue and Guide, Los Angeles, 1951, p. 60, pl. 21 note: Inscribed 832.47-42 in black ink to the reverse
This group compares closely to a Virgin and Child group by Balduccio in the Detroit Institute of Art, dated circa 1332-34, (inv. no. 37.140) with similar hands and rasping individual stylisation of the hair. Additionally, the Christ child may also be compared to the facial features of three donors in the relief Presentation Scene with Saint Peter Martyr and Three Donors, circa 1340, in the Cloisters (inv. no. 2001.221)
15
A Fine Mahogany Flint of Animal Form Flint
Mexico Culture
Circa 100 bc – 250 ad size: 6.5 cm high, 36 cm wide, 1.5 cm deep – 2½ ins high, 14¼ ins wide, ²⁄³ ins deep 10.5 cm high – 4¼ high (with base)
provenance: Private collection USA
Joseph G. Gerena Fine Art, New York Ex Private UK collection
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A Rare and Tall Turned Rhinoceros Horn Cup Rhinoceros Horn Moghul / India
17th / 18th Century size: 17 cm high – 6¾ ins high
In 1525–6 the Emperor Barbur, founder of the Mughal dynasty of North India, wrote in his diary that he had acquired a boat shaped drinking cup made from the horn of a rhinoceros. This was reputedly purchased over 200 years later
by Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753) whose vast collection went on to form the basis of the British Museum. Rhinoceros horn was prized in the Middle and Far East for its believed properties as an antidote to both poison and melancholy, as well as for its rarity and beauty.
Many European rhinoceros horn carvings were produced as a direct result of contact with those carvings made in China. However, it is not known when vessels of rhinoceros horn first arrived in Europe. The earliest documented evidence occurs at the end of the 16th century when a vessel made of rhinoceros-bone ornamented with silver, most artfully and prettily made was presented to the Governor of Portugal by a group of Japanese Christians travelling on a Portuguese ship, visiting southern Europe between 1584 and 1586. In 1601 it is recorded that un corno di rino ceronte was one of several rare and precious articles taken to Beijing by the Jesuit missionary Father Matteo Ricci, who most probably believed he was present ing the Chinese Emperor with an object he had never seen before. He did not realise that this rhino— ceros horn, was already very familiar to the Wanli Emperor, and that the beliefs in the magical powers and abilities of rhinoceros horn had originated more than 1,000 years previously in China.
17
A Large Heart Shaped Rock Crystal Silver Mounted Reliquary Silver, Rock-Crystal, Polychrome Spain
17th Century
size: 9 cm high, 7.5 cm wide, 1.5 cm deep – 3½ ins high, 3 ins wide, ²⁄³ ins deep Housed behind a large chunk of Rock Crystal, the Madonna is
shown praying with her hands firmly clasped, a rosary bead necklace falling down her chest and a starry silver halo framing her whistful face with a downward gaze. To the reverse of the silver mount we find engraved the initials I H S above a Bleeding Heart with three arrows.
Most certainly from a private devotional chapel, or a traveling amulet to be hung wherever the devout owner came to rest.
18
A Finely Carved Luba
Caryatid Stool Old ink inscription to the underside of base and leg reading: 26706 Urua-Manjema Gausser and 26706 Wood Democratic Republic of Congo / Luba 19th / Early 20th Century
size: 37 cm high, 17 cm wide, 17.5 cm deep – 14½ ins high, 6¾ ins wide, 7 ins deep provenance: Captain Gausser Probably Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany, inventory number: 26706
Ex Private English collection
The finely detailed standing female figure supporting a circular seat, raised scarifications to the abdomen and the back, narrow elliptical eyes and open mouth.
19
An Exceptional Narwhal Tusk of a Very Early Date Monodon Monoceros
Northern Europe 15th – 16th Century
Circa ad 1440–1505 size: 205 cm long – 80¼ ins long / 230 cm high – 90½ ins high (with base)
provenance: Ex Private collection
Ex Finch and Co
Ex Oliver Hoare, published, Every Object Tells a Story, described as The Unicorn’s Horn item number 1, 2017
Ex Private collection cites: no. 537359/01 radiocarbon dating measurement report: 10/2/2016 / RCD – 8506 (68% confidence interval: ad 1433–1477, 95% confidence interval: ad 1410–1505)
In 1555 Olaus Magnus in Uppsala, Sweden wrote of the narwhal The monoceros is a sea monster which has a very large horn in its forehead with which it can pierce through and destroy ships and kill many men (Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus). Mariners hunting the sperm whale, the colossi of the sea, would encounter the narwhal and presume them to be the unicorns of the sea. The tusks would be brought back from Greenland and the Arctic and sold to merchants and collectors as valuable magical objects for cabinets of curiosities.
It was the greatest Danish scientist of the 16th century, Ole Worm (1588–1654) who discovered the truth on being given a narwhal skull complete with its tusk in Copenhagen in 1615. His drawing of it was used as an illustration for a thesis in 1638 debating whether the tooth might possess the same magical qualities attributed to the unicorn’s horn. Belief in the existence of the unicorn persisted into the 18th century when there could be found over 100 unicorn apothecary shops in Germany. The animal and its mythical horn was found displayed on jars, bags, bottles and even invoice headings until the late 18th century as a reminder of the time when powder made of unicorn horn was held in high esteem as a
cure for all ills and an important antidote to poison.
This very early tusk, probably the oldest example Finch and Co have handled in over 30 years, has been traded, bought and sold, moved between collectors and dealers for over 600 years. It is very likely to be amongst the oldest example in the world.
Due to their mystic, magical power, other worldly presence and their association with the mythical unicorn, their price was higher than their weight in gold ! In 1577 Queen Elisabeth I was gifted a unicorn horn by Martin Frobisher following his return from Canada, an account of which was described by Herman Melville in Moby Dick: ….. Sir Martin Frobisher, on his return from that voyage, when Queen Bess did gallantly wave her jewelled hand to him, from a window of Greenwich Palace as his bold ship sailed down the Thames ….. on bended knees he presented to her highness a prodigious long horn of the Narwhale, which for a long period hung in the castle at Windsor.
The Horn of Windsor, as it then became known, was at the time valued at £10,000, a higher price than Windsor itself !
20
A Very Fine Pair Ormolu
Mounted Ruby Glass Bottle Vases Glass, Ormolu, Gilt Copper Naples, Italy
17th / Early 18th Century size: 36.5 cm high, 15.5 cm wide, 9.5 cm deep – 14¹⁄³ ins high, 6¼ ins wide, 3¾ ins deep literature: R. J. Charleston, Glass and Enamels, the James A de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Collection Catalogue, London, no’s 30–34 cf: for a pair of vases with similar mounts see, Christies, Paris, May 16th 2015 and Sothebys, London, July 9th 2022
21
A North American Indian Shaman’s Talking Wand Head Finial
Holly Wood (Ilex sp.) Plains Indian 18th Century size: 8.5 cm high – 3¹⁄³ ins high / 17 cm high – 6¾ ins high (with base)
provenance: Ex John Hewett, 11th December, 1986 Exhibited, Oliver Hoare Ltd. Every Object Tells a Story, May, 2015
Ex Private English collection
A mysterious object, as Oliver so rightly observed, with one face in this world and the other in the other. It was a typical treasure and one of the many artefacts that lay in the drawers of John Hewett’s cabinet of curiosities. John’s influence on the most refined layers of collectors throughout the world was predominant for decades.
22
A Fine Pair Bronze Chariot Fittings / Handles
Bronze Northeastern China / Southeastern Inner Mongolia (Sino Siberian)
5th Century bc size: 14.5 cm high – 5¾ ins high (each) / 26 cm high – 10¼ ins high (each with bases)
provenance: Ex Private London collection Depicting three boars copulating in a stack, the finely detailed, thinly cast fittings or handles are incredibly rare. Both handles retain a dark brown / dark green patina, with a shiny surface. Representations of copulating animals appear primarily in the art of the non-Chinese peoples of southeastern Inner Mongolia
and northeastern China. The animals participating in these mating scenes all belong to wild rather than domesticated species, suggesting that an increase in the wild population was a major concern for the hunters in those regions. Related scenes rarely occur on artefacts found west of the Taihang Mountains.
For a similar single chariot fitting with only two boars copulating, which is now in the Sackler collection, see: Alfred Salmony; Sino-Siberian Art in the collection of C.T. Loo, published in 1933.
23
Ancient Bronze Celtic Padlock Bronze, Iron Northern European Celtic 1st to 2nd Century ad
size: 3.5 cm high, 3 cm wide, 2.5 cm deep – 1¹⁄³ ins high, 1¼ ins wide, 1 ins deep provenance: Ex Private European collection Ex Private UK collection
A finely cast padlock with detailed facial elements including deeply drilled eyes a wide triangular nose and slightly parted mouth. The interior locking compartment hinged at the top of the head. Dark green patina and surface reveals the locking mechanism, now corroded and rusted after centuries of burial.
24
A Rare and Important Sarcophagus Wedding Casket
Attributed to the Embriachi workshop and the so called: Master of the Susanna Two Bone, Wood, Polychrome, Metal Venice, Italy
15th Century – Circa 1450–75 size: 25 cm high, 41 cm wide, 26.5 deep – 9¾ ins high, 16¼ ins wide, 10½ ins deep provenance: Ex Private
collection, USA Ex English collection
cf: The Susanna Two are two very similar caskets housed in the Musuem of Ravenna, Italy, made by the same workshop and Master as our fine sarcophagus.
The Embriachi workshop was a north Italian family of entrepreneurs and carvers. The precise location of the workshop is unknown, except that it originated in Florence in around probably the 1370’s. Baldassare Embriachi, was a member of a Florentine noble family, and the Florentine literary circles, during his career he acted as both merchant and diplomat. His connections and financial independence allowed him to set up and found the bone-carving workshop that bears his name.
By 1395, political and financial circumstances had forced him to transfer the workshop to Venice. The suggested time range of workshops activity does diVer, from the earliest known date being 1390–1405.
They employed local workers specialising in certosina (inlay of stained woods, bone and horn), and the workshop produced items carved in bone (usually horse or ox) with wood and bone marquetry. As well as altarpieces, the workshop also made caskets as bridal gifts to hold jewels or documents, and these were often decorated with scenes from mythology.
25
A Fine Rapa Nui Standing Male Figure Wood Easter Island
19th Century
provenance: Acquired in the 1960’s Ex Private UK collection size: 50.5 cm high – 19¼ ins high / 55.5 cm high – 21¾ ins high (with base)
Isolated in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, the Island of Rapa Nui came to be known in Europe as Easter Island after the Dutch expedition led by Jakob Roggeveen landed there on Easter Sunday in 1722, whilst looking for Terra Australis and Davis Land
He reported seeing two to three thousand inhabitants.
On Captain James Cook’s second voyage, 1774, he revealed the existence of the human figures made of narrow pieces of wood about eighteen inches or two feet long and wrought in a much neater and more proportionate manner than the enormous stone statues. They were made to represent persons of both sexes. The figures served in domestic worship ceremonies honouring ancestors and protector of divinities.
Old losses to the feet, age cracks to the back, a carved W behind each ear. The ribbed coiVure and large brows, lips and deeply pierced pupils give the face a haunting mystical feel. The whole figure has a mellow shiny patina to the areas handled over the years. A Paris export label to underside of wood base.
25
a.
A Carved Stag-Horn Powder Flask with Classical Engraved Scenes Stag-Horn, Iron pin German 17th Century size: 23 cm high, 15.5 cm wide, 10.5 cm deep – 9 ins high, 6 ¼ins wide, 4¼ ins deep Powder flasks were used for charge
powder and were often made of horn and so referred to as powder horns. Whether made of wood, leather, metal or shell they all had a device for measuring the charge of powder attached to the outlet. Their size and shape varied across the world, but generally the older ones are larger as gunpowder was much less powerful than later on.
25 b.
A Fine French Burr Walnut SnuV Box
Decorated with Three Human Skulls Illustrating the Anatomical Theory of Phrenology Developed by Dr Gall (1758–1828) Pioneer in the study of the localisation of Mental Functions in the Brain
With a tortoiseshell lining and to the reverse a list of Dr Gall’s 27 Fundamental Faculties Circa 1810 size: 2 cm high, 8 cm dia. –¾ ins high, 3¼ins dia. provenance: Ex Finch and Co 2008 Ex Private collection cf: for another Dr Gall snuV box, see Finch and Co, no. 30, catalogue number 32, 2019 and a similar box, Kunstkammer Georg Laue, memento mori catalogue number III, 2002 item no. 58
26
A Fine and Rare Scroll Painting Depicting the European Hendrik DoeV (1764–1837) standing, holding a red lacquer walking cane, together with his dog and his young Javanese boy-servant holding a parasol Watercolour on Paper, Mounted on a Textile covered Silk Scroll Nagasaki School, after Shiba Kókan (1747–1818) Unsigned
Japan
Early 19th Century
size: 190 cm long, 66 cm wide –74¾ ins long, 26 ins wide / painted image: 134 cm long, 53 cm wide –52¾ ins long, 20¾ ins wide provenance: Ex Private collection
The scroll is one of a few after a painted scroll by Shiba Kókan (1747–1818) of Opperhoofd Hendrik DoeV (1764–1837), the Dutch commissioner in the Dejima trading post of Nagasaki, Japan, during the early part of the 19th century. Born in Amsterdam, as a young man he sailed to Japan as a scribe working for the Dutch East India Company. He raised to a position of Chief in 1803, where he remained until 1817. After Britain captured the Dutch East Indies in 1811, Dejima became the only place in the world flying the Dutch flag. The Netherlands eventually being restored in 1814, with DoeV later decorated for his loyalty and courage.
DoeV was also credited with writing the Dutch-Japanese dictionary, and also a memoir of his experiences and life in Japan, titled Recollections of Japan, and he was also credited with writing the first Haiku by a Westerner:
イナヅマ ノ カヒナ ヲ カラン クサ マクラ lend me your arms, fast as thunderbolts, for a pillow on my journey
A portrait of Hendrik DoeV, signed by Shiba Kókan is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde in Leiden (inv. 2821–1). He is shown standing in the same stance, holding his red lacquer cane, his man servant a few steps behind and the dog seated on all four legs, with one leg scraping behind her ear.
27
A Rare and Fine Nayarit seated Ball Player Terracotta, Polychrome Pre-Columbian / Mexico
100 bc to 250 bc ad size: 48 cm high – 18¾ ins high provenance: Stanley J Seeger collection, USA
Sotheby’s, London, 5th March 2014
Ex Private UK collection exhibition: Princeton University, June 1961 published: The Art Museum, Princeton University, 1961
Before their arrival in the New World, the Spanish had never before seen games played with balls of rubber, a substance unknown in Europe. Upon their arrival in central Mexico, they were so enamoured with the Aztec ballgame that they sent a team of indigenous players to Spain to play before the court of Charles V. The game the Spanish witnessed in the Aztec region was just one manifestation of a longlived and wide-ranging ballgame tradition in Mesoamerica. Cultures throughout Mesoamerica played games using rubber balls, the tradition extended to the Caribbean and the southwestern United States. Mesoamerican peoples played many types of ballgames, with diVerent rules and styles of play.
The seated figure in our example sits wearing multiple earrings and nose rings, and is decorated with polychrome slip of red, black, white and yellow. Clasping a ball between his cupped hands in front of his chest.
28
A Mother of Pearl Veneered Devotional Plaque Wood, Mother of Pearl, Ink
Holy Lands 17th / Early 18th Century size: 18 cm high, 18 cm wide, 2 cm deep – 7 ins high, 7 ins wide, ¾ ins deep 20 cm high – 7¾ high (with base) see: Finch & Co catalogue no. 14, no. 88, 2009, for a 17th century Jerusalem model of the Holy Sepulchre and no. 26, catalogue no. 17, 2011 for a devotional cross
The Virgin Mary, Lady of Immaculate Conception is shown standing on a crescent moon (representing one half, the Sun being the other half) together with two Saints, John the Baptist, often associated with the waning moon and Saint John, with angels appearing from the clouds above, and the Archangel Gabriel depicted in the frieze above.
As a holy city from the time of Constantine the Great, Jerusalem has always attracted scholars and pilgrims, but after the discovery and excavations of the Holy Christian sites, it became a very important focus of pilgrimage. In 1335 the Franciscans returned to the city and over time numerous churches, monasteries and associated hospices were built to care for, accommodate and cater to the thousands of Christian pilgrims. In the 17th century the Franciscan friars began to take commercial advantage of this influx and founded workshops using the local Syrian craftsmen to make mother of pearl inlaid wood models of the Sepulchre, the tombs, pilgrimage sites and objects in their traditional style to sell to the pilgrims as souvenirs, thereby boosting the monastery’s revenues.
A Rare Large African Wicker Pipe Wicker, Terracotta (fired clay) Zaire, Ngbandi 19th Century
size: 16 cm high, 38 cm wide, 7 cm deep – 6¼ ins high, 15 ins wide, 2¾ ins deep see: A very similar pipe is housed in the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium, Mus. Terv. 37.975
The Ngbandi are an ethic group from the region of the upper Ubangi River, inhabiting the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the southern central African republic. The carefully braided outer case protects the user whilst smoking the burning tobacco inside the terracotta (clay) inner pipe. A fine patina and colour have developed on the wicker surface.
30
A Cast Bronze Hand of the Buddha Shakyamuni Shown in the gesture of touching the earth
A dark corroded bronze surface with patches of red and green patination Bronze Thailand / South East Asian 13th – 14th Century
size: 22.5 cm long, 10.5 cm wide, 7.5 cm high – 8¾ ins long, 4¼ ins wide, 3 ins high provenance: Ex Finch and Co, no. 132, catalogue no. 16, 2010 Ex European Private collection
As the Buddha was meditating alone beneath the Bodhi tree he called on the earth to witness his victory by sheer willpower over Mara the God of Desire and Death. This act is symbolised in sculptures by the exclusively Buddhist gesture of touching the earth. This posture eventually became the standard iconic type for the seated figure of the Buddha Shakyamuni throughout the Buddhist world.
31
A Rare Pirates Lodestone Ring Steel, Silver, Lodestone Northern Europe / The High Seas 19th Century
size: 3.5 cm high, 3 cm wide, 3 cm deep – 1¹⁄³ ins high, 1¼ ins wide, 1¼ ins deep
Lodestone is one of only two minerals that is found naturally magnetised, the other, pyrrhotite, is weekly magnetic. The property of magnetism was first disccovered in antiquity through lodestones, and pieces suspended so that they could turn, were the first magnetic compasses. Of course the discovery was of immense importance for early navigation. In Middle English lodestone meant leading stone and lode once meant journey
32
A Sailors Silver Gilt Mounted Nut Locket With a carved Eagle motif Anglo / American 19th Century
size: 3 cm high, 3.5 cm wide, 2 cm deep – 1¼ ins high, 1¹⁄³ ins wide, ¾ ins deep
provenance: Ex Private Irish collection
The carved nut (coconut shell) depicting on one side a Golden Eagle within a foliate border, to the centre of the eagle a small shield shaped silver-gilt badge. The double side locket is hinged to reveal an opening and empty interior to house a keepsake of a loved one. The exterior border has a rope work design further enhancing the original artisan of this small exquisite locket being a sailor, who would not only have been familiar with and obtaining coconut shell but also likely an
accomplished scrimshander in his own right.
33
A Superb Pair of French Brass Mounted Tortoiseshell Veneered Collectors Cabinets
In the Louis XVI Style Wood, Glass, Brass, Tortoiseshell, Horn, Velvet France, Napoleon III Circa 1865–1870 size: 161 cm high, 108 cm wide, 58 cm deep – 63¹⁄³ ins high, 42½ ins wide, 58¾ ins deep provenance: Ex Private English collection
This pair of tortoiseshell veneered collectors cabinets or display cases are a rare survival from a period when the art of collecting in Europe was flourishing. Collections were being formed within the newly formed wealthy upper middle classes. Grand houses were being built and to house collections within them of objet d’art, ceramics, silver and sculpture, cabinets such as this were commissioned and incorporated into the style of the house.
34
A Polynesian Royal Whale Tooth Pendant Lei Niho Palaoa Fine smooth golden patina Hawaii
Early 19th Century size: 7.5 cm high, 3.5 cm wide, 5 cm deep – 2¾ ins high, 1¹⁄³ ins wide, 2 ins deep provenance: Ex Private English collection
cf: For two examples see Finch and Co, no. 80, catalogue no. 4, 2002 and no. 13, catalogue no. 31, 2018
Like the crowns of European
royalty, hook shaped pendants made from the teeth of sperm whales were worn by Hawaiian Ali’i as marks of noble birth. They served as visual symbols of exalted status and could be worn by persons of high rank of both genders. Often worn on necklaces made from tightly braided coils of human hair in multiple strands strung with finely plaited and braided Olonå fibres. Touchardia Latifolia is commonly known as Olonå in Hawaiian and is a species of flowering shrub that belongs to the nettle family. It has always been cultivated on Hawaii and was considered one of the finest grades of fibre, its intertwining strands making it one of the strongest natural fibres on earth. It was often used as cordage on the wrist loop of påhoa daggers, and for fastening sharks teeth on the heads of Leiomano
Lei Niho Palaoa were worn as formal regalia as the 19th century Hawaiian historian David Malo has written: in battle or on occasions of ceremony and display. The name of these pendants translates as whale tooth necklace which was the preferred material used in the early 19th century when it could only be obtained through the chance stranding’s of sperm whales as they passed by on their annual migrations. Archaeologists have found other pendants in shell, bone and coral which indicates that it is the distinctive hook shaped form of the pendant, rather than the material, which serves as the symbol of chiefly authority.
35
Madonna and Child
Limewood (worn) South German 13th – 14th Century size: 66 cm high – 26 ins high provenance: Ex Private Belgium collection
Ex Paul de Grande
Ex Private UK collection
The worn surface, pitted, even ragged in areas, possibly a result of remorseless dripping of rain, through a ravaged roof of an Abbey or Church, has created an almost ghost like appearance to this very serene figure. The gaze emitting a feeling of tranquility, peacefulness and calm. Certainly a sculpture which one could spend time in admiration to contemplate both the Virgin Mary and her Son, Jesus.
36
A Pacific Tridacna Clam Shell Breastplate Tema Decorated in an abstract fretwork design of turtle shell Shell, Tortoiseshell and Fibre
Santa Cruz Islands
Late 19th – Early 20th Century
size: 10.5 cm high, 11 cm wide, – 4¼ ins high, 14¹⁄³ ins wide provenance: Melanesian Mission, 33, Southampton Street, London, W.C. 2
Ex Private collection
cf: see Finch and Co no. 34, catalogue 4, 2004, no. 61, catalogue 7, 2005 and no. 39, catalogue 25, 2015 for further examples and also, Oceania: Art of the Pacific Islands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, entry number 104 for another similar example collected in 1928
Disc shaped ornaments of white clam shell decorated with cut turtle shell motifs are made throughout the Solomon, Santa Cruz and Admiralty Islands and Papua New Guinea. Commonly known as Kap Kap they were worn on the forehead or suspended around the neck. They were the property of high ranking
individuals and acted as symbols of status. Tema from Santa Cruz are made from the same materials used for kap kaps in the Solomon Islands, but instead of the large intricate radial openwork discs of the turtle shell which overlap the entire surface of the kap kap, the tema is ornamented by a smaller turtle shell carving that combines symmetrically arranged vertical compositions of angular motifs.
37
A Gold Damascened Helmet Khula Khud Steel, Gold, Velvet, Mail India
18th Century size: 25 cm high – 9¾ ins high / 56 cm high – 22 ins high (with mail) / 62 cm high –24½ins high (with base) provenance: Ex Private European collection
Despite the similarity in their design, the Khula Khud helmets were decorated with a wide degree of variations depending on the cultures from which they were created. Decorations often appeared in the skull and the nasal bar, which were heavily decorated with patterned motifs of inlaid brass, silver or gold; or decorated with figurative images. Originating in Central Asia, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, they were worn extensively by soldiers of the Persian Empire. A helmet with Devil horns is housed in The Metropolitan Musuem, MET 96.5.125 from Iran, together with two bloom holders as can be seen in our example.
38
An Unusual Memento Mori Housing a Wax Skeleton Dated 1764 and Initialled: Wood, Glass, Wax, Velvet
South German 18th Century
cf: for another example see Finch and Co no. 66, catalogue 14, 2009
size: 5 cm high, 8 cm wide, 17.5 cm long – 2 ins high, 3¼ ins wide, 6¾ ins long
Death has left only bare bones, decay and leathery skin and this Memento Mori successfully illustrates the warning that man cannot escape his fate. The inevitability of death must be accepted and these objects were made to function as Christian reminders that all are made equal in death. They helped strengthen the resolve of those who looked upon them to care more for their souls than their worldly goods, and so save themselves from eternal death and rise again on Judgement Day.
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi-Thus passes the Glory of the World 39
A Fine Maori Nephrite
Hei Tiki Breast Pendant Nephrite, Sealing Wax New Zealand
Early 19th Century
size: 10 cm high, 4.5 cm wide – 4 ins high, 1¾ ins wide
provenance: Captain Louie Dawson, Knockhall, Greenhithe, Kent
Philips Auction, Tribal Art, London, 6th December 1994, lot 204
Ex Private London collection
Ex Private collection
cf: for further examples see: Finch and Co no. 48, catalogue 9, 2006, no. 1 and no. 27, catalogue 20, 2013
hand written note: Hei Tiki
The Hei-Tiki is a curious and distorted representation of the human figure in attitude of his listen-ing-the head leaning on the shoulder. This green jade neck ornament amulet
is used by the Maories of New Zealand.
It is carved in Jade-the sacred stone of the natives.
Worn for a neck ornament for good luck & to protect from witch-craft evil spirits. These charms are regard-ed as valuable heir looms, & are carefully handed down from Father to Son, as the talisman was believed to possess all the good qualities & virtues of their forefathers.
Brought home by Capt: Louie Dawson to Knockhall, Greenhithe, Kent.
In 1770 Captain Cook noted : the men wear a piece of green talc or whalebone, with the resemblance of a man carved on it, hanging to a string round the neck
Symbolic of the Maori, HeiTiki were first seen and desired by the early explorers and have continued in popularity to the present day. In ancient times both men and women wore Hei-Tiki, but today they are only worn by Maori women.
Nephrite, a form of jade, was the most valuable material known to the Maori providing a direct tangible contact with the ancestors, the source of life, knowledge and Mana. By wearing treasured jade ornaments once owned by illustrious warrior ancestors the living Maori could share in the strength and power of those ancestors.
40
A Rare Pair of Late Gothic English Poppy Head Carved Oak Pew Ends one with Three Bishops Wearing Their Mitres Symbolic of the Trinity Acacia Leaves Carved to the Reverse
The other carved with foliate Acanthus
Probably Suffolk Old worn smooth polished brown patina
England Circa 1450
size: 44 cm high, 36 cm wide, 5.5 cm deep –17¼ ins high, 14¼ ins wide, 2¼ ins deep and 44 cm high, 37 cm wide, 6.5 cm deep – 17¼ ins high, 14½ ins wide, 2½ ins deep
provenance: Ex Private SuVolk collection
Ex Private Cotswolds collection
Ex Finch and Co, no. 6, catalogue number 31, 2018
Ex Private collection
Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation. The rise of the sermon as a central act of worship especially in Protestantism made the pew a standard item of church furniture. In some churches they were installed at the expense of the congregates and were their personal property, so that there was no public seating in the church. In these churches pew deeds recorded title to the pew and were used to convey them. Under this system they were originally purchased from the church and the purchase price went to the costs of building it. Ownership of the pews could sometimes be controversial and notices declaring that they were to be free in perpetuity were erected as a condition of building grants. Pews were inherited, but prestigious seating could be awarded to those who contributed large sums to the upkeep of the church. Certain areas were considered to be more desirable than others as they might oVer a better view of services and sermons or might make an individual or family more prominent and visible to the congregation. As attendance at church was then a legal requirement, the allocation of
pews oVered a public visualisation of the local parish’s social hierarchy.
The crowning feature of the pew in many SuVolk churches in the 15th century was the poppy or poupée head carved to each end either in the form of a trefoil with close knit foliage or with figures or animals of allegorical significance.
It is thought that the three figures wearing mitres could be representative of the Archbishops of London, York and Canterbury.
41
An Amazonian Spear with Suspended Feathers Wood, Feathers and Rattan Amazon, Brazil 19th Century
size: 155 cm long – 61 ins long provenance: Ex Private English collection
A finely constructed Amazonian wood spear with rattan along the shaft, and exotic, parrot feathers suspended towards the upper section and also at the base of the spear. A barbed head with sedation to one side. The dual coloured rattan forming a striking asymmetrical design. Both the rattan and the wood spear head have taken on a mellow shiny patina from use and wear.
42
A Superb and Very Large Early Baroque Sculpture of Christ Christo Vivo Boxwood Flemish Circa 1600–1650
size: 64 cm high, 49.5 wide – 25¼ ins high, 19½ ins wide / 67 cm high – 26¹⁄³ ins high (with base)
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our grief’s, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:2–5
43
A Rare Brass Clad Permanent Head Piece
Brass, Human Hair, Pigment Latuka, Southern Sudan 19th Century
size: 20 cm high, 16.5 cm wide, 25 cm deep – 7¾ ins high, 6½ ins wide, 9¾ ins deep provenance: Ex Private English collection
cf: An identical head-piece, with the addition of a stick decorated with feathers on top, is illustrated in W.O. Oldman’s Catalogue of Ethnographical Specimens no.77 (1910)
Anthony Toby Jack wrote the following extract in the 1990’s: Sir Samuel Baker, who explored the Bahr-el-Jebel region of southern Sudan in 1863 comments: ‘The Latookas wear most exquisite helmets: all of them are formed of their own hair, and are of course fixtures. At first sight it appears incredible, but a minute examination shows the wonderful perseverance of years in producing what must be highly inconvenient’
Seligmann (The Southern Sudan), writes: Perhaps the most distinctive feature about the Latuka is their peculiar and elaborate style of hairdressing….. all form the hair into a sort of helmet, which takes several years to bring to perfection. Their thick woolly hair is interwoven
with fine twine until it resembles a thick felt mat, and as the hair grows it is submitted to the same process until it becomes more a compact mass about an inch and a half thick, which has been trained into the shape of a helmet. The edge is sewn together with thread, and forms a strong rim about two inches deep Strips of polished brass or copper, shaped like the half of a bishop’s mitre, and about a foot in length are set up to form a crest. Seligmann illustrates his article with a rare photograph by Major Jennings Bramley showing a Latuka with a head-piece the same as the present example.
Like the Bongo of Bahr-elGhazal, the Latuka of Bahr-elJebel were already suVering from slave raids from the north in the mid-nineteenth century, and it is only by chance that some aspects of their material culture were recorded in those times. By the end of the century, and the Mahdist State, they were amongst the many tribes almost driven to the brink of extinction.
44
A Rare Berlin Silver Gilt Mounted Rock Crystal and Enamel Pendant With a wax Agnus Dei oval relief to the reverse Dated 1734 Attributed to the Fromery workshop (Berlin 1685–1738)
Copper, Enamel, Silver, Gilt, Wax, Rock Crystal German 18th Century / Circa 1734
size: 7 cm high, 5.5 cm wide, 1.5 cm deep – 2¾ ins high, 2¼ ins wide, ²⁄³ ins deep
provenance: Blumka collection, Ruth Blumka Sothebys, January 9th and 10th 1996
Georg Laue, Munich, Germany Ex Private English collection
The Fromery factory and workshop was created by the French Huguenot emigré, Pierre Fromery (1655–1738), an accomplished steel-cutter, armourer, clockmaker and boxmaker.
To the front of our oval is a profile of a Bishop / Saint shown wearing a mitre and holding a crozier and burning candle / lamp.
45
A Fine Nguni / Mfengu Wood StaV
Wood, Brass, Horn South Africa
Mid to Late 19th Century size: 104 cm long – 41 ins long
The Mfengu, who are largely made up of migrants from Northern Nguni territory to become vassals of the Xhosa speaking Kings, are identified in some nineteenth century documents as makers of staVs in the Eastern Cape area.
The hair ring, a classical tube, sewn into the hair (with a gum like substance) was typical of the Zulu men, denoting age, maturity and stability within the group. The staV has areas of scorching to the pupils, moustache, eyebrows and collar and tie-knot. Inlays of circular horn discs sit beneath the hair ring. The large elliptical eyes with heavily carved eyelids.
Another prestige staV from the same area can be seen in The Art of Southern Africa, Sandra Klopper; 2007, item no. 72.
46
A Finely Modelled Moche
Stirrup Spout Vessel in the Form of a Frog Terracotta, Glaze Peru
Circa 500 ad to 700 size: 16 cm high –6¼ ins high
provenance: Ex Hans Monheim collection, Germany, acquired in the 1950’s Howard Nowes Ancient Art, New York, 2004 Ex Private UK collection
A highly stylised and angular model of a frog with a muscular body and large flared nostrils. Collection numbers to the base.
47
A Scythian Gold Pin High Carat Gold Central Asia
4th – 3rd Century bc size: 13.5 cm high – 5¹⁄³
ins high
At the height of the Scythian world, their territory stretched from Greece and Upper Egypt in the West to the borders of India, Himalaya’s and Central Asia in the East, from the 6th to 4th centuries bc . The craftsmanship of this nomadic culture in gold was extraordinary with a quality unsurpassed. This beautiful workmanship can be a juxtaposition to their brutality within their society. The delicate pin would have been used for a modest light garment rather than a cloak.
47 a.
A Very Fine Fijian Striated Hardwood Pole Club Bowai with a Whale-Tooth Inlay to the Butt Wood Fiji
Late 18th – Early 19th Century size: 110 cm long – 43¼ ins long provenance: Ex Private English collection
A superb classic Bowai, which were not usually given decorative carving and were popular in Fiji as two handed fighting clubs. Designed for shattering bone at close quarters during combat on
the battlefield these clubs often inflicted very heavy casualty rates of up to fifty per cent. They also had important ceremonial functions. Bowai were stood up on the butt in religious divination rites and would remain standing if the omen was good, but if it was bad, the club would fall over.
The flared shaft, terminating with a convex ended head. A whale-tooth twelve pointed star disc inset into the base. The hand grip engraved with typical zig-zag carving. Superb honey coloured old silky smooth patina to the beautifully striated and stripy shaft.
48
A Charming Woodlands Platform Pipe Modelled as a Recumbent Deer Stone
North East North America
19th Century or Earlier size: 6 cm high, 10.5 cm wide, 4 cm deep – 2¹⁄³ ins high, 4¼ ins wide, 1½ ins deep provenance: Ernst Anspach, New York Christies London, Tribal Art, 4th December 1990, lot 191 Ex Private English collection
In the ceremonial use of tobacco, the pipe bowl was regarded by Native Americans as a miniature altar on which was eVected the burning of tobacco as incense, either as an oVering to the gods or in honour of important personages.
49
A Rare Grand Tour Model of a Striding Lion with Inlaid Eyes Attributed to Antonio Moglia (born: 1765)
Porphyritic type stone
Rome, Italy
Late 18th Century – Early 19th Century
size: 7.5 cm high, 11 cm wide, 5 cm deep – 3 ins high, 4¹⁄³ ins wide, 2 ins deep provenance: Ex Private North Country collection
Although little is known about the career of Antonio Moglia, one of the outstanding characteristics defining his attributed work is perhaps the naturalness with which he was able to give life to the feline subjects.
Moglia is known to have been active in Rome in the late 18th and early 19th century and was undoubtedly influenced by the acclaimed Sala degli animali (Zoo of stone animals) at the Vatican. Established by Pope Clement XIV (1769–1174) the collection comprised antique animals carved in marble and polychrome hard stones. A favourite tourist destination for visitors in Rome during the Grand Tour period, Pope Pius VI (1775–1799) subsequently enlarged the rooms and commissioned sculptors of the time to add the animal collection with new creations in the antique taste. These include sculptors particularly specialising in the restoration of antiquities who included Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (1716–1799), Carlo Albacini (1739–1807) and Francesco Antonio Franzoni (1734–1818).
It is Moglia, that is thought to have also worked on the animals in the collection and on the restoration of ancient marbles belonging to Ludwig I of Bavaria.
The tenderness and alertness with which Moglia has captured within this sculpture knows no bounds, the feline is shown walking silently and yet alert, in readiness to pounce or sprint to capture its prey. The inlaid eyes are further enhanced with a slight sparkle. At first appearance the sculpture looks to have been made in one piece of marble, yet on close inspection, the feline and integral base are in turn cut into a further marble rectangular plinth. Made from a Porphyritic type stone, the purple colour emphasising the ancient imperial porphyry and its continued use of colour favoured by Royalty
related literature: González-Palacios, Il seraglio di pietra. La sala degli animali in Vaticano, Rome, 2013 P. Liverani, G. Spinola, Vaticano, La Sala degli Animali nel Museo Pio-Clementino, Milan, 2003, p. 31, 117–118 G. Borghini, Marmi antichi, Rome, 1997, p. 216.
all Polynesian artefacts. A small number of complete necklaces survive and a number of pendants either from once complete necklaces or maybe used as ear pendant’s also exist. In an oYcial account from Captain Cook’s final voyage it was noted on Atiu, one of the southern Cook Islands: Some, who were of a superior class, and also the Chief’s, had two little balls, with a common base, made from the bone of some animal, which hung round the neck, with a great many folds of small cord; Cook, 1784.
50
A Very Rare Testicle Pendant
From a necklace Whale-Tooth Creamy patina from wear, wear to suspension hole Austral Islands 18th – Early 19th Century size: 3.5 cm high, 4 cm wide, 2 cm deep – 1¹⁄³ ins high, 1½ ins wide, ¾ ins deep provenance: Christies, Tribal Art, 23rd March 1996
Ex Private English collection
Pendants of this type are among the rarest and most sought after of
William Wyatt Gill of the London Missionary Society noted that such objects were worn as ear ornaments by the chiefs of Mangaia, the southernmost of the Cook Islands; Gill,1894. E.L.Gruning, who lived in the Cook Islands from 1905 to 1914, carried out an exploration of Atiu during which he had himself lowered into a cave of unknown depth at the end of a makeshift liana rope. His courage was rewarded by the discovery of human skeletons and two phallic ornaments, one suspended from braided human hair, in the manner of a Hawaiian lei niho palaoa. He notes that these ornaments are reputed to have been worn only by champion warriors of the island, who had the right of possessing any woman, married or single, while wearing one; Gruning, 1937. However the term phallic, used by several authors to describe these pendants, is of course a mistake. They may well represent testicles but certainly not a phallus. Three necklaces with similar shaped testicle suspended pendants can be seen in, Art and Artefacts of the Pacific, Africa and the America’s, The James Hooper Collection, Steven Phelps, Hutchison & Co, London, 1976, plate 83, page 152, numbers: 654, 655 and 656.
Design by Prof. Phil Cleaver & Zhouyan Sun of etal-design etal@etal-design.com Photography by Phil Connor phillip_connor@icloud.com Printed and bound in Great Britain by Pureprint
© 2022 Finch C o isbn 978-1-912930-72-2 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the permission in writing of the publisher.
