Enquiries
TimeLine Auctions Limited
23-24 Berkeley Square London
W1J 6HE, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7129 1494
Head Office
TimeLine Auctions Limited
The Court House
363 Main Road
Harwich, Essex CO12 4DN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1277 815121
Website www.timelineauctions.com
Auction
Tuesday 4 June 12 noon (Lots 1 - 406)
Wednesday 5 June 12 noon(Lots 407 - 1071)
Thursday 6 June 12 noon (Lots 1072 - 1736)
Friday 7 June 12 noon(Lots 1737 - 2398)
Saturday 8 June 12 noon (Lots 2399 - 3124)
Viewing Institute of Directors
116 Pall Mall
St James's London SW1Y 5ED
30 May 12:00 - 18:00
31 May 9:00 - 12:00
Champagne Reception
30 May 18:00 - 21:00 by invitation
19:30 Talk by Paul Whelan
“Egyptian Servants and Seeds of Osiris”
Bids
+44 (0)1277 815121
+44 (0)1277 814122 fax bids@timelineauctions.com
Telephone bidding by prior arrangement. Please see back of the catalogue for Terms & Conditions
Consignments
+44 (0)1277 815121 consignments@timelineauctions.com
Illustrations
Front cover: Lot 93
Back cover: Lot 145
Antiquities Department
Dr Raffaele D'Amato (Head of Department)
Tanja Maijala (Cataloguer)
Stephen Pollington (Cataloguer)
Consultants
Professor Neritan Ceka (Classical & General Antiquities)
Professor Livio Zerbini (Classical Archaeology & Roman Epigraphy)
Dr Ronald Bonewitz (Antiquities & Geological)
Dr Manuel Ceccarelli (Western Asiatic Antiquities)
Dr Robert Chandler (Paleontology)
Dr Brian Gilmour (Arms & Armour & General Antiquities)
Dr Ittai Gradel (Classical & General Antiquities)
Dr Malcolm Jones (Medieval & Later Antiquities)
Dr Alberto Pollastrini (Egyptian & Associated Antiquities)
Dr Laura Proffitt (Classical & General Antiquities)
Dr Laura Vigna (Ancient Jewellery, Ceramics & Marble)
Laetitia Delaloye, MA (Egyptian & General Antiquities)
Michaela Simonova, MA (Mesoamerica, Viking & Religious)
Thomas Sturm, MA (Cylinder Seals)
Paul Whelan, MA (Egyptian Antiquities)
Peter Bufton (Far Eastern, Islamic & Ethnographic)
Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS (Egyptian)
Richard Falkiner, FSA (Jewellery & General Antiquities)
Michael Howgate, B.Sc. M.Sc. PGCE FLS (Natural History)
Igor Gorokhovsky (Metallurgist & General Antiquities)
Joseph Hubbard (Natural History)
Dane Kurth (Greek & Roman Coins & Antiquities)
Stephen Pollington (Anglo-Saxon & Viking Antiquities)
Amin Rezai (Western Asiatic & General Antiquities)
Richard Roy (Ancient Americas)
Simon Schmidt (Jewellery & General Antiquities)
Mehdy Shaddel (Western Asiatic & Islamic Antiquities)
Stefany Tomalin (Beads & Associated Jewellery)
For further information and biographies see: www.timelineauctions.com
Team
Chief Executive Officer: Brett Hammond, FRSA
Chief Operating Officer: Aaron Hammond
Head of Administration: Tanja Maijala
Client Account Manager: Lisa Fricker
Admin Assistant: Law Yuen Ying
Catalogue Production & Layout
Damir & Davor Radic
DRs d.o.o.
Photography & Video Production
Michael Healy, Natalia Wood, Jason Williams
Sale Number: 259
1
EGYPTIAN ALABASTER BOWL WITH INCISED INNER CIRCLE OLD KINGDOM, CIRCA 2700–2513 B.C.
8¼ in. (749 grams, 21 cm wide)
Squat bowl with returned lip to the rim, incised ring to the centre.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS FBA (1853-1942), who had both found and repaired the piece; a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. From the private collection of the late Mrs Belinda Ellison, long time member of the Egyptian Exploration Society, c.1940-2020.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Guidotti, M.C., Vasi dall’epoca protodinastica al Nuovo Regno, Museo Egizio di Firenze, Rome, 1991, p.78, no.11.
2
EGYPTIAN ALABASTER BOWL ‡ 1ST DYNASTY, CIRCA 3000 B.C.
4½ in. (380 grams, 11.6 cm wide)
Of conical profile with flattened base, carinated shoulder and stepped rounded rim, possibly for accepting a lid.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Property from an American deceased estate, acquired between 19770-1989. with Bonhams, London, 28 October 2009, no.16 (Part).
Private European collection.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12071-215259.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Vandier d’Abbadie, J., Les objets de toilette égyptiens au Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1972, pp.108, 110, nos. 433-434, for two examples of this type in the Louvre.
3
EGYPTIAN ALABASTER KOHL POT ‡ MIDDLE KINGDOM, CIRCA 2035-1665 B.C.
1⅞ in. (115 grams, 47 mm high with lid)
Barrel-shaped with broad flat rim; with later hieroglyphic inscription to the lid.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Guidotti, M.C., Vasi dall’epoca protodinastica al Nuovo Regno, Museo Egizio di Firenze, Rome, 1991, pp.120-121, for examples.
4
EGYPTIAN BLUE FAIENCE OFFERING CUPS
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1⅛ - 1⅞ in. (37 grams total, 29-48 mm)
Group of two bell-shaped cups, the smaller with black hieroglyphic inscription. [2]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
EGYPTIAN PREDYNASTIC BASALT VASE ‡
NAQADA I-II, CIRCA 3900-3300 B.C. 3⅜ in. (330 grams, 86 mm)
Barrel-shaped in profile with tapering neck and trumpet-shaped foot, two lateral pierced lug handles, flared rim (damaged).
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE: French private collection.
From the ‘Yvelines Department’, Northern France. with Mme Digard, Drouot, Paris, 7 February 2011, no.107.
Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12072-218133.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Aston, B.G., Ancient Egyptian Stone Vessels: Materials and Forms, SAGA 5, Heidelberg, 1994, p.95, no. 13, for type.
6
EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE MALE HEAD FRAGMENT
OLD KINGDOM, 4TH-EARLY 5TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 2640-2480 B.C. 10½ in. (4.58 kg total, 26.5 cm including stand)
Wearing a short wig, the eyes with incised cosmetic lines; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE: with Sotheby’s, London, 5 July 1982, no.190. with Sotheby’s, London, 13-14 December 1990, no.18. Acquired from the above sale by the late Robert Browne. Property of Ms L.F., London, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00243674. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12073-217362.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Ziegler, C., Les statues égyptiennes de l’Ancien Empire, Paris, 1997, p. 231, no. 71, for similar head.
7
EGYPTIAN WOVEN REED BASKET
NEW KINGDOM, 1539-1075 B.C.
4½ in. (119 grams, 11.3 cm)
Squat in profile with wide mouth, tinted cross to the underside; old collector’s label ‘1766’ inside. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Ex Bretagne Encheres, Hotel des Ventes de Rennes, France, 2005-2006. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Brovarski, E., Freed, R.E., Doll, S.K., Egypt’s Golden Age: The Art of Living in the New Kingdom 1558-1085 B.C., Boston, 1982, p.136, no. 132, for a patterned basket.
8
EGYPTIAN FUNERARY CONE FOR DJEDHER
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
6½ in. (895 grams, 16.5 cm)
Columnar terracotta cone with flattened base, five horizontal bands of reserved hieroglyphic text giving the dedication: ‘Djedher, true of voice, son of Ankhhor who is the son of the hereditary noble, great mayor, great one of the Meshwesh (an ancient Libyan tribe), mayor, overseer of the priests of Banebdju, Djedher, his mother, mistress of the house, Shepensepedet, true of voice.’
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Davies, N. de G. and Laming Macadam, F., A Corpus of Inscribed Egyptian Funerary Cones, Oxford, 1957, cone number 378.
9
EGYPTIAN BRONZE BASE WITH IBEX AND HIEROGLYPHS
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
4⅝ in. (205 grams, 11.7 cm)
Rectangular with two sockets to the upper face, low-relief recumbent ibex; incised hieroglyphic text to one short sidewall and remains on both long sidewalls, giving a dedication to ‘give life, health, a long [lifetime......]’.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: Galerie Orient-Occident, Paris, 1990. Parisian private collection. with Pierre Berge, 2 February 2017, lot 85.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Tiribilli, E., The bronze figurines of the Petrie Museum from 2000 BC to AD 400, GHP Egyptology 28, London, 2018, p.302, no. 499, for a less elaborately decorated, inscribed base.
FOOTNOTES:
The bound ibex is a frequent image in ancient Egyptian art and a prized foodstuff. The animal’s presence on this base symbolises the finest offerings to the once-attached deity.
10
EGYPTIAN WOODEN MUMMY MASK
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
8½ in. (880 grams, 21.5 cm)
D-shaped in plan with carved facial detailing, thick nose and full lips; pierced in four places for attachment.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Old mounting to the top. From a private estate, Suffolk, UK. Acquired from a UK antiques fair. Property of Mr E.D., a UK professional.
LITERATURE:
See Parlasca, K., Sailor, H., Moments, Mummy Portraits and Egyptian Funerary Art from Roman Times, Frankfurt, 1999, for discussion.
EGYPTIAN BASALT TORSO OF NAOPHOROS
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
7⅝ in. (9⅞ in.) (4.6 kg, 19.3 cm (5.18 kg total, 25 cm including stand))
Carved in the round, depicting a male carrying a rectangular shrine intended to hold a figure of a goddess; arms and upper chest bare, strap to the chest to support an apron, dorsal pillar to the reverse; accompanied by a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£8,000 - 10,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Danish furniture designer Ole Wanscher (1903-1985).
Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. Accompanied by a copy of a photo of Wanscher in his office, circa 1960. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.11843-207728.
FOOTNOTES:
Ole Wanscher was a leading figure of the Scandinavian Design movement. Wanscher was inspired by ancient designs, and one of his most famous creations, the ‘Egyptian Stool’, was based on folding chairs from Egypt’s New Kingdom. This piece is visible in the background of a photo of Wanscher in his office, circa 1960.
EGYPTIAN WOODEN SARCOPHAGUS WITH FALCON MUMMY ‡ LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-31 B.C. 19½ in. (2.3 kg, 49.5 cm)
Two-part wooden (sycamore?) falcon-headed mummiform coffin carved from a single piece of wood, with a tripartite wig and human ears, painted detailing to the eyes, and broad decorative collar; the whole covered with black paint with traces of yellow decoration and inscriptions; inside a mummified falcon wrapped in linen strips.
£8,000 - 10,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s.
Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note.
Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12074-218220.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Raven, M.J., ‘Corn Mummies’, Oudheidkundige Mededelingen uit het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden te Leiden 63 (1982), pl. 4A, for a comparable black-painted falcon-headed coffin with yellow decoration.
FOOTNOTES:
This falcon-headed coffin once contained a so-called ‘corn mummy’ - a mummiform effigy impregnated with grain, which germinated. Such ‘corn mummies’ were associated with Osirian regeneration, fertility, and rebirth concepts. The falcon-headed coffin was associated with the powerful funerary deity Sokar-Osiris or Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. It seems that the original contents of this coffin were either lost or discarded and replaced with a mummified bird (falcon?). Interestingly, the most significant number of falcon-headed coffins come from Tuna el-Gebel, the site of an extensive animal mummy necropolis.
EGYPTIAN WOODEN MUMMY MASK WITH EGYPTIAN BLUE
INLAID EYEBROWS
THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, 22ND-24TH DYNASTY, 944-716 B.C.
7⅞ in. (972 grams, 20 cm)
D-shaped in plan with finely carved facial detailing, slender nose and full lips, sockets to the eyes; eyebrows recessed to accept inserts still partly in situ; pierced to reverse for attachment.
£12,000 - 17,000
PROVENANCE: Old mounting to the reverse. From a private estate, Suffolk, UK. Acquired from a UK antiques fair. Property of Mr E.D., a UK professional.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12076-217420.
LITERATURE: See Parlasca, K., Sailor, H., Moments, Mummy Portraits and Egyptian Funerary Art from Roman Times, Frankfurt, 1999, for discussion.
14
EGYPTIAN SANDSTONE RELIEF
LATE PERIOD OR PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-31 B.C.
10⅝ in. (2.8 kg total, 27 cm wide)
Rectangular frieze fragment with low-relief profile bust wearing the double crown; sa symbol (of protection) to the rear; mounted on a custom-made stand.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From Galerie Orient-Occident, Paris, France. with Cahn Auctions, 19 October 2002, no.527.
From the Keane private collection, Kent, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Tomoum, N., The Sculptors’ Models of the Late and Ptolemaic Periods, Cairo, 2005, pl. 42 d.
15
CYPRIOT LIMESTONE BULL STATUE
CYPRO-ARCHAIC I, 750-600 B.C.
9½ in. (1.29 kg total, 24 cm including stand)
Carved in the round as an advancing bull with its tail placed between the hindlegs, thick fur to the throat; the fill between the legs with traces of cross-hatching in red pigment; old collector's label '477' to flange base; mounted on an old wooden collector's stand with painted numeral '193' to one face. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Base and collection numbers suggesting it may have been deaccessioned from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Joseph Klein collection, formed in New York between 1941-1980, thence by descent.
with Bonhams, London, 24 October 2012, no.3.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
16
EGYPTIAN BODY OF ANUBIS GLASS INLAY
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
3¾ in. (108 grams, 96 mm)
With gently curved obverse and flat reverse, section of an inlay depicting Anubis, with thick neck and beginning of extended foreleg.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the French art market, 1980s. with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2013, lot 21.
17
EGYPTIAN WOOD PANEL WITH HIEROGLYPHS FOR PADI-WSIR
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
12¼ in. (652 grams total, 31 cm wide including stand)
Foot panel from a cedarwood sarcophagus with carved socket to the inner face to accept the feet and mortices for attaching to sides; the outer face in low relief, a figural scene depicting the sisters of Osiris (Nephthys to the left and Isis to the right) with their arms extended; text translatable as ‘Words spoken for Neftis, which surrounds ...Words spoken for Osiris, Padi-Wsir. I have come into existence as [...] Osiris, Padi-Wsir, the righteous [...]’.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From a Dutch private collection, acquired in the 1970s. Acquired from J. Bagot Ancient Art, Barcelona, Spain, in 2016. From the Keane private collection, Kent, UK.
FOOTNOTES:
‘Padi Wsir’ is probably the name of the owner of the sarcophagus; the same name was elsewhere transliterated as ‘Padiusir’ and Hellenised as ‘Petosiris’’, a familiar name in the Late Period.
18
EGYPTIAN WOODEN FALCON ‡
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-31 B.C.
6⅜ in. (124 grams, 16.3 cm)
Carved figure of a falcon perching on an ellipsoid base, with mortice in the top of the head for a separately-fashioned crown (missing); traces of painted decoration visible on the face; old collector’s numbers to the underside ‘E.18’ and ‘ OC’.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s.
19
EGYPTIAN DECORATED WOODEN PYXIS
LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
2⅞ in. (60 grams, 73 mm high)
Lathe-turned body and separate lid, incised bands to the equator, flared base, and fillet to the domed lid.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: Ex UK collection, 1930-1940s.
20
EGYPTIAN WOODEN FUNERARY SHABTI FIGURINE ‡ 2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. 5¾ in. (39 grams, 14.5 cm)
Carved in the round with D-shaped base, carefully modelled hair and ears with beard absent, the right hand visible, not holding any work tools, the body has the appearance of a mummy entirely draped in a shroud with rather elongated proportions, the broad and rounded face with a slightly ‘smiling’ expression, framed by a tripartite hairstyle without stripes, which continues down the back and two lappets on the chest.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12079-218221.
21
LARGE EGYPTIAN BLUE GLAZED
HIEROGLYPHIC SHABTI FOR TA-AMUN
SAITE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C. 7 in. (140 grams, 18 cm)
With finely modelled facial details, a plaited beard, holding a hoe and the cord of a seed bag at the left shoulder and a pick at the right, ten horizontal bands of hieroglyphic text to the lower body.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003.
Property of a London based academic, 2003present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. von Droste zu Hülsdorf, V. and Schlick-Nolte, B., Ägyptische Bildwerke II: Statuetten, Gefässe und Geräte, Melsungen, 1990, pp. 157-160, no. 77, for a shabti of similar styling.
22
LARGE EGYPTIAN BLUE GLAZED HIEROGLYPHIC SHABTI FOR A SEM PRIEST
SAITE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C. 7⅛ in. (230 grams, 18.2 cm)
Pale blue composition with moulded detail to the wig, beard, tools and seed bag; nine horizontal bands of hieroglyphic text to the lower half of the body; dorsal pillar.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003.
Property of a London based academic, 2003present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Schlögl, H., and Brodbeck, A., Ägyptische Totenfiguren aus öffentlichen und privaten sammlungen der Schweiz, Göttingen, 1990, p. 259, no. 182, for the type.
23
EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE PAINTED SHABTI INSCRIBED FOR IR-NU NEW KINGDOM, 19TH-20TH DYNASTY, 1295-1077 B.C. 11⅛ in. (1.4 kg total, 28.4 cm high including stand)
Inscribed for Ir-nu; with carefully modelled face, large eyes and unnaturally large ears, wearing a neck-strap, a long tripartite wig with incised striations and a broad three-band collar; holding a pick in his left hand, a hoe in the right and a seed bag hanging over the left shoulder; the unusual position of the hands opposed on the chest; the text beginning in the vertical column running down the front of the figure, continuing in five horizontal bands with pale red-ochre pigment colouring to the top, middle and bottom bands; the same pigment used to colour the implements and also alternates with blue striations of the wig, the neck strap and details of the collar also in blue; the inscription from the Book of the Dead Chapter 6, reading: (Vertical column:) ‘The illuminated one, the Osiris’ (Horizontal rows:) 1) Ir-nu, true of voice, he says: O, this shabti 2) if one is counted, if one is reckoned to do the work 3) [to do all that is to be done in] the god’s land, to cultivate the riparian lands, transport by boat 4) [sand of] the west to the east, to act 5) at any time, to serve there (you) shall say true of voice(?).
£20,000 - 30,000
PROVENANCE: Carieau family collection, Belgium, acquired in 1952. Ex Maspero collection, Paris, 1963. Acquired from a private European collection, in 1978.
Accompanied by a copy of a technical report by Edmund S. Meltzer Ph.D. Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12080-217053.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Newberry, P., Funerary Statuettes and Model Sarcophagi, Catalogue général des Antiquités égyptiennes du musée du Caire, Nos.46530-48575, Cairo 1930-1957, pp.378-379 (CG 48497), pl. XXI; see Donald, B., Funerary Figurines in Oxford Encyclopaedia of Ancient Egypt, vol 1, New York, 2000, pp.568-569; see also Schneider, H.D., Shabtis. An Introduction to the History of Ancient Egyptian Funerary Statuettes with a Catalogue of the Collection of Shabtis in the National Museum of Antiquities at Leiden, 3 vols., Leiden 1977, V.2, p.73, (3.2.1.55), pl.100; V.3 p.26.
EXHIBITED:
The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) 2016, Booth 430, Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands.
24
LARGE EGYPTIAN BLUE GLAZED HIEROGLYPHIC SHABTI FOR TA-AMUN
SAITE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C. 7 in. (140 grams, 18 cm)
With finely modelled facial details, a plaited beard, holding a hoe and the cord of a seed bag at the left shoulder and a pick at the right, eleven horizontal bands of hieroglyphic text to the lower body.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. von Droste zu Hülsdorf, V. and Schlick-Nolte, B., Ägyptische Bildwerke II: Statuetten, Gefässe und Geräte, Melsungen, 1990, pp. 157-160, no. 77, for a shabti of similar styling.
25
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE SHABTI FOR NESY-AMUN THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, 21ST DYNASTY, 1069-943 B.C. ⅜ in. (75 grams, 11.1 cm)
Modelled in deep blue faience with applied black detailing to the hair, eyes, seed bag, agricultural tools and three bands of hieroglyphs to the lower body reading giving the title and name of ‘Nesy-Amun, Justified’; very rare.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
European collection, latterly in private UK collection, 1990. Read by John Taylor at the British Museum on 27 February 2009.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Christie’s New York, 11 December 2014, lot 64, for another example, which sold for US $7,500.00; Aubert, L., Les statuettes funéraires de la Deuxième Cachette à Deir el-Bahari, Paris, 1998, p. 71, no. 19 and pl. X, for discussion and examples of Nesy-Amun’s shabtis.
FOOTNOTES: Nesy-Amun was the Fourth Prophet of Amun in the 21st Dynasty. The mummy was recovered from the priest’s hole, cache II, Deir el-Bahari.
26
EGYPTIAN BLUE GLAZED HIEROGLYPHIC SHABTI FRAGMENT
SAITE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C.
3½ in. (96 grams, 90 mm)
Pale blue composition with detailed texture to the headcloth, pick and hoe held at the shoulders with cord supporting the seed bag over the shoulder; the lower body with two bands of crisp hieroglyphic text remaining.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
FOOTNOTES:
Although the individual’s name is lost, his titles: ‘member of the elite’ and ‘mayor/prince/governor’, indicate his high status.
27
EGYPTIAN BLUE GLAZED SHABTI FOR THE PRIEST OF AMUN MI THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, 21ST DYNASTY, 1069-943 B.C.
4⅝ in. (132 grams, 11.8 cm)
Applied black pigment to the wig, eyes, two hoes, seed bag at the reverse, and a vertical panel of hieroglyphic text on the lower body with the dedication: ‘The Osiris, the Priest of Amun Mi, true of voice’.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Probably from a priests’ cachette at Luxor.
Acquired in Egypt by Lieutenant James Alexander Goodman in the 1920s. Thence by descent to his grandson.
FOOTNOTES:
Lieutenant Goodman served in the 4th Battalion Welsh Regiment during World War I and saw action in Palestine during the capture of Bethlehem, (for which he won an MC). After the war, he setup a business selling Fordson trucks and tractors in Alexandria, Egypt. A keen antiquarian, he collected ancient objects during his time in Alexandria and when he visited the pyramids at Giza. After his first marriage failed, he returned to the UK in the early 1930s. On his death in 1959, he passed his small collection of Egyptian objects on to his second wife, Ruby Goodman. On Ruby’s death in 1994, they were left to their second daughter, Rosemary Johnson, (née Goodman), and are currently in the possession of her son.
28
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE BLOCK BEAD FOR AMENHOTEP III AND QUEEN TIYE
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 1398-1338 B.C. ⅝ in. (1.84 grams, 16 mm)
Rectangular bifacial stamp with hieroglyphs writing the prenomen of Amenhotep III (Neb-Maat-Re) to obverse, and to reverse ‘King’s Wife Tiye’. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Emile Bouillon Bey, c. 1880.
From the Gaston Maspero Archaeological Fund. with Hotel des Ventes du Perigord, Bergerac, 24 June 2007. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Scarabs and Cylinders with Names, London, 1917, pl. XXXV, no. 154, for a variant of this design.
29
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE BLOCK BEAD OF THUTMOSE III
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 1504-1452 B.C. ½ in. (1.1 grams, 12 mm)
With impressed hieroglyphs on all four faces, two sides giving the throne name of Thutmose III (Men-kheper-Re), the others mentioning the god Amun. [No Reserve] £600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the old collection of Emile Bouillon Bey, c. 1880. Ex Gaston Maspero archaeological fund. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Scarabs and Cylinders with Names, London, 1917, pl. XXVII, no.57, for a similar block bead.
30
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE BLOCK BEAD WITH BES AND AMUN
NEW KINGDOM, 19TH-20TH DYNASTY, 1279-1081 B.C. ½ in. (1.31 grams, 13 mm)
Rectangular bead with reserved image of Bes to one face, hieroglyphs to the reverse giving the legend ‘beautiful praise (of) Amun’. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Emile Bouillon Bey, c. 1880.
From the Gaston Maspero Archaeological Fund. with Hotel des Ventes du Perigord, Bergerac, 24 June 2007. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Button and Design Scarabs, London, 1925, pl. XXX, no. 1122, for a similar Bes design on a block bead.
31
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE BLOCK BEAD OF RAMESSES IV
NEW KINGDOM, 20TH DYNASTY, 1166-1160 B.C.
½ in. (1.45 grams, 14 mm)
Rectangular block with hieroglyphs on both faces; one side gives the throne name of Ramesses IV (Heka-Maat-Re), the other side gives the name of the god Amun-Re. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Emile Bouillon Bey, c. 1880.
From the Gaston Maspero Archaeological Fund. with Hotel des Ventes du Perigord, Bergerac, 24 June 2007.
Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Scarabs and Cylinders with Names, London, 1917, pl. XLV, no.6, for a scarab with the throne name, nos. 12-13, for similar Ramesside block bead types.
32
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE BLOCK BEAD FOR RAMESSES II NEW KINGDOM, 19TH DYNASTY, 1279-1213 B.C.
½ in. (1.18 grams, 14 mm)
Rectangular bead pierced for suspension, hieroglyphic text to both broad faces, one giving the throne name of Ramesses II, ‘User-MaatRe Setep-en-Re’, the other, ‘Ramesses, beloved of Amun’. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Emile Bouillon Bey, c. 1880.
From the Gaston Maspero Archaeological Fund. with Hotel des Ventes du Perigord, Bergerac, 24 June 2007. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Scarabs and Cylinders with Names, London, 1917, pl. XLII, no. 116, for another block bead design for Ramesses II.
33
EGYPTIAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF OSIRIS
LATE PERIOD, 664-525 B.C.
3⅝ in. (74 grams, 92 mm)
Modelled in the round wearing the atef crown with a uraeus to the brow, arms crossed on the chest holding the nekhakha (flail) and heka (crook); loop to rear of the neck; feet absent and damage to left shoulder revealing original lead core.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Daressy, G., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire N° 38001-39384 Statues de divinités, Cairo, 1906, pl. XVIII, no. 38.275, for a comparable figure.
34
EGYPTIAN BRONZE STATUE OF THE GOD OSIRIS
LATE PERIOD, 664-525 B.C.
5½ in. (136 grams, 14 cm)
Modelled in the round wearing the Atef crown with a uraeus to the brow, arms crossed on the chest holding the nekhakha (flail) and heka (crook); trapezoidal base with long tenon beneath.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Tinius, I., Altägypten in Braunschweig. Die Sammlungen des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums und des Städtischen Museums, Wiesbaden, 2011, p.104, no. 152, for similar.
35
BRONZE BUST WITH PHALLUS ROMAN, 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D. 5¾ in. (377 grams total, 14.5 cm including stand)
Modelled as a grotesque male head, depicted clean-shaven and hairless apart from a small tuft of hair to the rear with a raised phallus above; the neck developing to a broad circular socket with flange rim; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
From an old Nevers collection, acquired before 1960. Ex Hotel des Ventes de Nevers. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Esperandieu, E. & Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de la Seine Maritime, XIII Supplement a Gallia, Paris, 1959, no.178; Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 196; see also the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.97.22.6.
FOOTNOTES:
The exact meaning of these grotesque busts surmounted by a phallus is disputed, although Rolland (p.106) believes that they originated in Alexandria among the priests of the cult of Isis. Similar busts have been discovered in the Roman Gallia, at Bavay and Strasbourg.
36
MONUMENTAL EGYPTIAN BRONZE ATEF CROWN FEATHER FROM A LIFE-SIZED STATUE
LATE PERIOD, CIRCA 664-332 B.C.
13¼ in. (1.21 kg, 33.5 cm high including stand)
Ostrich feather with deep recessed cells to accept inlay, with tapering mounting lug to one side; remnants of gilding; mounted on a custommade display stand. [No Reserve]
£6,000 - 8,000
PROVENANCE: Seward Kennedy collection, acquired 1960s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.11840-207822.
LITERATURE:
Cf. The Brooklyn Museum, accession number 53.76.2, for a broadly similar object; Tiribilli, E., The bronze figurines of the Petrie Museum from 2000 BC to AD 400, London, 2018, pp.288-290, for similar examples.
FOOTNOTES:
This large feather is part of an Atef crown that would have been attached to a wooden statue of Osiris, the powerful underworld deity. The crown combines the Hedjet, the White Crown of Upper Egypt, flanked by ostrich feathers on each side to form the Atef crown.
37
EGYPTIAN BRONZE COBRA MOUNT ‡ LATE PERIOD, 6TH CENTURY B.C.
8⅝ in. (182 grams, 22 cm)
Cobra-shaped mount with head raised and hood expanded, two mounting studs to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. £1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE: Private Israeli collection. Ex Archaeological Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015. Private European collection.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Tiribilli, E., The bronze figurines of the Petrie Museum from 2000 BC to AD 400, GHP Egyptology 28, London, 2018, p. 295, no. 480, for a similar, though smaller, example.
FOOTNOTES:
The mount most likely adorned the Atef crown of a statue of Osiris.
38
EGYPTIAN BRONZE BRAIDED SIDELOCK OF HARPOCRATES
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 332-30 B.C.
5⅝ in. (372 grams total, 14.3 cm high including stand)
Accessory from a statue, S-curved with braid detailing to the surface and coiled end; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: Jean P. Bourgis, Beaulieu Sur-Mer, France; acquired 1980.
LARGE EGYPTIAN FAIENCE AMULET OF ISIS NURSING BABY HORUS
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
2⅝ in. (20.16 grams, 65 mm)
Amulet of Isis seated on an elaborate throne decorated with a crosshatch pattern, holding the infant Horus to her breast, supporting his head with her left hand; wearing a long close-fitting sheath dress and striated tripartite wig, surmounted by a crown in the form of her hieroglyphic name-sign, the throne; Horus wearing the sidelock of youth and holding his finger to his mouth; horizontal piercing just above the throne at the back for suspension.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex Foxwell collection. Acquired from a London gallery. Ex Mr A.S. collection, 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p.22, fig. 18b, for similar.
FOOTNOTES:
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with aspects of fertility and motherhood and is often depicted in various artworks seated in a nursing pose with her son Horus on her lap.
40
LARGE EGYPTIAN FAIENCE AMULET OF THE GODDESS ISIS ‡ LATE PERIOD-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.
5½ in. (50 grams, 14 cm)
The goddess dressed in a long tight-fitting tunic to her ankles, standing with her left leg forward, her straight arms descending to her thighs; vulture headgear surmounted two long feathers; dorsal pillar with hieroglyphic text; repaired.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Private collection Mr E. Saad, Cairo, Egypt-Montreux, Switzerland, 1970s. Ex private collection of Mr S.A., acquired from Mr Saad in 1997.
FOOTNOTES:
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with aspects of fertility and motherhood. This amulet unusually depicts her with a two-plumed crown, which may associate her with the goddess Sothis.
41
EGYPTIAN SILVER ISIS AMULET LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1½ in. (2½ in.) (6.2 grams, 39 mm (20.7 grams total, 62 mm including stand))
Isis enthroned wearing a cow’s horn headdress with a solar disc, suckling the infant Horus on her lap; loop to rear of crown; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex Mythes & Legend. Ex Cohen collection 2011.
Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 18(a).
FOOTNOTES:
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the sky god Horus. She is associated with aspects of fertility and motherhood and is often depicted in various artworks seated in a nursing pose with her son Horus on her lap, as here.
42
EGYPTIAN GOLD GODDESS BASTET CAT AMULET
LATE NEW KINGDOM-THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1069-900 B.C.
¼ in. (0.48 grams, 8 mm)
Modelled seated on a tongue-shaped base, with simple facial detailing and suspension loop to the back.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From an early 20th century French collection.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 29(c).
43
EGYPTIAN BRONZE RING WITH HIEROGLYPHS ‡
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 in. (9.62 grams, 24.22 mm overall, 18.25 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14))
Ellipsoid bezel with a group of incuse hieroglyphs to the plaque naming Amun-Re.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Objects of Daily Use, Warminster, 1972, pl. XIII, no. 133, for a vertical oval bezel with a similar hieroglyphic inscription.
44
EGYPTIAN STEATITE SCARABOID FOR PHARAOH SHABAKA LATE 8TH-EARLY 9TH CENTURY B.C.
1 in. (7.65 grams, 27 mm)
Bifacial carved scaraboid; reverse with royal cartouche for Pharaoh Shabaka, flanked by the uraeus of Lower and Upper Egypt, surmounted by the Pharaonic epithet King of the Upper and Lower Egypt (king of the reed and king of the bee) and by the title the son of Ra and below, the sign of neb (damaged) lord; obverse with on the left, wedjat (winged cobra with the red crown – Lower Egypt),
embracing with his wings shen (solar symbol) and in the centre, a lion with a ram’s head, crowned and on the right, wedjat with the white crown of the Upper Egypt; on the upper section, a scarab with opened wings, instead of a lotus flower is depicted on the lower section.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 1: Les scarabées royaux, Beirut, 1971, p.199, no. 811, for a scarab of Shabaka with similar design elements.
45
EGYPTIAN BRONZE RING FOR RAMESSES II
NEW KINGDOM, 19TH DYNASTY, 1303-1213 B.C.
1 in. (6.78 grams, 23.72 mm overall, 17.94 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16))
D-shaped hoop and ellipsoid plaque, hieroglyphic text in low relief giving the regnal name of Ramesses II (User-Maat-Re Setep-en-Re).
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex R.K. collection, early 1980s.
UK private collection before 2000. Property of a London gentleman.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Andrews, C., Ancient Egyptian Jewellery, London, 1990, p.165, no.148, for the type; Tinius, I., Altägypten in Braunschweig. Die Sammlungen des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums und des Städtischen Museums, Wiesbaden, 2011, p.175, no. 345, for a faience ring of similar style.
46
EGYPTIAN AMETHYST SCARAB IN GOLD FRAME LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C. AND LATER
2 in. (12.45 grams, 52 mm)
Carved with lightly incised carapace, chipped to the obverse; set in a 19th century gold frame.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: From an early 20th century collection.
47
‘EGYPTIAN BLUE’ COUNTER WEIGHT MENAT AMULET LATE PERIOD, 664-525 B.C. 2⅝ in. (14 grams, 67 mm)
Amuletic pendant with broad bale, keyhole-shaped plaque with gusset to the rim.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Reisner, G.A., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire, Nos.12528-13595, Vol. II, Amulets, Cairo, 1958, pl. V, nos. 12701 and 12694, for type.
48
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE SCARAB ‡ PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 300 B.C. ½ in. (0.56 grams, 13 mm)
Discoid base with crouching frog pierced longitudinally for threading; underside with a solar disc and unidentified symbol.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Lacovara, P., and Markowitz, Y.J., Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester MA, 2020, p. 116, no. 1925.594, for similar.
49
EGYPTIAN CARVED STONE SCARAB 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
2½ in. (159 grams, 63 mm)
With textured carapace and detailed head and legs; underside blank. £500 - 700
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE: Cf. Schulz, R., Khepereru – Scarabs. Scarabs, Scaraboids, and Plaques from Egypt and the Ancient Near East in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Oakville CT, 2007, pl. 18, no. 124, for similar.
50
EGYPTIAN CARNELIAN EYE OF HORUS AMULET ‡ CIRCA 1000 B.C.
¾ in. (1.64 grams, 19 mm)
With exceptional eye detailing carved in low-relief to one face. £1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an old collection inventory note.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Amulets. Illustrated by the Egyptian Collection in University College, London, 1914, pl. XXV, no. 138z, for a wedjat-eye amulet of similar style.
51
EGYPTIAN FAIENCE SCARAB FOR AMENHOTEP III
NEW KINGDOM, 18TH DYNASTY, 1410-1372 B.C. ⅝ in. (2.53 grams, 17 mm)
Modelled with carapace and mouth details, the underside with hieroglyphic text giving the dedication: ‘the good god, lord of the Two Lands, beloved of Amun’, with the cartouche containing the throne name of Amenhotep III (Neb-Maat-Re). £1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Doctor Girard, a collector for over 60 years. with Hotel des Ventes de Clermont-Ferrand, 22 May 2017. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Newberry, P.E., Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire N° 36001-37521, Scarab-shaped Seals, Cairo, 1907, pl. IV, no. 36202, for a scarab with a similar layout belonging to one of Amenhotep III’s predecessors.
52
EGYPTIAN STEATITE SCARAB FOR THUTMOSE III
NEW KINGDOM OR LATER, CIRCA 1334-332 B.C. ¾ in. (3.85 grams, 20 mm)
Underside with cartouche of Pharaoh Thutmose III (Men-kheper-Re). £400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Ex North London gentleman’s collection, 1990s. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 58(c), for type.
FOOTNOTES:
The popularity of this great Egyptian pharaoh was such that his name appeared on scarabs during his reign and into the Late Period.
53
EGYPTIAN WHITE STONE SCARAB WITH URAEI AND FALCONS
NEW KINGDOM-LATE PERIOD, 1550-332 B.C. ⅞ in. (3.8 grams, 21 mm)
Underside with design including hieroglyphs and falcons and uraei £400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Ex North London gentleman’s collection, 1990s. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
54
EGYPTIAN STEATITE SCARAB ‡ 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. ½ in. (0.80 grams, 12 mm)
With detailed carapace and mouth, hieroglyphs to the underside depicting a pharaoh-headed recumbent lion, with hes-vase in front and the crowns of Lower and Upper Egypt behind. £500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex R. Liechti (1934-2010) Geneva, Switzerland, formed between 1950-1990s.
55
EGYPTIAN MARBLE HEAD OF A QUEEN ‡ PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 323-30 B.C.
4 in. (5⅝ in.) (313 grams total, 10 cm high (14.3 cm high including stand))
Modelled in the half-round with a stephane and centre-parted hair, serene facial features including hooded eyes and pert lips; mounted on a custom-made wooden display stand.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Hanna Saba collection, Ambassador to Egypt-USA-France (1909-1992). Private European collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12083-218194.
56
EGYPTIAN BRONZE RING WITH PORTRAIT ‡ PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.
1¼ in. (21.88 grams, 30.19 mm overall, 19.08 x 16.73 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14))
With ellipsoid plaque, low-relief profile bust of a male with tousled hair and aquiline nose.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired by the owners family in the 1980s.
Ex Rupert Wace, Ancient Art Ltd, London UK. with Christie’s, New York, ‘Ancient Jewellery’, 11 December 2003, no.378. European private collection.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie’s catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12084-218157.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 69, for type.
57
PHOENICIAN GREEN JASPER SCARAB WITH HEADS OF HORUS 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
¾ in. (4.4 grams, 20 mm)
Scarab with detailed anatomical features, ellipsoid plaque with incuse inset motif topped at each end by the head of Horus; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection of Mrs J.H., London, UK, early 1990s.
58
PHOENICIAN BRONZE SCARABOID STAMP SEAL WITH EROTIC SCENE
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
½ in. (5.9 grams, 13 mm)
Plano-convex stamp with scarab detailing, incuse scene to the underside.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
GREEK MARBLE HEAD OF DIONYSUS ‡
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
7⅜ in. (1.59 kg total, 18.7 cm high including stand)
Carved in the half-round in three-quarter view, youthful male head with stern features, hair gathered in a browband, horns to the brow; from a frieze or relief; mounted on a custom-made stand.
£12,000 - 17,000
PROVENANCE: Private European collection. Acquired on the Swiss art market, October 2013. European private collection.
Accompanied by a copy of the 2013 invoice. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12085-218192.
60
EGYPTIAN STONE HEAD
COPTIC, CIRCA 6TH CENTURY A.D.
11½ in. (2.92 kg total, 29 cm wide including stand)
Stylised face with broad surrounding hood with corrugated texture to the outer face; lentoid face with reserved almond eyes, Dsection nose and slit mouth; with arc of drilled holes around the inner edge of the hood to accept inset ornaments, more holes to the forehead, eyes, cheeks and chin; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
61
EGYPTIAN DECORATED WOODEN COMB COPTIC, 3RD-7TH CENTURY A.D.
8 in. (111 grams total, 20.4 cm including stand)
Rectangular in plan with fine-cut teeth to one short edge and coarse-cut to the other; obverse with regular pattern of ring-and-dot motifs, zigzag borders; mounted on a custom-made stand.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Ex J.P. collection, 1960s.
Private collection London, UK, 1980s.
From the private collection of J.L., Surrey, UK, 2000s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Objects of Daily Use, Warminster, 1974, pl XX, no.19, for a comb of similar proportions with circle-and-dot decoration.
62
EGYPTIAN DECORATED WOODEN COMB COPTIC, 3RD-7TH CENTURY A.D.
5 in. (73 grams total, 12.8 cm including stand)
Rectangular in plan with fine-cut teeth to one short edge and coarse-cut to the other; reserved low-relief image to each face of a Dshaped cell and ram running amid vegetation on a textured field; mounted on a custommade stand.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Ex J.P. collection, 1960s.
Private collection London, UK, 1980s.
From the private collection of J.L., Surrey, UK, 2000s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Objects of Daily Use, Warminster, 1974, pl XXI.
63
EGYPTIAN LIMESTONE FEMALE BUST ‡
COPTIC, 3RD-6TH CENTURY A.D 10⅝ x 7¾ in. (6.77 kg, 27 x 19.5 cm)
Modelled in the half-round on a flat background as a bust of a woman with stern expression, dressed in a tunic emphasising the rounded shape of the bosom, and a mantle worn on the shoulders descending to the arms; beaded collar to the chest and detailed head-covering; significant remains of polychrome (red, black, and traces of blue) on the face, clothing and hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
£8,000 - 10,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Nicolas Koutoulakis, Paris-Geneva, 1967. Ex Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, Switzerland. with Boisgirad, Arts D’Orient, 16 November 2007, no.88. Acquired on the French art market in 2007. European private collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Boisgirad, Arts D’Orient catalogue pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12065-218189.
LITERATURE:
Cf. stela of noblewomen from Oxyrincus, in MFA Boston, accession no.1972.875; the Brooklyn Museum, accession number 70.132; the Harvard Art Museum, no.1977.197; the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels, E.08239; see also Schneider, H.D., ‘Four Romano-Egyptian Tomb-Reliefs from el Behnasa, Egypt’ in Bulletin Antieke Beschaving: Annual Papers on Classical Archaeology, 50, 1975, pp.9-12, plates 12-16, for a series of funerary stelae in the same style.
FOOTNOTES:
The base, back and sides are flat and rough-hewn: it is possible that it served as a funerary stele, perhaps placed as a lid of a niche or a loculus. The Egyptian stelae and statues found at the site of Oxyrhynchos (present-day Benhasa) provide the best parallels for the style that characterises this image. These are most often funerary works showing men, women or children (stelae in very highrelief and statues) which are still little known - and even the chronology of which is subject of discussion: current opinion one inclines towards an earlier dating, between the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D., rather than the Coptic period which was previously favoured. In fact these figures, which are devoid of the attributes linked to Christian iconography, generally hold or carry objects which relate to classical cults (ie. Isis). Despite a certain naivety of the work, typical of Egyptian sculptures from this region, the woman depicted on this stele certainly belonged to the high contemporary nobility as is evidenced by the richness of her wellpleated clothing and the abundance of adornment, comprising a large necklace with two rows of pearls and some brooches; likewise, the hairstyle, organised in small curls and spiral locks, is worthy of a high-ranking personage.
64
MINOAN STONE VESSEL ‡ 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
5¾ in. (1.48 kg, 14.6 cm wide)
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Private European collection, 1992. Thence by descent.
65
Of conical profile with raised ropework detailing to the broad shoulder.
BOEOTIAN PLANK IDOL OF A GODDESS CIRCA 6TH CENTURY B.C.
9 in. (157 grams, 23 cm)
Tapering flat-section body with ledge base, stub arms, applied facial detailing, tall polos headdress. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report from Oxford Authentication no.N124d7.
66
CYPRIOT STONE GODDESS AND CHILD STATUE IRON AGE, 6TH CENTURY B.C.
9½ in. (1.54 kg total, 24 cm high including stand)
The female seated on a chair with arm-supports at the sides, wearing a long robe with ruched panel to the chest and pleated sleeves, the hair drawn up into a transverse band above the brow, surmounted by a tiara; hands across the waist holding an infant with head erect; mounted on a custom-made stand; repaired. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Museum of fine Arts of Boston, Art of Ancient Cyprus, Boston, 1972, fig.44 (for a similar goddess seated with baby).
FOOTNOTES:
The statuette probably represents the goddess of fertility, originally imported from Crete in the 11th century B.C. but whose iconography survived in Cyprus until the 5th century B.C. The tiara is a characteristic attribute of this divinity, related to the Greek Demeter. The statue is probably a votive statue propitiatory for births.
CYPRIOT ARCHAIC STONE STATUE OF A VOTARY IRON AGE, 6TH CENTURY B.C. 22 in. (7.3 kg 55.5 cm including stand)
Standing erect on a square base wearing an ankle-length robe with mantle with segmented edge draped from the left shoulder, left arm straight at his side right arm bent and fist clenched at the breast; hair cut in a bobbed style with frontal band, collected in a Near-Eastern head-cloth falling down his back; bare feet with toes emphasised; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12046-217199.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Museum of Fine Art Boston, Art of Ancient Cyprus, Boston, 1972, figs.35, 37,43; Spiteris, T., The art of Cyprus, London, 1970, fig.p.169; Morris, D., The Art of Ancient Cyprus, Oxford,1985; Karageorghis,V., Early Cyprus, Crossroads of Mediterranean, Los Angeles/Milano, 2002.
FOOTNOTES:
The sculpture is a good example of the mixed Near Eastern and Attic Ionian styles reflected in Cypriot sculpture. Cypriot art was often influenced by both Greek and Near Eastern styles, although in phase H of the archaic period (680400 B.C.) the Greek influence became stronger, perhaps as a result of intensified trade and political contacts between the continent, Ionia and the Aegean islands.
68
CYPRIOT WHITE-SLIP WARE JUG
CIRCA 1450-1200 B.C.
6¾ in. (251 grams, 17.2 cm)
With bulbous body and slender tapering neck with strap handle to the rear, trumpet-shaped mouth; hatched bands and lozenges to the body and shoulder, multilinear rings to the neck; old collector’s label marked ‘4’ and ‘15.79’ inked to the underside. [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Red-ink inscription ‘15.79’ to the base suggesting it may have been deaccessioned from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
69
CYPRIOT WHITE-SLIP WARE TANKARD
CIRCA 1600-1450 B.C.
9¼ in. (650 grams, 23.5 cm)
Comprising a biconvex body and flared foot, tapering shoulder, carinated mouth; strap handle to rear with tall notched thumb-pad; painted scheme of panels with hatched bands and reserved lozenges, eye motifs and other detailing.
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
The property of an English collector. with Bonhams, London, 20 October 2005, no.408.
Property of a North London collector.
70
CYPRIOT PAINTED WHITE-SLIP WARE JUG
LATE CYPRIOT II, CIRCA 1450-1200 B.C.
5⅞ in. (254 grams, 15.1 cm)
Comprising a bulbous body and slender tapering neck with strap handle to the rear, trumpet-shaped mouth; hatched bands and lozenges to the body and shoulder, multilinear rings to the neck; old collector’s inked no. ‘15.78’ to underside. [No Reserve]
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE:
Red-ink inscription ‘15.78’ to the base suggesting it may have been deaccessioned from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
71
VERY LARGE CYPRIOT BICHROME WARE POTTERY AMPHORA
IRON AGE, CYPRO-GEOMETRIC, 950-850 B.C.
21 in. (8.5 kg, 53.5 cm)
With narrow base, oblate profile, two lateral loop handles to the shoulder, broad neck and flared rim to the mouth; painted bands of circumferential geometric ornament, linear with lentoid motifs, radiating bars to the mouth. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12088-214715.
72
CYPRIOT DECORATED BOWL WITH STAMPED CHARACTERS TO REVERSE
ROMAN PERIOD, 2ND CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
9¼ in. (535 grams, 23.5 cm)
A wide bowl with carinated lip and lateral lug handle on a flat base; decorated on both sides with umber pigment on a white slip; to the outer face, a snake and band motif; to the inner face, multiple bands of crescentic, triangular net and zig-zag motifs; to the underside, lowrelief inscription (partly legible). [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Tackey Crist, Cyprus Museum collection, NC, USA. Ex Leland Little auctions. with Cyprus Museum of Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Ancient Art from Cyprus, the Cesnola collection, p. 33.
EXHIBITED:
The Cyprus Museum, Jacksonville, North Carolina, 1988-2018.
FOOTNOTES:
The piece is reminiscent of earlier white-painted wares of the middle-late Cypriot period. Although wheel-made white-painted ware is known from as far back as the Late Cypriot period (1300-1200 B.C.), the present piece must date to the Roman occupation of the island (from approximately the 2nd century B.C. onwards) because of the reserved (not impressed) Latin characters extant on the underside. The characters appear to have been applied to the clay whilst the vessel was wet. The inscription is impossible to decipher fully but contains the characters ... IN... ..AN.... ...DE M..... The use of ‘D rather than Greek delta ‘ ’ implies a Latin text.
73
ETRUSCO-CORINTHIAN RING ASKOS
CIRCA 575 B.C.
6½ in. (349 grams, 16.5 cm)
With strap handle positioned over the central hole; black-figure decoration with fired umber (reddish-brown) consisting of a broad band heightened with crimson and white round the upper part of the wall, and a wavy band on the reversed area below; broad band of black (fired umber) inside the ring and around the neck below the spout; groups of transverse lines with faded petals around the top, horizontal lines across the handle; intact.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Charles Ede Gallery, London, in 1982. Prominent Palm Springs, California, USA, collection. with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 14 July 2012, lot 30 (US$2,500-3,000).
Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 14.08.
PUBLISHED:
Charles Ede Gallery Etruscan Pottery Catalogue VI in 1982, item 22.
74
ETRUSCO-CORINTHIAN BOWL WITH PAINTED DUCKS
575-550 B.C.
7⅛ in. (257 grams, 18 cm wide)
Squat skyphos on a low, pared conical base; two small horizontal handles round in section, short flaring everted rim; painted in dark brown with decoration limited to two window-like areas between the handles; on either side of the bowl two large ducks moving to the right with incision and overpaint clarifying the mass of the bodies, wings indicated with two quick horizontal strokes and a row of pendant arcs or scallops with dots of red and white overpaint for a rich, feathered effect; rosettes filling the space around the ducks.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
In the collection of Mr Ulfert Wilke, founding Director of the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Acquired from Ulfert Wilke on 29 May 1968.
From the collection of Dr Howard Sirak, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Ex I.M. Chait Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, 14 December 2020, lot 212.
Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 20.34.
PUBLISHED:
De Puma, Etruscan and Villanovan Pottery: A Catalogue of Italian Ceramics from Midwestern Collections, no. 45.
FOOTNOTES:
The catalogue cites this piece as no. 3.10 from the Wilke Collection and the original sticker is on the base. The catalogue was for the exhibition at the University of Iowa Museum of Art from 17 March to 30 April 1971.
75
CORINTHIAN BLACK-FIGURE OINOCHOE ‡
6TH CENTURY B.C.
10½ in. (675 grams, 26.5 cm)
Decorated with two superimposed friezes of animals including panthers, bulls and grazing ibexes; flowers and rosettes in the field; restored.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Old City of Jaffa, Israel. with Archeological Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
76
LARGE CORINTHIAN MORTARIUM WITH FRIEZE OF SWANS AND LIONS
ARCHAIC, CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
13¼ in. (3.3 kg, 33.5 cm wide)
Broad dished bowl with carinated profile, flat rim with slashed detailing, band of reserved advancing lions and swans; central panel roughened for grinding. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
77
ETRUSCAN IMPASTO CHALICE
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY B.C.
8⅞ in. (755 grams, 22.5 cm)
With ribbed stem tapering to a low wide bowl; four loop handles on outside of bowl connecting outer lip of inverted rim to bowl; inside with nine wide equidistant grooves to centre of grooved circle at base of bowl; some restoration.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From the George R. Francoeur Trust, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with collection inventory no.319; acquired in 1982.
Ex Hindman Auctions, Chicago, USA, sale, lot 72.
Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 20.09.
Accompanied by a Francoeur Trust inventory card with inventory number 82.319), along with collection label 319 to its base.
LITERATURE:
Cf. De Puma, R., Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, The Paul Getty Museum –Malibu, Etruscan Impasto and Bucchero, Malibu, 1996, pl.319, for similar example with higher neck.
78
VILLANOVAN IMPASTO HANDLED OINOCHOE
CIRCA 9TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
11¾ in. (2.38 kg, 30 cm high)
Wheel-thrown and with a highly-burnished surface, comprising a protruding foot beneath the globular body, a tapering cylindrical neck and a trefoil-lipped spout, a wide strap handle joining spout to shoulder; decorated with an incised corded motif formin twisting rope patterns around the neck and zigzag across the body; repaired.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Richard Brockway, Vero Beach, Florida, USA. Ex Arte Primitivo, New York, USA, in 1995. with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 22 February 2019, lot 48E (US$2,5003,500).
Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 20.07.
79
VILLANOVAN IMPASTO HANDLED AMPHORA
CIRCA 750-700 B.C.
8¾ in. (1.29 kg, 22.1 cm)
Comprising a wide foot beneath a squat stem with a bulbous body, a sloped shoulder beneath a columnar neck, a flared rim, and a pair of applied strap handles arching between rim and shoulder; body decorated with eight slender, vertical ribs surrounded by pecked stippling; two lateral bosses beneath a parabolic arch; surface burnished throughout; foot restored.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Eleanor Hilowitz (1913-2007), an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor, New York, USA; acquired between 1956 and 1975. Acquired by Randall Hixenbaugh of Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, New York, USA, in 2007. with Artemis Gallery, 26 September 2019, lot 54 (US$2,000-3,000).
Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 20.03.
80
VILLANOVAN IMPASTO AMPHORA WITH ANTHROPOMORPHIC DECORATION
EARLY 7TH CENTURY B.C.
6¾ in. (948 grams, 17 cm high)
Burnished impasto amphora with lateral strap handles, everted rim, impressed dimples and other decoration to the broad shoulder; with some repairs.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex Galerie am Museum Jürgen Haering, Freiburg, Germany. From the collection of Dr Werner Cordes, Hagen, Germany, 1988. with Hammer Auktionen, Basel, Switzerland, sale 54, lot 121.
Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 21.25.
81
ETRUSCAN TERRACOTTA SATYR ANTEFIX
4TH CENTURY B.C.
11¾ in. (6.77 kg total, 30 cm including stand)
D-shaped in profile with high-relief mask of a satyr within a looped frame; hanks of curling hair to the brow and temples with berries to the fillet, lentoid eyes, broad nose, curling moustache and beard; ledge below and arched ridge to the reverse; mounted on a custommade stand.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired from Faustus Ancient Art Ltd, London, 1990. Private American collection. with Christie’s, London, 27 October 2009, no 9.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie’s catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Torelli, M., Gli Etruschi, Monza, 2000, no.291, for a similar votive fictile head; Brøns, C., Skriver Hedegaard, S. and Sargent, M.L., ‘Painted Faces: Investigations of Polychromy on Etruscan Antefixes in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek’ in Etruscan Studies, 2016, 19 (1), pp.23-67, fig.17, for similar; cf. similar item with pigment in the British Museum under accession no.1893,0628.1.
WITH OFFERING
4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
5¼ in. (295 grams total, 13.3 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round as a figure of a lar standing with the left hand raised with palm facing forwards, right arm extending forwards and holding a patera in the hand; wearing a close-fitting short-sleeved tunic with a folded and draped mantle above; the face with aquiline nose, lentoid eyes and a small pursed mouth and with a loose-fitting cap retaining the hair; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Boucher, S., Recherches sur les Bronzes Figurés de Gaule Pré-Romaine et Romaine, Rome, 1976, item 22, for a more naturalistic treatment of a similar subject; also an item in the British Museum under accession no.1824,0437.1; Thomson de Grummond, N., & Simon, E., The Religion of the Etruscans, Austin, 2006, fig.p.94, for similar although of later age.
83
GRAECO-ROMAN BRONZE HARPOCRATES FIGURE
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
4⅞ in. (283 grams total, 12.4 cm including stand)
Standing nude and supporting a rearing uraeus on his left arm, remains of his side-lock on the right shoulder; mounted on a custommade stand. [No Reserve]
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
Ex Elsa Blohsh-Diener collection, Bern, Switzerland. Property of a French collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. more elaborate version of a similar figure in the British Museum under accession no.1825,1112.1.; cf. Reinach, S., Répertoire de la statuaire Grecque et Romaine, Paris, 1897, p.481, nos.8-9.
84
GREEK BLACK-FIGURE OINOCHOE ‡
6TH CENTURY B.C.
8 in. (423 grams, 20.3 cm)
With pinched three-lobe mouth and strap handle; threads and details highlighted in purple; decorated scene in square metope comprising two dancing figures, one male and the other female, probably symposiasts; the male naked, holding a stick in his right hand and with the other arm carrying his coat; the female, a hetaera, dancing and running to the right, wearing a long chiton and a coat.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12089-218152.
85
GREEK ‘LORD ELGIN’S’ ATTIC WHITE-GROUND AND BLACKFIGURE LEKYTHOS, CIRCLE OF THE AISCHINES PAINTER CIRCA 450 CENTURY B.C.
6¾ in. (173 grams, 17 cm)
Attic white-ground and black-figure cylindrical lekythos; circle of the Aischines Painter; on the body an outlined figure of Nike with torch; above, a maeander, and on the shoulder two circles of rays; mouth missing, foot replaced; small hole behind the head filled up, the colour partially rubbed.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Lord Elgin (BAPD 12703).
Ex Coins and Medals, Attic Red-Figure Vases, Basel, Special List N, May 1971, no.48.
Ex Imhof collection, Germany. Acquired Bonhams & Brooks, London, 26 April 2001, no.37.
From the C.K. private collection, Graz. with Gorny & Mosch, Munich, 3 June 2017, no.15.
Property of a North London collector.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams & Brooks and Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages, and the original Bonhams & Brooks lot tag.
FOOTNOTES:
Once in the collection of Lord Elgin. With the corresponding pages of the M&M and Bonhams catalogues (copies).
GREEK CHALCIDIAN BLACK-FIGURE AMPHORA WITH HERACLES AND NEMEAN LION ‡
CIRCA 650-575 B.C.
17⅛ in. (3.1 kg, 43.5 cm)
With two figural scenes: Side A: the first of the canonical labours of Heracles, the fight against the Nemean lion - in the centre the hero standing over the lion, strangling it with his left arm while thrusting his sword into its neck; two other standing figures witness the fight - on the right Athena, fully armed and ready to defend Heracles with her lance, and to the left Hermes, recognisable by his hat (petasos),
winged boots and the caduceus; Side B: a nude horseman, holding his lance and accompanied by his dog, walking towards a king seated on his throne, holding a sceptre in his left hand; on the far right, a standing woman, probably the king’s wife; a sphinx under the throne and two flying birds; some restoration.
£50,000 - 70,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex German private collection. with Hampel Kunst Auction, Munich, 2012, no.867. Private European collection, thence by family descent.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12069-218134.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Boardman, J., Early Greek Vase Painting, London, 1998, p.219ff., ill.483484, p.245 for a comparison; see neck amphora with Heracles killing the Nemean Lion, in the Harvard University, inventory no.1960.312, in Robinson,
D. M., ‘Unpublished Greek Vases in the Robinson Collection,’ in American Journal of Archaeology (1956), 60.1, 1-25, p.7-9, no. 8, pl.5; cf. a similar terracotta neck-amphora (jar) attributed to the Polyphemos Group in the Metropolitan Museum, accession no.46.11.5.
FOOTNOTES:
The shape is typical of the period, and is decorated with black-figured technique, in which the figures were silhouetted in black slip on a reddish clay ground, and linear elements were incised with a needle, with additional details painted with white and cherry red-slip. The amphora seems to belong to one of the sub-types of the ‘Pseudo-Chalcidian’ group (the Poliphemus group), derived from the main Chalcidian series.
GREEK LUCANIAN RED-FIGURE BELL-KRATER ‡
CIRCA 380-370 B.C.
11⅜ in. (2.1 kg, 29 cm wide)
Decorated with a meander with saltire squares below the figural scenes, and a laurel below the rim; Side A: a nude gesticulating satyr with short curly hair and long beard, running to the right with his left leg raised and his arms outstretched, characteristic pointed ears and pug nose, towards a maenad moving right and looking back at him,
her hair short and curly, her body draped in a chiton, with another maenad standing behind him, facing left, draped in a himation over a chiton; Side B: three youths in draped cloaks with hoods thrown back; professionally restored.
£10,000 - 14,000
PROVENANCE: Belgian private collection, 1950s. with Christie’s, New York, 4 June 2008, no.190. Private central European collection.
Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Christie’s catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12067-218141.
LITERATURE:
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession numbers 1984.323.2 and 16.140, for similar specimens, in Richter, G. M. A., ‘Recent Accessions of Greek Vases’ in Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 11(12), New York, 1916, pp.255-56, figs.6-7; Metropolitan Museum of Art, ‘One Hundred Fifteenth Annual report of the Trustees for the Fiscal Year July 1, 1984 through June 30, 1985’ in
Annual Report of the Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985, no.115, p.38; see also Robinson, E.G.D., Carpenter, T., Lynch, K.M., The Italic People of Ancient Apulia: New Evidence from Pottery for Workshops, Markets, and Customs, Cambridge, 2014, figs.5.2, 6.1.
FOOTNOTES:
The style allows us to attribute this vase to an unknown artist of Lucanian origin: it is in ancient Lucania (a region which is located between present-day Calabria and Basilicata, in Southern Italy and between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea, with Metaponto as a well-known city) that the first Italic style of red-figure painting developed.
88
GREEK GOLD RING WITH ROUNDEL ‡ HELLENISTIC, 3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 in. (4.14 grams, 23.21 mm overall, 18.15 x 16.08 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6½, Europe 13.72, Japan 13))
Flat-section hoop and discoid cell with inset panel, filigree ropework border enclosing band of U-shaped filigree and repoussé central motif of a facing bust with applied granule detailing.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Private collection, Germany. with Artemis Gallery, Munich, 1990s. Private European collection, 2001.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12091-218184.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 78, for type.
89
GREEK GOLD EARRINGS WITH FEMALE HEADS HELLENISTIC, 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 - 1⅛ in. (5.93 grams total, 25-28 mm)
Each a hollow-formed female head with stephane to the brow, granulated collars flanking biconvex bulbs, tapering twisted shank curved to meet the gussetted loop above the head. [2]
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE: From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LITERATURE: Cf. Marshall, F.H., Catalogue of the Jewellery, Greek, Etruscan and Roman, in the Department of Antiquities, British Museum, London, 1911, item 1706, for type.
90
GRAECO-PHOENICIAN MOTTLED AGATE SCARABOID WITH THREE LINE INSCRIPTION 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
⅝ in. (2.11 grams, 16 mm)
Plano-convex with three lines of incised text to the underside within a hatched border; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE: From the Fadel family collection, London, UK, 1970s.
GREEK MARBLE HEAD OF A RULER ‡
HELLENISTIC, 3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
16¾ in. (23.7 kg total, 42.5 cm including stand)
Carved in the round with thick wreath of laurel leaves to the brow, short tousled hair, stern face with thick jaw; mounted on a custommade stand.
£30,000 - 40,000
PROVENANCE: with Artemis Gallery, Munich, Germany, before 1998. with Oliver Forge, London, UK. Private collection, acquired from the above.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate. Accompanied by an academic report by Prof. Neritan Ceka. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12092-218139.
MONUMENTAL GREEK APULIAN RED-FIGURE CALYX-KRATER ‡
LATE 4TH CENTURY B.C.
22 in. (7.6 kg, 56 cm high)
With elegant fluted body, drum foot and elaborate up-swung handles, displaying polychrome panels on both sides, between a laurel wreath below the rim and a band of Greek meander motif; Side A: the hero Bellerophon riding Pegasus, wearing a Thessalian hat (petasos), depicted nude except for a cloak fastened at the centre of the neck by a round clasp, the hero towering above the other two mythological
characters beneath him: Princess Filinoe, on the left, crowned and dressed in a long chiton, and King Iobates of Lycia, dressed in Persian fashion with a long sleeved red tunic worn under a long dress, the field with a representation of an altar, two palm branches over a volute krater, a shield, a javelin, a lotus flower, and above the hero a hanging shield and two clamydes; Side B: figure of a young beardless man, wrapped in a large cloak and holding a staff, with windows and floral scrolls on the background.
£18,000 - 24,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12068-218200.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Trendall, A.D., ‘Paestan Pottery: a Revision and a Supplement’, in Papers of the British School at Rome, 1952, no.20, pp.1-53, pls. I-III, for similar bell-kraters but with different iconography; see also British Museum accession no.1867,0508.1335, in Walters, H.B., Forsdyke, E.J., Smith, C.H., Catalogue of Vases in British Museum, London, 1893-1925, no.F270.
FOOTNOTES:
The decoration is very different on the two sides: on the main one, the painter has created a large mythological scene as if it was a summary. The scene comprising the famous hero Bellerophon riding Pegasus, the winged horse, flying above Iobates and his daughter (who will become the hero’s wife). The king sent Bellerophon to perform impossible mission, among which the best known is the fight against the Chimera (monster with the body of a lion and a goat, with a snake’s tail and two heads, one of a lion and the other of a goat).
MONUMENTAL APULIAN RED-FIGURE VOLUTE KRATER
ATTRIBUTED TO THE LICURGUS PAINTER ‡
CIRCA 330 B.C.
30⅞ in. (13.85 kg, 78.5 cm high)
With a flared and carinated foot, meander patterns around the lower body, band of rosettes encircling the neck, gusseted handles with masks to the outer faces opening to two columnar legs, broad shoulder with loops flanking the handles; red-figure scenes to the neck and body: Side a: above, a quadriga with Nike at the reins, wings
spread; below, naiskos with flanking columns, hero standing beside his horse, resting on his spear, wearing a muscled armour, surrounded by seated and reclining females and youths in various poses, one of the youths holding the hero’s pointed boots in his hand; Side b: above, a palmette, below column with decorative ribbons flanked by two seated males and two females offering votive gifts; some restoration.
£50,000 - 70,000
PROVENANCE: Private collection, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Ex collection H.& P. Payot, Clarens, by descent.
Accompanied an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12066-218199.
LITERATURE:
Cf. a similar Apulian red-figure volute-krater attributed to the Baltimore painter in Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession no.69.11.7, in Heuer, K.E. ‘Vases with faces: isolated heads in South Italian Vase Paintings’ in Metropolitan Museum Journal,Vol. 50 (2015), pp.62-91, figs.3a-3b; for a volute krater with
Nike driving a four-horse chariot see the Apotheosis of Herakles in the Archaeological Museum of Napoli (circa 360-350 B.C.), attributed to the painter of Licurgus, which shows the same decoration with faces on the volute handles.
FOOTNOTES: Monumental kraters such as this one are typical of the Apulian red-figure production that developed between circa 440 and 300 B.C. in the region of the Greek colonies of Taranto and Metaponto in Southern Italy, where they were used as tomb markers in cemeteries. Here the painter focuses on the celebration of the hero-warrior, surrounded by young women and men, the image of the victorious leader is emphasised by the full panoply and iconography of Nike.
94
GREEK CAMPANIAN RED-FIGURE BAIL-AMPHORA WITH MALE FIGURES
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.
14⅜ in. (733 grams, 36.5 cm)
Comprising a tapering body and tiered foot, trumpet-shaped mouth with arched handle and bail; vertical rays to the neck, wave pattern to the shoulder, reserved male figure wearing a himation and holding a thyrsus, with tendrils and objects in the field.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From a British deceased estate. with Christie’s, London, 28 April 2009, no.239.
Property of a North London collector.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie’s catalogue pages.
95
GREEK CAMPANIAN BLACK-GLAZED KERNOS
LATE 4TH CENTURY B.C.
6¼ in. (623 grams, 16 cm high)
Comprising a round pedestal supporting four small offering pots, interspersed with four female face protomes; looped handle to the centre with parallel strokes in low-relief.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From the West German collection of H.W. Acquired from the De Mynter, Belgium, in 2011. with Gorny and Mosch, Munich, 3 June 2017, no.52.
Private Portuguese R.M. collection.
Accompanied by a previous catalogue information slip.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Miše, M., Gnathia and related Hellenistic Ware on the East Adriatic Coast, Oxford, 2015, fig.5, p.45, for similar.
FOOTNOTES:
The kernos can be recognised by a series of small cups on the lip, with examples dating back to the Bronze Age. It was used to store offerings made to the gods, specifically in cults pertaining to Demeter and Persephone. The receptacles probably contained foodstuffs, or perhaps flowers, and a lamp was sometimes placed in the centre. Kernoses, such as this, were often carried in processions at the Eleusinian Mysteries (secret initiation rites celebrating the goddesses Demeter and Persephone) and were an important object for Greek religious life. Kernoses are thus closely related to the agrarian cult and to the myth of Persephone and Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture. The myth is recounted in an Homeric Hymn (c. 650 B.C.) according to which Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, was seized by Hades, the king of the underworld, who brought her to his kingdom to make her his wife. Distraught, Demeter caused a terrible drought, which continued until Persephone returned to her mother from the underworld. Having consumed pomegranate seeds whilst she was in the Underworld, she was only able to be with her for a few months of the year.
96
GREEK TERRACOTTA SITULA ‡ 4TH CENTURY B.C.
9⅞ in. (1.19 kg, 25 cm high)
Piriform in profile with broad shoulder, slightly raised rim, two raised lugs each formed as a male bust with crimped headdress, mask of Hercules below wearing the lionskin hood.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: Ex Marinescu-Roth-Virzi collection, Switzerland, 1970-1993.
Accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
97
GREEK BRONZE HANDLED MIRROR
HELLENISTIC, 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
9½ in. (194 grams, 24 cm)
Comprising a broad disc with raised rim to one face, pelta-shaped junction developing to a balustered handle with acorn finial.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
98
GREEK BRONZE FOLDING TRAVELLING MIRROR HELLENISTIC, 2ND CENTURY B.C.
5 in. (305 grams, 12.8 cm)
Discoid mirror with recess to obverse and reverse, each with a looped handle attached to two domed lugs, concentric rings and stepped rim; hinge to lower edge, recessed inner face to one disc and raised equivalent to the other with silvered finish.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12061-217502.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Richter, G.M.A., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes, New York, 1915, nos.784, 787, 789, for similar.
FOOTNOTES:
These kind of mirrors consisted of heavy circular discs with low cylindrical rims. They were made in pairs, and polished (and sometimes silvered) respectively on the recessed and flat sides, the latter being provided with a bevelled edge, into which the other fitted like a cover. Both polished surfaces were thus protected. The unpolished sides were ornamented with concentric-circle ornaments and concentric mouldings.
99
THRACIAN SILVER PENDANT ‡ 6TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
3 in. (41.5 grams, 75 mm)
Openwork plaque depicting a stylised horse with curved body, bosses to the hips and shoulders, head turned backwards along the spine with looped reins; ribbed loop to the reverse.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
100
ROMAN CHILDREN’S LEATHER SHOE COLLECTION
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
5⅛ - 6⅞ in. (150 grams total, 13-17.5 cm)
Comprising: the sole of a carbatina type shoe, formed as two thick layers of leather with a third, thinner layer beneath, slits to the upper face to accept securing straps and punched ornamentation (lines of concentric-ring motifs), underside with a line of domed iron studs to the outer edge and others at he middle of the sole and heel; a soft shoe made from a single piece of leather with pierced triangular tags to the open upper face, the toe and heel sewn so that the seam does not contact the ground; a similar soft shoe with openwork sides resembling arcading, no covering at the toes, heel sewn. [3, No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Found City of London, UK.
Acquired from mudlark Steve Brooker in the early 2000s. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985.
Accompanied by several original handwritten letters regarding the conservation of the shoes.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12093-214631.
LITERATURE:
Cf. van Driel-Murray, C., A late Roman assemblage from Deurne (Netherlands), in Bonner Jahrbücher, 2000, p.296-8, for discussion; Leguilloux, M., Le cuir etla pelletterie à l’époque Romaine, Paris, 2004, pp.109,115,123, for similar types.
EXHIBITED:
Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
FOOTNOTES:
In Great Britain, examples of carbatinai dated to the last quarter of the 1st century A.D. have been found in Castleford. Others dated to the 2nd century have been found in London and Bar Hill. Carbatinae were often worn by children: two well-preserved specimens were discovered at the Vindolanda fort, which housed a mixed population of soldiers and their families.
101
ROMAN BONE PYXIS WITH LION HEADS
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
2¾ in. (39.7 grams, 71 mm)
Carved with thick rim to each end, ogee above the base and double band beneath the mouth; two facing lion masks modelled in highrelief, each with gaping jaws and a ring held between the jaws; disc to the base, domed lid. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the old collection of Colonel Ronde, circa 1980s. Property of a French collector.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12094-214901.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar pyxis in style with a putto in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number: 23.160.61a, b.
FOOTNOTES:
According to archaeologists, the pyxis could have served as a container for cosmetics, medicinal ointments, or perfume. Soldiers’ posessions often included carved vessels and lathe-turned bowls, spoons, spatulas, knives, discs and lids, as well as pyxides, which have been found in high numbers in military camps.
102
ROMAN INSCRIBED WOODEN WAX TABLET, A LEGAL DOCUMENT
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5⅛ x 5⅛ in. (20.6 grams 13 x 13 cm)
An untranslated reused tablet with a recessed panel with traces of more than 15 lines with the remains of letters written in cursive script, originally the panel was covered by a layer of wax, with a stylus the writer scratched the text into the soft wax and often also into the wooden ground, as such tablets were normally reused several times, traces of different texts can be found on the wooden surface, four lines of large inked text to verso, a record of a transaction in a formulaic legal language; either from a legal document comprising two (diptychon) or three (triptychon) panels; pierced three times for attachment. [No Reserve]
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
From an important London collection since 1975.
Accompanied by a collection of eight 1970s photographs of the the tablet.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Rothenhöfer, P., Blänsdorf, Jürgen, Sana mente sanaque memoria testamentum feci: Eine testamentarische Verfügung vom 12. April 340 n. Chr., Gephyra 13, 2016, pp.153-163; Rothenhöfer, P., Neues zum Testament des Pomponius Maximus aus dem Jahr 371 n. Chr., (forthcoming); see also Masi Doria, C., Dal testamento di Pomponius Maximus: prospettive del diritto ereditario tardo antico, in: Isola, L. (ed.), Klauselgestaltungen in Römischen Testamenten, Berlin, 2022, pp.151-175; also see Thomas, J. D., Vindolanda: The Latin Writing Tablets, Britannia Monograph Series No 4, London, 1983, for examples of wooden tabulae re-used as writing surfaces; for examples of testamentary documents on wooden tablets that have survived, see FIRA III, p.47, for Anthony Silvanus from 142 AD, also see BGU VII 1695 for Safinnius Herminus; for another from Transfynydd, North Wales, see Arch. Camb. 150, pp.143-156; and see Bowman, A.K., Life and letters on the Roman frontier : Vindolanda and its people, London, 1994, for discussion of the uses of Roman writing tablets.
PUBLISHED:
Rothenhoefer, P., Neue römische Rechtsdokumente aus dem Byzacena-Archiv / New Roman Legal Documents from the Byzacena Archive, (forthcoming).
FOOTNOTES: The contract follows the standard Roman legal formulae.
103
ROMAN INKED WOODEN LEGAL DOCUMENT SIGNED BY FELICIANUS IN ACTUM
LATE 4TH CENTURY A.D.
5¾ in. (12.4 grams, 14.7 cm)
A reused tablet with a recessed panel on one side, the lower part absent, on the upper rim one of originally 3 holes necessary for binding together of the tablets of the document, 5 lines in Roman cursive on the recessed panel containing the end of a the record of a legal document in a formulaic legal language; part of a legal document which consisted of two (diptychon) or three tablets (triptychon), with the indication where it was done (actum in …) followed by the so-called chirographum (signature line) of a person called Felicianus, letter forms point to a date in the second half of the 4th century AD; with a recessed slot to verso. [No Reserve] £500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From an important London collection since 1975.
Accompanied by a collection of six 1970s photographs of the the tablet.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Rothenhöfer, P., Blänsdorf, Jürgen, Sana mente sanaque memoria testamentum feci: Eine testamentarische Verfügung vom 12. April 340 n. Chr., Gephyra 13, 2016, pp.153-163; Rothenhöfer, P., Neues zum Testament des Pomponius Maximus aus dem Jahr 371 n. Chr., (forthcoming); see also Masi Doria, C., Dal testamento di Pomponius Maximus: prospettive del diritto ereditario tardo antico, in: Isola, L. (ed.), Klauselgestaltungen in Römischen Testamenten, Berlin, 2022, pp.151-175; also see Thomas, J. D., Vindolanda: The Latin Writing Tablets, Britannia Monograph Series No 4, London, 1983, for examples of wooden tabulae re-used as writing surfaces; for examples of testamentary documents on wooden tablets that have survived, see FIRA III, p.47, for Anthony Silvanus from 142 AD, also see BGU VII 1695 for Safinnius Herminus; for another from Transfynydd, North Wales, see Arch. Camb. 150, pp.143-156; and see Bowman, A.K., Life and letters on the Roman frontier : Vindolanda and its people, London, 1994, for discussion of the uses of Roman writing tablets.
PUBLISHED:
Rothenhoefer, P., Neue römische Rechtsdokumente aus dem Byzacena-Archiv / New Roman Legal Documents from the Byzacena Archive, (forthcoming).
FOOTNOTES:
The contract follows standard Roman legal formulae.
104
ROMAN BRONZE PATERA WITH MAKER’S MARK FOR LICINIUS
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
7¾ in. (242 grams, 19.5 cm)
With drum-shaped bowl and thick rim developing to a short handle with pierced lobe finial; stamped to the upper face of the handle with maker’s name ‘[.]OIYBI’; to the underside of the base, pointillé legend ‘LICINI[...]V’.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Munich and London, 1990s. From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12064-217904.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Tassinari, S., La vaiselle de bronze, Romaine et Provinciale, au musée des antiquités nationales, Paris, 1975, figs.3,5,6,7,8,9, for similar vessels; Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 360, for type; Boucher, S. and Tassinari, S., Bronzes Antiques I, Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Paris, 1976, p.117, no.132, for similar; cf. also The British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme, record id. GLO-048BB1, for a very similar example and additional information; see also Nico, V., La tavola degli Antichi, Milano, 1989, for discussion on these vessels.
FOOTNOTES:
The owner of the patera seems to be a certain Licinius. In contrast to more elaborate counterparts, paterae such as this were likely carried as part of the standard kit of Roman soldiers, used as a general cooking and eating utensil.
105
ROMAN MARBLE MORTAR WITH PESTLE ‡
2ND-4TH CENTURY A.D.
2¼ - 9¾ in. (1.96 kg total, 5.6-24.8 cm)
Broad squat carved mortarium with basal pad and four D-section ribs to the outer face; separate pestle shaped like a thumb. [2]
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection, Mrs L.S., 1990s. Acquired from the above, 2000. Private European collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12095-218195.
106
LATE ROMAN ROSSO-ANTICO THUMB PESTLE ‡
3RD-6TH CENTURY A.D.
4¾ in. (312 grams, 12 cm)
Red marble pestle or grinding tool, the handle formed as a thumb with knuckle and nail detailing; old collector’s label ‘2’ to underside.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection, Mrs L.S., 1980s. Acquired from the above, 1999. Private European collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12096-218201.
FOOTNOTES: Mainly used by medical staff for grinding ingredients such as medicinal compounds, cosmetics and culinary spices.
107
ROMAN BRONZE STRIGIL ‡
2ND CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
7½ in. (46 grams, 19 cm)
With C-section profile to the blade, rectangular handle with flare to the upper end, old notch to one edge, repaired.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
Ex collection Dr. Kuhn-Lucht, Germany. with Kölner Munzkabinett, Cologne, before 2016. Private European collection.
FOOTNOTES:
An emblematic instrument of the ancient sporting world, the strigil was mainly used by athletes as a scraper for personal hygiene. After training, which took place in the gymnasiums on tracks and arenas covered with sand, athletes and young people rubbed their skin with olive oil. They then used one of these distinctive scrapers remove the sand-oil mixture before washing in water. These actions are reproduced on famous statues (including Apoxyomenos, one of Lysippus’ masterpieces), on reliefs (such as funerary steles) as well as on countless vase paintings. In Attic and Italian red-figure imagery, the strigil is often depicted on perfume vases, like the aryballos and alabastron. 108
ROMAN VOTIVE IRON MILITARY STANDARD WITH FAUNUS AND SOL INVICTUS
3RD CENTURY A.D.
15 in. (1.39 kg total, 38 cm including stand)
Comprising a triangular spearhead-shaped panel with flared split socket; two separate figures attached with rivets: on the left Helios (or Sol) with draped mantle and radiant crown, holding a sphere in his left hand; on the right Faunus (Pan) with two curved horns, a short beard, arms bent forwards, the upper body covered by a hide jerkin and the legs with shaggy fur; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar spearhead in Toepfer K.M., Die römischen Feldzeichen in der Republik und im Prinzipat, Mainz, 2011, NZ11, from Saalburg.
FOOTNOTES:
The piece is reminiscent of the votive plates in the Dolichenus cult, or possibly of some other cult.
109
VERY LARGE ROMAN BRONZE OIL LAMP WITH JUPITER AND EAGLE
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
10⅛ in. (7⅛ in.) (1.67 kg, 25.7 wide (3.08 kg total,18 cm high including stand))
With a rounded body and double nozzle with volutes; the body flat with engraved volutes, raised rim and basal ring; to the rear a large crescent with Jupiter (Greek Zeus) to the centre and his eagle with spread wings before him; the god depicted with thick locks and voluminous beard, the eagle with detailed plumage and finely detailed face; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Old private British collection, pre-1965.
Property of a gentleman; acquired in the UK before 2000.
Accompanied by a copy of an old black and white photograph. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12034-215425.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Bailey, D.M., A catalogue of the lamps in the British Museum, IV, Lamps of metal and stone, and lampstands, London, 1996, nos. 3769-3781, for the typology; similar specimens are preserved in Berlin, see Bérard, C., Bronzes Hellénistiques et Romains, Lausanne, 1979, pl.119; a similar example from Saida has been published by Pirzio Biroli Stefanelli, L., Il Bronzo dei Romani, Rome, 1990, p.269, no.264; cf. also Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, no.299; Petit, J., Bronzes Antiques de la collection Detuit, Paris, 1980, no.15; Oggiano-Bitar, Bronzes figurés antiques de Bouchesdu-Rhône, Paris, 1984, no.232, from Marseille.
EXHIBITED: Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
FOOTNOTES:
Here Jupiter is represented with his attributes connected with the crescent of goddess Luna. According to Bailey, all lamps in the category to which the map belongs, were intended for suspension. Lamps with multiple nozzles gave more light and thus were suitable for lighting large spaces.
110
VERY LARGE ROMAN BRONZE OIL LAMP WITH ACTOR’S MASK
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
11 in. (10⅞ in.) (1.97 kg, 28 cm wide (4.31 kg total, 27.5 cm high including stand))
With an elongated body and a long nozzle with a rounded tip; raised rim enclosing the upper face with an ivy lef-shaped filling hole; wide handle terminating to a female tragic mask with a palmette below the chin, the hair dressed in ringlets with two rows of curls to the brow, eyes inlaid with silver; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Old private British collection, pre-1965. Property of a gentleman; acquired in the UK before 2000.
Accompanied by a copy of an old black and white photograph and an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12033-215424.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Bailey, D.M., A catalogue of the lamps in the British Museum, IV, Lamps of metal and stone, and lampstands, London, 1996, no. Q3669 (said to be from Rome) for identical, and Q3670 (preserved only in the identical mask); many other similar examples are from Pompeii, see Valenza Mele, N., Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Napoli, Catalogo delle Lucerne di Bronzo, Rome, 1981, nos.344-345; from the Western Provinces, see Rolland, H., Bronze Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, no.357; and from the East, see Bérard, C., Bronzes Hellénistiques et Romains, Lausanne, 1979, pl.116, 7 and 10; cf. also Mitten, D.G., Doeringer, S.F., Master Bronzes from the Classical World, Cambridge, 1967, no.297, for identical, and Edgar, C.C., Greek Bronzes, Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musee du Caire, Cairo, 1904, pl.12H.
FOOTNOTES: The lamp is of Loeschke type XX (Walters type 6), with many of these lamps made in Italy, but some are also found in the East. The tragic mask appears frequently on lamp handles, probably as an apotropaic subject. The mask was an inseparable element of unity with the past and religious context.
111
ROMAN LEAD SARCOPHAGUS FRAGMENT WITH MENORAH
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
12¾ in. (1.36 kg, 32.5 cm)
Irregular fragment with raised concentric rings, low-relief wreath and raised bulbs forming a stem with seven arms.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12097-214786.
FOOTNOTES:
This fragment of a sarcophagus front is probably a remnant of a Jewish sarcophagus from the Roman period. It belongs to a style of sarcophagi made in the Levant, often decorated with dolphins, sphinxes and other symbols of the hereafter.
112
ROMAN LEAD SARCOPHAGUS PANEL FRAGMENT
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
24 in. (8.56 kg, 61 cm)
Irregular rectangular panel with decoration in three zones: upper area with horizontal laurel leaves and ropework border below; middle area divided by vertical fluted columns, masks of Medusa among dolphins
alternating with a sphinx; lower area with running vine tendrils, leaves and bunches of grapes.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired from Cadogan Tate, Paris, 2011. From the Keane private collection, Kent, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of the official shipping document (4,000 euros). Accompanied by an original French certificate of export issued by the French Ministry of Culture, no.129472.
113
ROMAN LEAD COFFIN PANEL WITH SPHINX, MEDUSA AND DOLPHINS ‡
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D
31½ in. (13.65 kg, 80 cm)
Decorated with a high-relief pattern comprising sphinxes surrounded by dolphins and masks of Medusa surrounded by laurel leaves all between Corinthian columns; ropework and floral border strips with laurel leaves above and lip below the upper edge.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
LITERATURE:
See Payne, G., Roman Leaden Coffin discovered at Plumstead in Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol.17, 1887, fig.10, for the presence of lead sarcophagi in Roman Britain; for a similar specimen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.31.116a-i; Penn Museum, coffin panel B10280, from Lebanon (Tyre).
114
ROMAN BRONZE FIGURE OF THE GODDESS FLORA ‡ CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.
10⅛ in. (617 grams total, 25.7 cm high including stand)
A rare depiction of Flora standing holding a separately cast garland in her left hand, wearing pointed shoes, a long tunica talaris and a himation as a veil over her head, her hair surmounted by a diadem decorated with rosettes and falling in long wavy tresses in front, the pupils of her eyes indented; mounted on a custom-made tiered base.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From an Egyptian family collection, Alexandria and Cairo, acquired in the early part of the 20th century in Egypt and Europe, and transferred from Egypt to northern European family residences in the early 1950s. Northern European private collection, by direct descent from the above in the 1970s.
Acquired from the above by the previous owner in 2002. with Sotheby’s, New York, 5 June 2013, no.88. German private collection.
Accompanied by copies of the German cultural export licence and copies of the relevant Sotheby’s catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Daremberg & Saglio, Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, Paris, 1873-1917, sub voce Flora, p.1189; see for a Roman prototype the Flora Capitolina, Museo Capitolino, Stanza del Gladiatore, no.14, inv. no.743 in Negrete Plano, A. (ed.), Anton Raphael Mengs y la Antigüedad, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando Fundación Mapfre, Madrid, 2013, pp. 170171.
115 ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF HELIOS-ALEXANDER 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
6⅛ in. (583 grams total, 17.5 cm including stand)
The god standing nude on an ivy-leaf base in contrapposto pose with right arm extended and hand held palm-outwards; mantle pinned at the right shoulder and wrapped around the bent left arm; the head held erect with soft rounded facial features and luxuriant curls, diadem with radiating spikes representing beams of light; mounting stud to
the reverse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve] £1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Durham, E., Metal Figurines in Roman Britain, vol. 2, Reading, 2010, pl.60, for a full-length figure from Lakenheath, England, with similar features; cf. also De Ridder, A., Les bronzes antiques du Louvre, 1, Les figurines, Paris, 1913, p.129, pl.62, no.1059, for identical.
EXHIBITED:
Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
FOOTNOTES:
The cult of Helios-Apollo intensified in the third century A.D. and the adoration of Sol Invictus, with the radiate crown, was often linked to that of Mithras, the god of legions, whose symbol was the bull. Under Emperor Aurelian, the Sol Invictus became the main god, protector of Rome and the Roman state.
116
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF ATHENA
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5⅛ in. (279 grams total, 13 cm including stand)
Standing erect in contrapposto pose, wearing a floor-length himation and with the gorgoneion medallion on her chest; Corinthian helmet on her head tilted backwards to reveal her face; right arm raised and bent with open hand to accept a spear-shaft; mounted on a custommade display stand. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Reinach, S., Repertoire de la statuarie Grecque et Romaine, Paris, 1930, pp.276ff., for the type; Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 67, for similar.
EXHIBITED:
Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
117
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF HARPOCRATES ‡
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2⅞ in. (4 in.) (213 grams, 73 mm (276 grams total, 10.2 cm including stand))
Presented as a very young child sitting on the ground, wearing a long tunic which covers his body and legs down to his feet; right arm bent and hand raised to the shoulder, left hand curved around an object (absent); sporting the conventional sidelock behind the right ear; mounted in a custom-made tiered wooden stand.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Hanna Saba collection, Ambassador to Egypt-USA-France (1909-1992). Private European collection.
118
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF ISIS
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5¼ in. (280 grams total, 13.3 cm including stand)
The goddess standing, wearing an Ionic chiton and himation secured by a characteristic knot tied between her breasts, the folds cascading to the floor; her left hand modelled open and held above her breast; her centre-parted wavy locks fastened with a band, pulled back in a chignon at the nape of her neck and surmounted by a hair-comb; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Boucher, S., Tassinari, S., Bronze Antiques du Musée de la civilisation GalloRomaine a Lyon, 1. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, nos.20-21,38 (Fortuna and Isis-Fortuna); also Descamps-Lequime, S, ‘Acquisitions’ in La Revue des musées de France. Revue du Louvre, 2, 2016, p.91, fig. 109, no.109, Louvre inventory Br 6045.
119
ROMAN BRONZE HARPOCRATES STATUETTE
3RD CENTURY A.D.
4¾ in. (231 grams total, 12 cm high including stand)
Modelled nude in advancing pose with right arm bent across the body and fist clenched to support an attribute (absent); the facial details in light relief and small forelock to the brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
See Swan Hall, E., ‘Harpocrates and Other Child Deities in Ancient Egyptian Sculpture’ in Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, Vol. 14, 1977, pp.55-58, fig.1, pl.XXVII; fig.4, pl.XXVIII, for similar types. 120
ROMAN LEAD FIGURE OF APHRODITE HOLDING A SEVERED SWAN’S HEAD ‡
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
7⅝ in. (327 grams, 19.5 cm)
Modelled in the round nude and and raising her right arm, holding the neck of the swan (her animal attribute); left arm descending towards her pubis, legs in contrapposto stance; gusseted drum-shaped base.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection since the late 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Boucher, S. & Tassinari, S., Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine a Lyon: Bronzes Antiques I. Inscriptions, Statuaire, Vaisselle, Lyon, 1976, item 66, for type.
121
ROMAN BRONZE FIGURE OF A YOUNG SATYR OF DIONYSIAN CORTEGE
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
5⅞ in. (316 grams total, 15 cm high including stand)
Modelled in the round with putto-like features, holding a nebris draped over his shoulders in the manner of Dionysus, with tousled hair and pointed ears; one foot absent; mounted on a custom-made stand.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003. with Bonhams, London, Knightsbridge, 16-17 May 2002, no.305. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence,Paris, 1965, item 449, for similar statuette of young Dionysus dressed in a similar way.
122
ROMAN BRONZE FIGURE OF FORTUNA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3⅞ in. (230 grams total, 99 mm including stand)
The goddess standing, wearing an Ionic chiton and himation, the folds cascading to the floor; her left hand holding a cornucopia supported on her forearm and shoulder, her right hand extended, her centreparted wavy locks fastened with a band, pulled back in a chignon at the nape of her neck and surmounted by a modius; mounted on a custom-made display stand with collector’s label to the underside. [No Reserve]
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
From an old French collection. Acquired from Gallery Drees Archéo, 2008. Ex Gilles Grimm collection. Property of a French collector.
123
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF MERCURY
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3⅞ in. (69 grams total, 98 mm including stand)
Shown standing nude with caduceus resting against the left forearm, a patera in the right hand, bunched lobes and centre-parted hairstyle; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, items 27ff., for type.
124
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF THE GODDESS EOS
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
4⅜ in. (150 grams total, 11.2 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round, Eos (The Dawn) standing nude with left leg slightly flexed; the head with finely detailed face and hair dressed in a chignon; spread wings to the rear with feather detailing; left arm bent and hand resting on the hip with mantle wound about the shoulder and wrist; right arm extended and hand modelled open to accept an attribute; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE: See Reinach, S., Répertoire de la statuaire Grecque et Romaine, Paris, 1897, p.396, for similar iconography of the goddess.
125
ROMAN BRONZE HORSE-HEAD MOUNT
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2½ in. (106 grams, 63 mm)
Hollow-formed mount formed as a crescent with horse-head finial modelled with flying mane and mouth open; to the rear, a deep flared socket with dentilled rim.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 250, for similar mount.
126
ROMAN SILVER PHALERA WITH MEDUSA
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2⅜ in. (13.8 grams, 59 mm)
Discoid with fluted rim, central raised gorgoneion within scrolled tendrils.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Appels, A. & Laycock, S., Roman Buckles and Military Fittings, Witham, 2007, items AA9.2, AA9.3, for similar discoid elements.
127 ‘THE EAST LINDSEY’ ROMANO-BRITISH BRONZE HOODED MALE STATUETTE
43-150 A.D.
3¼ in. (102 grams total, 83 mm including stand)
Standing adorant, wearing a knee-length tunic, the right arm held across the body to support the left hand raised to the mouth; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, UK, on Wednesday 19th August 1998.
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
128
PUBLISHED ‘THE BRIXTON DEVERILL’ ROMANO-BRITISH BRONZE MERCURY STATUETTE
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (91 grams, 98 mm including stand)
Modelled in the round, the god standing nude and wearing the winged petasos and holing the marsupium coin-purse in his right hand; left hand modelled with thumb and forefinger closed to grip the now absent caduceus; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Found Wiltshire, UK, before 1974.
PUBLISHED: A Figurine of Mercury from Brixton Deverill, by Martin Henig.
129
ROMAN BRONZE FIGURE OF PAN
1ST-EARLY 2ND CENTURY A.D.
6½ in. (323 grams total, 16.5 cm including stand)
The god standing nude supporting a cornucopia on his right shoulder and a syrinx in his left hand; ithyphallic with furry legs and short tail; mounted on a custom-made stand.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Sasson Ancient Art, Jerusalem, Israel, in 2008. From the Keane private collection, Kent, UK.
Accompanied by an original signed certificate of authenticity, export approval, and invoice (US $9,500.00), from Sasson Ancient Art.
Accompanied by a copy of the Israel Antiquities Authority export licence.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Kunze, M., Meisterwerke Antiker Bronzen und Metallarbeiten aus der Sammlung Borowski, Mainz, 2007, item C24.
130
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF TRITON SOUNDING A HORN
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2½ in. (65 grams total, 64 mm including stand)
Bare-chested with fish-tail extending to the rear, raising a periwinkleshell horn to his lips; left arm supporting a ship under sail; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 324, for type.
131
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF A GERMANIC CAPTIVE
LATE 2ND CENTURY A.D.
2½ in. (93 grams total, 62 mm including stand)
Modelled with arms held behind the back, legs astride and left knee bent, head angled upwards over the right shoulder; the trousers and sleeves with incised crosshatched pattern, plain shoes; the hair drawn up in the ‘Swabian knot’ style above the right ear; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
FOOTNOTES:
Statuettes of foreign ‘barbarian’ prisoners of this type have been found along the Danube. Their spread coincides with the Marcomannic wars of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Swabian knot in this warrior’s hair has parallels with the warrior depicted on the contemporary Sarcophagus of Portonaccio, which represents a battle between Romans and Germanic Gauls.
132
ROMAN BRONZE STATUETTE OF A PUTTO 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
4¼ in. (104 grams total, 10.9 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round, standing nude with one arm raised above the head and the other bent, probably from a larger ensemble of figures; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
133
ROMAN MARBLE FEMALE HEAD ‡
2ND CENTURY A.D.
6¾ in. (520 grams total, 17 cm including stand)
Carved in the half-round, showing a mature female with rounded facial features and hair drawn back in a chignon; band and ridged body of the headdress in Egyptianising style; mounted on a custom-made wooden display stand.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Munich, Germany. with Heritage of Ketterer, Munich, Germany. with Auction House Ursula Nusser E.K., Germany, 2011, no.4021.
134
ROMAN MARBLE CICADA FRAGMENT
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
6⅝ in. (1.07 kg total, 16.8 cm high including stand)
Fragment of carved marble arcade with reserved cicada modelled in the half-round at the base; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
From the property of the late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999.
135
ROMAN MOSAIC OF A BASKET
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
27¼ x 23¼ in. (19 kg, 69.5 x 59.5 cm including frame)
Rectangular mosaic fragment depicting a basket with a looped handle inside an octagonal border; part of a larger design; possibly some reconstitution and set in a modern frame and matrix.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Ancient World, York, Yorkshire, UK. Acquired circa 1995.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
OVER LIFE-SIZE GALLO-ROMAN LIMESTONE HEAD OF AN ATHLETE
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
13¾ in. (16.35 kg total, 35 cm including stand)
With short hair, cut and combed in regular lines, furrowed brow and wide deep-set eyes, small fleshy mouth, intense and powerful expression; weather-worn surface; mounted on a later 18th century stand.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the 1930s.
From the family collection of Mr F. Morand, France.
From the M.J. collection, Wales, UK.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12070-217746.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Powell, T.G.E., The Art of Roman Gaul, London, 1961, fig.104.
FOOTNOTES:
The head shows a late Roman appearance in its features and hairstyle. The expression, the short thick neck and the style of the hair combined with the somewhat uncouth and forceful expression may indicate a local Gallo-Roman character.
137
ROMAN VEINED MARBLE TORSO OF AN ATHLETE
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
25¼ in. (42.95 kg total, 64 cm high including stand)
Standing contrapposto with his weight on his right leg and the left leg brought slightly forward; the musculature of the torso displaying welldefined pectoral muscles, prominent abdominal muscles and wide shoulders, the back with equally toned musculature and well-formed rounded buttocks; the veining of the marble accentuating the idealised anatomy; the now-absent head was most probably turned towards the supporting leg and the left arm would have been raised; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
£50,000 - 70,000
PROVENANCE:
Formerly in a French private collection in Compiègne, since the 1960s. Acquired from Galerie Chenel, 2015.
Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.166817.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Laura Maria Vigna.
LITERATURE: See Pozzi, E., Cantilena, R., La Rocca, E., Pannuti, U., Scatozza, L.,Le Collezioni del Museo Archeologico di Napoli, La scultura greco-romana, Le sculture antiche della Collezione Farnese, Le collezioni monetali, Le oreficerie, La collezione glittica, Milano, 1989, pp. 100-101, nn. 31-32; Cadario, M., Doriforo della “Palestra Sannitica” in La Regina, A. (ed.), Nike. Il gioco e la vittoria, Milano, 2003, pp. 214 ss.; Adembri, B., Torso di Doriforo, in Reggiani A.M. & Sapelli Ragni, M., Eroi e atleti. L’ideale estetico nell’arte da Olimpia a Roma a Torino 2006, Torino, 2006, pp.140ss.; Zevi, F., Demma, F., Nuzzo, E., Rescigno,
C., Valeri, C., Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei, Catalogo generale, 1, Cuma, Napoli, 2008, p.334; Franciosi, V., Il “Doriforo” di Pompei, in Franciosi, V., Thémelis, P.G., Pompei/Messene. Il “Doriforo” e il suo contesto,Mediterraneo Miti Storia Armonia, 2 Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Napoli, 2013, pp.11-33.
PUBLISHED: Lyndsey Ingram, Lines of Enquiry, London, 17 September - 8th November 2019, pp.36-37.
FOOTNOTES:
The model of the sculpture recalls the Polykleitian tradition. In particular, the tension of the muscles of the athletic body recalls the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, a famous bronze sculpture erected in Argos in around 450-440 B.C., as evidenced by a stele found there. The statue represented a hero, perhaps Achilles, or a winning athlete. Many Hellenistic and Roman copies of this sculpture are preserved, most notably in marble. These include the Tiberianera Doryphoros in the National Museum of Naples, from Pompeii, the nude male statue, a copy of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, in the Doria Pamphilj Collection, dated to the end of the 1st century A.D. The raised left shoulder is reminiscent of the Diadumenos, a work by the same artist made in Argos in around 430-420 B.C., depicting an athlete girding his head with ribbons or fillets, a symbol of victory, known from many copies. The Polykleitos original and the subsequent copies were enormously popular and became canonical representations of physical perfection and refinement.
138
ROMAN MARBLE TORSO OF APHRODITE ‡
1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
17¼ in. (23.4 kg total, 44 cm including stand)
Carved in the round as a torso of a slender female with hips turned, probably in contrapposto pose; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
£8,000 - 10,000
PROVENANCE: Ex private collection. with Artemis Gallery, Munich, Germany, early 1990s. Acquired from the above, 1999. Private European collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
139
ROMAN MARBLE HEAD OF A WOMAN ‡
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3¾ in. (620 grams, 95 mm)
Carved in the round with carinated diadem in the hair, heavily lidded eyes, small mouth with pursed lips.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
140
ROMAN MARBLE PORTRAIT HEAD OF GAIUS CAESAR AUGUSTAN, CIRCA 5 B.C.-1 A.D. 19 in. (17.4 kg total, 48 cm high including stand)
Modelled in the round probably using Parian marble, head of a youth depicted turning slightly to his left, hair trimmed in the Julian style; believed to be of Gaius Iulius Caesar Vipsanianus (20 B.C.- 4 A.D.); mounted on a custom-made stand.
£30,000 - 40,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the London art market in the 1970s by the previous owner’s late father. with Christie’s London, 25 April 2007, no.260. UK private collection, London. Anonymous sale, Bonhams, London, 16 April 2015, no.130.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.163499-10061.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Toynbee, J.M.C., Roman Historical Portraits, London, 1978, p.133, 162; La Rocca, E., ‘Rom als Vorbild für Pompeji: Aspekte der Kolonisierung’ in Pompeji wiederentdeckt: Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, Rome, 1994, pp.27-50; Hurlet, F., Les collègues du prince sous Auguste et Tibère. De la légalité républicaine à la légitimité dynastique, Rome : École Française de Rome, 1997, pp.5-692. (Publications de l’École française de Rome, 227); La Rocca, E., Ensoli S., Aurea Roma, dalla città pagana alla città cristiana, Roma, 2000; La Rocca, E. (ed.), Augusto (catalogue exhibition), Milano, 2013.
FOOTNOTES:
Gaius Caesar (20 B.C.-4 A.D.) and his brother Lucius Caesar (17 B.C.-2 A.D.) held significant positions in the political and dynastic plans of Emperor Augustus. Born to Augustus’ daughter Julia and his advisor Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, they were adopted by Augustus in 17 B.C. to become his heirs, since he lacked natural-born sons. Portraits of the brothers depicted them as resembling Augustus, indicating their importance within the imperial family. Gaius’ portraits were classified into five types, with this head identified as Type IV, likely created in 1 A.D. to celebrate his consulship. A similar portrait of Gaius exists in Corinth alongside his brother and Augustus. In 1 B.C., Gaius was appointed to govern the eastern provinces, where he successfully negotiated a peace treaty with Parthia’s King Phraates V. However, tragedy struck when Gaius fell ill in Anatolia and died at 23, following the death of his brother Lucius. These deaths disrupted Augustus’ plans for succession and led him to adopt Tiberius, his stepson, who eventually became emperor in 14 A.D.
141
ROMAN SILVER MINIATURE HERM ‡ 1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (27 grams, 52 mm)
Comprising a square-section tapering body with lateral stub arms; head of Mercury (Greek Hermes) above with applied twisted gold collar, low-relief shoulder panels, genitals modelled in the round, lowrelief horned figure below.
£2,500 - 3,500
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar figure of earlier date in the British Museum under accession no.1912,1125.13.
FOOTNOTES:
This object, was likely votive and perhaps belonged to a small domestic altar of the Roman imperial era, reproduces in miniature size a Hermaic pillar. These were terminals made of stone or wood which were often placed on the roads, near crossings; they served to indicate the right path and therefore were supposed to protect travellers when traveling. In Roman times, these pillars were often topped with busts or portraits and were also found in the gardens of wealthy homes; gods (Hermes and Bacchus in particular) or philosophers were the subjects thus represented.
142
LATE ROMAN GILT SILVER BUCKLE WITH DRAGON HEADS
5TH CENTURY A.D.
2½ in. (37.1 grams, 66 mm)
Comprising a trapezoid-section loop with running wave design and panther-mask terminals, tongue with ribbed oblong plaque and cut design; a rectangular plaque with extension to rear edge of two triangles and a semi-circle, decorated with bands of triangles, crescents, swirls and indented lines, extension with central gilt circle from which expands two triangular panels, filled with swirl design; rivet holes to the edge for attachment. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
UK collection formed in the 1980s.
Ex property of a North London gentleman.
143
ROMAN SILVER FIGURE OF A MAN ‡
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1½ in. (9.05 grams, 39 mm)
Standing erect wearing a draped toga, bearded and with thick bowlcut hair.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
144
ROMAN SILVER RING WITH PORTRAIT GEMSTONE
CIRCA 200 A.D.
1 in. (9.85 grams, 25.65 mm overall, 17.84 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G, USA 3¼, Europe 4.92, Japan 4))
Ellipsoid jasper insert with profile portrait bust of a female with tiered hairstyle and palla
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a London gentleman’s, UK, collection, in the 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 228, for type.
145
ROMAN EMERALD GEMSTONE WITH PORTRAIT OF YOUNG NERO
51-55 A.D.
⅝ in. (2.17 grams, 17 mm)
Depicting Nero as a young boy, either as crown prince or within the first year of his reign in his first known portrait type, unequivocal with his long hair fringe.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Paul Munro Walker collection, Bournemouth, UK, 1970s. Private collection of Alexander Cotton, Hampshire, UK, sold October 1986. From a London gentleman’s, UK, collection, in the 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12104-216215.
LITERATURE:
For the bust type cf. denarius of Nero and Agrippina dating to 55 AD; Roman Silver Coins: RSC 4, Roman Imperial Coins: RIC 7, and Roman Coins and their values, Sear 2044.
FOOTNOTES:
Dr Ittai Gradel writes: ‘Date is AD 51-55. On most glyptic portraits from shortly after he became emperor, so 54-55, he is shown laurelled ... However, on the coins he is shown also bare-headed even as emperor in 54-55 (second coin, denarius). Again, on coins his bust is shown draped only before he became emperor in 54 (first coin, aureus), but cameos show him draped also as emperor (as e. g. the Marlborough one: but there are several known). It is therefore not possible to say if the emerald shows him as crown prince or as emperor, and I cannot date it more precisely than 51-55.’
146
LATE ROMAN GNOSTIC CARNELIAN GEMSTONE
4TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
⅞ in. (1.92 grams, 22 mm)
Bifacial ellipsoid insert with lip to one face; obverse depicting a kilted figure with avian head and with wings on his head, shoulders and hips holding symbols and flanked by a scorpion, scarab, serpent and other items; reverse with lion-headed serpent, surrounding enigmatic legend ‘XAYMNOMNABMXMXIM’; supplied with a museum-quality impression of each face.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999.
147
ROMAN GNOSTIC GREEN GEMSTONE
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (2.41 grams, 25 mm)
Ellipsoid with intaglio nude female flanked by serpents; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From the glyptic collection of Mr X; thence by descent.
Acquired Hotel des Ventes, Drouot, Eve SVV, Paris, France, 28 June 2017, no.156 (Part).
Property of a French collector.
148
ROMAN GOLD AMULET HOLDER
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅞ in. (7.40 grams, 47 mm)
Hexahedral in section, hollow with gusseted suspension loops, applied filigree meanders with granules.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
149
ROMAN BRONZE PLATE BROOCH ‡ 2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (5.61 grams, 24 mm)
Comprising a discoid plaque and hinged S-curved pin to the reverse, the obverse with a millefiori glass insert.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Hattatt, R., Iron Age and Roman Brooches, Oxford, 1985, item 523.
150
ROMAN GOLD RING WITH BIRD GEMSTONE
2ND-4TH CENTURY A.D.
⅞ in. (3.30 grams, 22.60 mm overall, 15.67 mm internal diameter (approximate size British H, USA 3¾, Europe 6.18, Japan 6))
With hollow-formed bezel set with a carnelian cloison, intaglio bird motif.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970s.
LITERATURE: Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 204, for type.
151
ROMAN GOLD MARRIAGE RING WITH CLASPED HANDS AND EAGLE
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
⅝ in. (3.45 grams, 17.96 mm overall, 15.19 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G½, USA 3½, Europe 5.55, Japan 5))
Bifid form with parallel bands and lentoid bezels, one with low-relief clasped hands motif, the other with a bird holding a frond.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
152
LARGE ROMAN GOLD RING WITH TYCHE GEMSTONE
MID-LATE 3RD CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
1¼ in. (27.45 grams, 31.67 mm overall, 22.21 x 16.71 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14))
A substantial D-shaped ring with floral decoration, set with a later nicolo intaglio engraved with the figure of Tyche, holding a cornucopia and rudder, wearing a kalathos on her head; supplied with a museumquality impression.
£7,000 - 9,000
PROVENANCE:
Marcus Hollersberger, Solothurn, 1982. Ex Galerie Schönbrunn, Vienna, 1987. with Christie’s, London, 7 December 2022, no.80.
153
ROMAN GOLD RING WITH PORTRAIT GEMSTONE 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
1 in. (6.51 grams, 24.31 mm overall, 20.37 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M, USA 6, Europe 12.46, Japan 12))
With ellipsoid plaque, stepped cell with inset later carnelian gemstone, intaglio female profile bust; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£2,500 - 3,500
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1980-1990s.
154
ROMAN GOLD RING WITH GEMSTONE ‡ 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
1 in. (2.28 grams, 24.52 mm overall, 16.95 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I, USA 4¼, Europe 7.44, Japan 7))
Hollow-formed finger ring with broad plaque; with a later gemstone of an eagle and snake within a wreath; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 174.
155
ROMAN GOLD RING WITH IMPERIAL EAGLE HOLDING VICTORY WREATH
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
1¼ in. (7.90 grams, 33.15 mm overall, 17.50 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14))
Comprising a broad hoop with applied ropework bands to the exterior, cup bezel with cell and inset carnelian intaglio of an eagle holding a wreath in its beak; Eastern Empire.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE: Ex European private collection, 1990s. Acquired from a London, UK, gallery. Property of an Essex gentleman.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 482, for type.
158
ROMAN BLUE GLASS FLASK WITH FINE TRAILING
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (18.5 grams, 10 cm)
Iridescent blue glass flask with bulbous body and flared mouth, fine applied spiral trail to the neck and body.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
159
ROMAN DOUBLE-HANDLED FLASK
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (49 grams, 10 cm high)
Aqua glass jar with bulbous body, broad neck, double-folded flange rim, two lateral strap handles extending from the mouth to the shoulder.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
156
ROMAN YELLOW GLASS FLASK
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
2⅝ in. (3⅛ in.) (16.7 grams, 66 mm (33.9 grams total, 79.4 mm high including stand))
Mould-blown from translucent glass, the globular body on a circular flat base tapering at the shoulders to a cylindrical neck with an everted rim; a single applied handle; the body decorated with a horizontal band of a continuous Vitruvian wave framed by a double circumferential line, decorative ridges above and below; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
From the property of the late Mr SM, London, UK, 1948-2000.
Ex J.L. collection Surrey, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass, New York, vol.II, nos.640-641, for similar.
157
ROMAN GOLDEN GLASS JANUS HEAD FLASK
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (22 grams, 77 mm)
Formed as two addorsed heads with a short cylindrical neck and flaring mouth; both heads with abundant hair framing the face.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE: Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
160
ROMAN HONEY-COLOURED GLASS AMPHORA
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
7⅛ in. (7⅞ in.) (97 grams, 18 cm (220 grams total, 20 cm including stand))
With broad rounded shoulder tapering to a conical foot, cylindrical neck and everted mouth with rolled rim, applied trail handles and collar; tip restored; supplied with a display stand.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12108-217865.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Lightfoot, C.S., Ancient Glass in the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2007, item 307, for type.
161
ROMAN TRANSLUCENT GLASS BOWL
3RD CENTURY A.D.
6¼ in. (209 grams, 16 cm wide)
Translucent aqua glass with moulded texture to the outer face. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK. He amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. The Corning Museum of Glass, accession number 300-399, for type.
162
ROMAN IRIDESCENT AUBERGINE GLASS JAR WITH TWO HANDLES
4TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (51 grams, 76 mm)
With squat bulbous body, dimple base, flared trumpet neck; applied trails to the shoulder, two strap handles.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass, vol.1, New York, 1997, item 690, for type.
163
ROMAN GLASS VESSEL WITH WHEEL-CUT DESIGN
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
5⅛ in. (115 grams, 13 cm)
With globular body and long tubular neck, dimple base, everted rim with gusset to the outer edge; wheel-cut horizontal lines to the body.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
164
HUGE BYZANTINE HANGING BRONZE LOBED CROSS
CIRCA 8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
31¾ in. (1.12 kg, 55.5 cm including hook)
Substantial cross pattée with pierced lobes to the vertical arms, each end provided with a link and hook; lateral arms pieced to accept similar links; intended for the suspension of polycandela multiplecandle chandeliers.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Ex Surrey, UK, collection of a gentleman, 1960-2000s.
165
LATE BYZANTINE GREEN GLASS ARYBALLOS
6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3¾ in. (329 grams, 94 mm wide)
Substantial jar with dimple base, trumpet-shaped mouth with brad rim and flanked by two loop handles.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the early 19th century collection of General Sir George Cockburn (17631847), Shanganagh Castle, Co Wicklow, Ireland, sold at auction between 1935-1939.
From the collection of the late Dr J.D.H. Widdness, Dublin, Ireland.
Accompanied by a handwritten letter by Dr Widdness explaining the bottle’s history and provenance, plus a typed transcription.
Accompanied by a copy of an old black and white photograph of Dr Widdness holding and admiring the bottle while sitting in his study.
166
LARGE BYZANTINE TERRACOTTA BREAD STAMP ‡ CIRCA 10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 in. (495 grams, 12.6 cm wide)
Discoid in plan with integral stub handle; central Maltese cross with herringbone ring and epigraphic band, radiating dentilled rim; the inscription ‘+ C ’ (With the blessing of Lord and God I am with the Father).
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Sir Daniel Donohue [1919-2014] and the Countess Bernardine [1904-1968], Los Angeles, USA; the collection was assembled in the 1950-1960s, but before March 1968. with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2011, no.310 (part).
Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00120713. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12109-218144.
FOOTNOTES:
The cross is surrounded by a zig-zag frieze enclosed within a long inscription in medieval Greek, this confirms the use of the seal in a liturgical context. The practice of preparing bread for Holy Eucharist and Antidoron is still in use in the churches of the East.
167
6TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (3½ in.) (47.2 grams, 77 mm (71.4 grams total, 91 mm including stand))
Piriform in profile with two thick lug handles to the shoulder, obverse with low-relief facing figure holding a large cross and orb, reverse with facing figure with hand held up in the orans posture; with a display stand.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection, Mrs L.S., 1990s. Acquired from the above, 2001. Private European collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12110-218216.
BYZANTINE TERRACOTTA PILGRIM FLASK WITH A SAINT ‡168
LARGE BYZANTINE HANGING BRONZE POLYCANDELON
CIRCA 8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
26¾ in. (1.52 kg, 68 cm hanging height)
Flat-section ring with nine round holes and attachment fittings for three substantial chains with suspension hook, forming a polycandelon chandelier with multiple candles.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex Surrey, UK, collection of a gentleman, 1960-2000s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12111-217545.
FOOTNOTES:
In 563 AD, Paul the Silentiary visited Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and described the wondrous lighting effects, ‘Thus is everything clothed in beauty… no words are sufficient to describe the illumination in the evening: you might say that some nocturnal sun filled the majestic church with light.’ The church was lit by polycandela, an early type of candelabra that held glass oil lamps rather than candles. The lamps were either conical or shaped like round bowls with an elongated stem attached beneath. An effective and very atmospheric
source of lighting, polycandela required considerable skill in casting and glasswork. Amidst the burning of incense and the chanting of prayers, the flickering light must have helped to inspire pious devotion. Contemporaries certainly attest to this feeling and among the surviving accounts, that of Arculf, Bishop of Gaul, is particularly affecting. In 670 he went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and visited the Church of the Ascension, ‘…to the customary light of the eight lamps…on the night of the feast of the Lord’s Ascension it is usual to add innumerable other lamps; and under the terrible and wondrous gleaming of these, pouring out copiously through the shutters of the windows, all Mount Olivet seems not alone to be illuminated, but even to be on fire, and the whole city, situated on the lower ground nearby, seems to be lit up.’
169
BYZANTINE
BRONZE POLYCANDELON
CIRCA 8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
10½ in. (528 grams, 27 cm hanging height)
Flat-section ring with four round holes and attachment fittings for four substantial chains, forming a polycandelon chandelier with multiple candles.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: Ex Surrey, UK, collection of a gentleman, 1960-2000s.
170
BYZANTINE BRONZE ECCLESIASTICAL FINIAL SUPPORT FOR A CROSS ‡ 10TH-12TH CENTURY B.C.
4⅜ in. (368 grams, 11.2 cm)
Openwork finial formed as a miniature church comprising a square base with four stub feet, sidewalls each with a keyhole-shaped arch, upper storey cruciform in plan with radiating porticus ending in a tongue-shaped facade and loophole aperture; above, a tubular tower with loophole windows; flanged upper face with slot.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
FOOTNOTES:
This object reproduces a building of three levels: it belongs to a processional pole which supported a Byzantine bronze cross, the lower end of which fitted into the slot visible on the top of the drum. This object, which remains above all a decorative element, recalls by its structure a Byzantine church with its crossshaped plan: architectural models reproducing religious buildings were very appreciated by Byzantine craftsmen (especially in the capital Constantinople), who used these structures to produce not only the cross holders but also the reliquaries, host boxes, or censers.
171
BYZANTINE LEAD ICON WITH ST GEORGE ‡
CIRCA 7TH CENTURY A.D.
2½ in. (48.8 grams, 64 mm)
Bifacial lead plaque with figurative decoration: obverse with Saint George, nimbate, on his horse killing a fallen foe with his spear; ‘ ’ label above the horse’s neck, raised border with pellets and pellet clusters; reverse with relief pattern of a double circle decorated with double arcs forming a cross pellet to the centre.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Private collection Mr S.A., Switzerland, before 1992, thence by descent.
172
BYZANTINE LEAD CROSS ‡
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
8½ in. (357 grams, 21.5 cm)
Flat-section cruciform mount with stub arms and attachment point at one end; high-relief saltires, hoops and other detailing.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
173
BYZANTINE ‘PSALM 91 RELATED’ GNOSTIC BRONZE TALISMAN PENDANT
CIRCA 5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
2⅞ in. (17.3 grams, 73 mm)
Discoid in form with integral loop, obverse with low-relief images of mounted Saint Sisinnios killing the demon Gyllou (Lilith), Agnus Dei, a stork, a lion, the holy snake Chnoubis and other symbols with Greek text between; reverse with a standing nimbate angel within a panel of Greek text from Psalm 91.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
FOOTNOTES:
The text surrounding the angel recites the verses of Psalm 90 (Heb.91) in the ‘Great Reward Prayer’ ( ): …
, , , = …He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress…’
174
BYZANTINE GOLD ROSE TURRETED RING WITH CROSS GEMSTONE
CIRCA 10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅛ in. (4.28 grams, 28.85 mm overall, 19.02 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P½, USA 7¾, Europe 16.86, Japan 16))
Slender hoop with low-relief scrolled tendrils to the shoulders; openwork cup bezel with inset garnet cabochon, incised cross fleury motif.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1980-1990s.
175
BYZANTINE GOLD RING WITH FOLIATE MOTIFS
CIRCA 11TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (3.65 grams, 19.99 mm overall, 18.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5¾, Europe 11.24, Japan 10))
Comprising a flat-section hoop with a starburst motif to the base; openwork shoulders and a square bezel with a pellet to each corner, the bezel engraved with foliate motifs.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE: Acquired from London galleries during the 1990s. From the jewellery collection of a London, UK, gentleman.
LITERATURE:
Cf. urovi , I., Medieval Jewelry from the collections of the Kragujevac National Museum, Kragujevac, 2012, fig.12, p.111, for similar ring.
176
BYZANTINE DECORATED GOLD BELT BUCKLE
8TH CENTURY A.D.
2⅛ in. (33.02 grams, 55 mm)
Comprising a D-shaped plate with acanthus-leaf motif in low-relief, beaded wire band above the hinge, kidney-shaped rectangularsection loop, flat tongue with spur to the upper face; three mounting studs to reverse.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired from Bernard Hern, 1970s. From an old UK collection, 1970s-1980s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Schulze-Dörrlamm, M., Byzantinische Gürtelschnallen und Gürtelbeschläge im Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseum, Teil 2. Die Schnallen mit Scharnierbeschläg und Schnallen mit angegossenem Riemendurchzug des 7. bis 10. Jahrhunderts, Mainz, 2009, no.26, fig.4.
177
BYZANTINE GOLD CROSS PENDANT ‡ 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅝ in. (3.67 grams, 40 mm)
Hollow-formed sheet gold cruciform pendant with filigree ropework to the end of each expanding tubular arm, band of beading to the upper face of each arm and central pellet; bale to the upper end.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
178
BYZANTINE GOLD CROSS PENDANT
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅜ in. (3.70 grams, 36 mm)
Formed as a quatrefoil plaque with five large bulbs to the obverse, smaller interstitial bulbs and repoussé collars; bifid loop above.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
179
BYZANTINE INSCRIBED SILVER BOWL WITH CHI RHO
CIRCA 11TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
9¼ in. (395 grams, 23.5 cm wide)
With rounded underside and flange rim; tondo with incised symmetrical vinescroll with bunches of grapes enclosing central disc with niello-filled Chi Rho flanked by alpha and omega; legend to the rim in capitals: ‘+++ Ω ’ (For the eternal rest of him who had knowledge in the name of the Lord).
£10,000 - 14,000
PROVENANCE:
From a European family collection formed in the 1990s; thence by descent to a UK gentleman.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. Accompanied by professional drawings of the object.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.11963-210867.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar item of an earlier date in the British Museum, London, under accession no. 1899,0425.1; Aimone, M., The Wyvnern collection, Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, London, 2020, figs.43a-b-c.
FOOTNOTES:
The decorative apparatus of this plate could be associated with Eastern Roman art of the 11-12th century A.D., although we cannot exclude an earlier dating.
180
BYZANTINE LIMESTONE MORTAR WITH FACES AND LATER DEDICATION
CIRCA 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
8⅝ in. (11.15 kg, 22 cm wide)
Drum-shaped body with narrow base, two vertical flanges running from the rim and between them two D-shaped male masks with low discoid caps; later inscribed: ‘1812 [ ] I [ I ] 27 І Á ’ (July the 27, year 1812 of Iohannes Konstantinos Petrikos). [No Reserve]
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
BYZANTINE FRESCO PANEL OF CROWNED WOMEN ‡
14TH CENTURY A.D.
15¾ x 15¾ in. (5.08 kg, 40 x 40 cm)
Fragment of a fresco panel depicting a group of young women wearing crowns, possibly depicting queens or wise virgins, three in the foreground with suggestion of others behind them; a vertical line to the left marking the border of the painting; two outer women’s eyes turning towards a point high on the right, and the middle one lowering her eyes; wearing clothes richly decorated with precious stones and pearls, and crowns consisting of a band encrusted with gems and bordered with pearls, topped with points adorned with coloured stones in the style of Western European crowns.
£30,000 - 40,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the early 1980s. Ex old German private collection. From the private collection of Mr S.A., before 1992. Thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.PHO00064. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
This painting possibly comes from a representation of the Last Judgment including the representation of the crowned men and women mentioned in the Apocalypse (chapter IV, verse 4). The crowned women present the signs of adoration specific to this type of representation, their eyes turned or lowered as a sign of respect towards a point where Christ seated on a throne was painted in glory.
182
PROTO-SUMERIAN TERRACOTTA PICTOGRAPHIC TABLET FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF BARLEY ‡ CIRCA 3300-3000 B.C.
3¼ in. (130 grams, 82 mm)
Pillow-shaped tablet with dense cuneiform text to two broad faces and one edge.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection Mr S.A., acquired in 1994; thence by descent.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12116-218146.
183
SUMERIAN LIPIT-ISHTAR KING OF ISIN CUNEIFORM FOUNDATION CONE 1936-1926 B.C.
4½ in. (158 grams, 11.3 cm)
I, (the divine) Lipit-Eštar, humble shepherd of (the city of) Nippur, faithful farmer of (the city of) Ur, tireless worker for (the city of) Eridu, perfect Lord for (the city of) Uruk, King of (the city of) Isin, King of Sumer and Akkad, who pleases (the goddess) Innana, on the day I established justice in Sumer and Akkad, I built the temple of justice at the Reservoir, the great space of the gods; and bearing inked collection number: 'BEC.2 00015024' to base. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Previously from the estate of a West Sussex, UK, collector.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK. From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
FOOTNOTES:
Votive cones are one type of royal foundation deposit, objects that were buried in the walls and beneath the floors of important buildings during construction to sanctify the site and to create a historical memory of the ruler and his achievements. Lipit-Ishtar was the fifth king of the Dynasty of Isin, which was founded after the collapse of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He is famous as having published a series of laws in the Sumerian language anticipating the code of Hammurabi by more than a century.
184
SUMERIAN CUNEIFORM FOUNDATION CONE FROM LAGASH DURING THE REIGN OF GUDEA CIRCA 2100 B.C.
4⅜ in. (188 grams, 11.1 cm)
From the temple of Ningirsu at Tello (Girsu) during the Second Dynasty of Lagash; inscribed with columns of cuneiform text: 'For Ningirsu, Enlil's strong hero, Gudéa prince of Lagaš, made immutable values (= rites) shine forth and built Eninnu his white eagle and restored it.' [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Previously from the estate of a West Sussex, UK, collector.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
FOOTNOTES:
Votive cones are one type of royal foundation deposit, objects that were buried in the walls and beneath the floors of important buildings during construction to sanctify the site and to create a historical memory of the ruler and his achievements.
185
SUMERIAN TERRACOTTA ‘BULLA ENVELOPE’ WITH IMPRESSED DECORATION
URUK PERIOD, CIRCA 5500-3100 B.C.
2½ in. (158 grams, 64 mm)
Complete and of spherical form, containing clay ‘tokens’; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988.
Thence by descent to family members.
Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
186
PROTO-SUMERIAN PICTOGRAPHIC TABLET FOR DISTRIBUTION OF SHEEP BY THE WIFE OF E.KISAL
URUK III, CIRCA 3200-3000 B.C.
3⅛ in. (72.3 grams, 80 mm)
Terracotta pillow-shaped tablet with grid to each broad face, each cell with an impressed image and a corresponding number of impressions from the tip of a rod, a list for the distribution of animals to the contrary reading:
Obverse:
Column 1
1. 2(N01) , U8 2 ewes
2. 3(N01) , UDUNITA~a 3 male sheep
3. 1(N01) , UD5~a 1 …-sheep
4. 4(N01) , MASZ2 |U4x1(N57)|# 4 goats day 1
5. , GAL~a SAL E~a (name?)
Column 2
1. 1(N01) , U8 1 ewe
2. 4(N01) , UDUNITA~a 4 male sheep
3.a. 5(N01) , MASZ2 5 goats
3.b1. 1(N01) , |U4x3(N57)|# GAL 1 large
3.b2. 4(N01) , |U4x1(N57)|# TUR 1 small
4. , |SZE~a.NAM2| …
Reverse:
Column 1
1. 1(N14) , SAL E~a [...] 1 …
2. 1(N14)# [...] 1 …
Column 2
1. 3(N01) , U8 (total) 3 ewes
2. 7(N01) , UDUNITA~a (total) 7 male sheep
3. 9(N01) , MASZ2 (total) 9 goats
4. 1(N01) , UD5~a (total) 1 …-sheep
Column 3
1. , |SIxKU~b1| 2(N14) , BA MASZ GAN2 SAL E~a KISAL~b1
(interpretation: distributed in the SI.KU settlement, the wife of E.KISAL being responsible).
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From specialised collection of cuneiform texts, formed in the 1950s-1990s.
The property of a London gentleman and housed in London, thence by descent to family members.
Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and 1990s.
The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12117-215351.
LITERATURE:
Cf. for a similar example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.1988.433.3.
PUBLISHED: Salvatore Monaco, Archaic Cuneiform Tablets from Private Collections, CUSAS 31, p. 97, no. 74 (CDLI 464160).
187
PROTO-SUMERIAN TERRACOTTA PICTOGRAPHIC TABLET ‡
3RD DYNASTY OF UR, CIRCA 2036 B.C.
1½ in. (27.6 grams, 40 mm)
Pillow-shaped tablet with columns of pictograms to two broad faces and one edge.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex De Groot collection, Belgium, acquired in the 1930s. with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2011, no.137.
188
TEMPLE BRICK SECTION OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR II, KING OF BABYLON CIRCA 604-562 B.C.
18⅛ x 14¼ in. (3.07 kg total, 46 x 36.3 cm)
A rectangular section with fourteen columns of cuneiform text mentioning the foundation of a temple by Nebuchadnezzar II, translating as ‘King of Babylon provisioner of Esagil and Ezida prime son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon and Ebabbara, the temple of Shamash in Larsa..[...]; mounted in a custom-made velvet lined display frame. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
FOOTNOTES:
The construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple are ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar II. He is featured in the Book of Daniel and is mentioned in several other books of the Bible.
189
LARGE PROTO-SUMERIAN PICTOGRAPHIC TABLET FOR THE ACCOUNT OF GRAIN DELIVERED TO SI.UK AND MUSH SETTLEMENT
URUK III, CIRCA 3200-3000 B.C.
3⅝ in. (140 grams, 93 mm)
Terracotta pillow-shaped tablet with grid to each broad face, each cell with an impressed image and a corresponding number of impressions from the tip of a rod, a list for the distribution of animals to the contrary reading:
Obverse:
Column 1
1. 4(N14) 2(N01) , SZE~a MUSZ3~a units of barley
2. , SI4~f |3(N57).EN2|
Column 2
1.a. 2(N14) , SZE~a EN~a PAP~a PAP@t units of barley
1.b. 3(N19) ,
2. 3(N19) , MUSZ3~a
3. 1(N19) , LA2 TE SZE~a
4.a. 2(N14) , SZE~a EN~a KISAL~b1 PA~a units of barley
4.b. 5(N04) , 5. , |NUN~a+NAM2|
Column 3
1. 2(N14) , SZE~a EN~a PAP~a PAP@t units of barley
2. 2(N19) 3(N04) , MUSZ3~a
3. 1(N19) 4(N04) , EN~a KISAL~b1 PA~a (name?)
4. 3(N14) 4(N01) , SZE~a IDIGNA EN~a KISAL~b1 PA~a units of barley
5. , ZATU659
Reverse:
Column 1
1. 5(N14) 2(N01) , MUSZ3~a |3(N57).EN2|
2.a1. 1(N45) 2(N14) 3(N01) , SZE~a |NUN~a+NAM2| units of barley
2.a2. 1(N45) 1(N14) , SZE~a ZATU659 units of barley …
2.b1. 5(N14) , SZE~a units of barley
2.b2. 7(N19) 3(N04) (total units)
2.b3. 3(N14) , SZE~a
2.b4. 8(N19)
Column 2
1. 1(N45) 4(N14) , (sub?- total units of barley) …
2. 1(N46) 4(N19) 5(N04) ,
Column 3
1. 2(N45) 2(N19) 6(N14) 5(N04) , SZE~a 1(N57) SI4~f |SIxKU~b1| SZEG9 E~a (grand total units of barley) …
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From specialised collection of cuneiform texts, formed in the 1950s-1990s. The property of a London gentleman and housed in London, thence by descent to family members.
Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and 1990s.
The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
Accompanied by a copy of a handwritten and signed scholarly note for five tablets written by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert.
PUBLISHED: Salvatore Monaco, Archaic Cuneiform Tablets from Private Collections, CUSAS 31, p. 97, no. 74 (CDLI 464160).
190
OLD BABYLONIAN CUNEIFORM MESSENGER TABLET RECORDING THE JOURNEYS OF ROYAL ENVOYS END OF AMAR-SIN'S REIGN, 2047-2038 B.C. 3½ in. (186 grams, 89 mm)
Pillow-shaped clay tablet with dense rows of cuneiform text in two columns to each face, (79 lines in total); accompanied by a printed transliteration and explanation of the text which relates to a messenger, his name, the amounts of food and purpose of his travel; in this case the food is beer and bread: this record on the envoys and their journeys includes those of: ‘ili-(...), Turam-Ili, Ili-bani, Lu-Baba, Shu-Ea, Ur-Shulpae, Ipkusha, Lu(gal?)-e(?), Hurasi-x, Shu-Eshar, Dada-lu, Dudu, Shu-Erra, Shu-Ninshubur(?), Annania, Puzur-{d}huia5, Ababum, Ur-Eanna, Lugal-(hegal?), Arad-Nana, Shu-Enlila, Lu-Nanna, Lu-{d}x-ni-a, Ri-ti-AB-ta, Apilia, Ur-Enki, Nanna-bazi, and Lu-Ninshubur.’
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE: Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992.
Thence by descent to family members.
Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
Accompanied by a typed and illustrated report with translation.
EARLY DYNASTIC TERRACOTTA CUNEIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE
TABLET RECORDING LIVESTOCK AND THEIR OWNERS ‡
IIIB, 2400-2340 B.C.
3 in. (202 grams, 78 mm)
Pillow-shaped tablet with dense cuneiform text to two broad faces and one edge, concerning the listing of 146 sheep and their owners or shepherds.
£18,000 - 24,000
PROVENANCE: with Laemmle Gallery, San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA. Acquired from the above in the early 1970s. with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2011, no.133. Private central European collection.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12121-218147.
192
LARGE AKKADIAN INSCRIBED CYLINDER SEAL WITH CONTEST SCENES
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. 1⅛ in. (22.8 grams, 30 mm)
Green serpentine with two contest scenes between beast-men and rearing animals, three columns of cuneiform text. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the Rihani family collection, formed 1970-1980s. From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK. From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
193
AKKADIAN BANDED AGATE CYLINDER SEAL WITH INSCRIPTION
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. 1 in. (10.7 grams, 25 mm)
With figural panel depicting a standing male in short tunic with fronds extending from his shoulders facing a female in a tiered robe standing beside a tree; to her rear, a second figure in floor-length garment holding staves, objects in the field; two and a half columns of cuneiform text; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
194
AKKADIAN AGATE CYLINDER SEAL WITH INSCRIPTION
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 in. (7.29 grams, 26 mm)
Figural panel with a female in profile wearing tiered robe and with arms drawn up to the chest facing a male wearing a short jacket open at the hips; between them a dog with one foreleg raised; four columns of cuneiform text.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
195
LARGE AKKADIAN CYLINDER SEAL WITH CONTEST SCENE
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
1½ in. (40.5 grams, 37 mm)
Dark green agate with contest scene comprising two rampant animals each being stabbed by a standing male with facing bearded beastman and another animal to the rear. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the Rihani family collection, formed 1970-1980s.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
196
LATE AKKADIAN CYLINDER SEAL WITH GILGAMESH CONTEST SCENE
2254-2154 B.C.
1⅛ in. (15.8 grams, 30 mm)
In green marble with Gilgamesh contest scene, human hero stabbing a rearing beast and beast-man grappling a rearing lion; scorpion and objects in the field. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Ex Cohen Antiques, London W8.
From the M. Cloake collection, acquired in 1977.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
197
LARGE MIDDLE ELAMITE CYLINDER SEAL OF KIDNU, CHIEF
OVERSEER OF KING TAN-RUHURATER II
CIRCA 1450 B.C.
1½ in. (23.8 grams, 39 mm)
A high-status green chalcedony seal with frieze depicting a seated figure in horned headdress facing a standing figure with arms outstretched, small monkey to the legs; six columns of Akkadian cuneiform text transliterated as:
1. ki-di-nu UGULA KUŠ-MEŠ
2. GAL šà tan-dru-hu-
3. ra-te-er EŠŠANA šu-ši
4. u an-za-an ARAD 5. šà dha-te-ri-iš
6. šak(?) ì-lí-šu ‘Kidinu, chief overseer of the equerries(?) of TanRuhurater, King of Susa and Anzan, servant of Haterishshak, his god’.
The seal’s owner was an official of King Tan-Ruhurater II (circa 1450 B.C.), king of Susa and Anzan. The title used to describe Kidinu is sometimes translated ‘high official’, elsewhere ‘horse groom’ or ‘animal trainer’; the Elamite deity Haterish is otherwise unknown.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From a Mayfair gallery, London, UK; previously acquired in the 1980s. Property of a North London lady; gifted from her father’s collection. From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK. From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of a specialist academic report dated June 2017. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12122-215563.
198
WESTERN ASIATIC STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH QUADRUPEDS
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
¾ in. (4.07 grams, 18 mm)
With frieze of advancing quadrupeds in three tiers; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the ‘S’ collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
199
WESTERN ASIATIC STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH HUNTING SCENE
LATE 2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 in. (6.9 grams, 23 mm)
With frieze depicting a hunting scene with a lion leaping to attack a kilted hero with a kopis supported by a small figure holding an arrow, a stag and a standing kilted attendant with two javelins; animals and objects in the field; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the ‘S’ collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
200
WESTERN ASIATIC STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH WORSHIP SCENE
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
⅝ in. (2.6 grams, 17 mm)
Tubular haematite seal with incuse scene including a seated figure with a sceptre facing an ox-headed figure, star between, standing figure in flounced skirt to the rear; possibly Hittite workmanship.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the ‘S’ collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
201
OLD BABYLONIAN STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH FIGURES AND ANIMALS
EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
⅝ in. (4.32 grams, 17 mm)
Haematite with frieze depicting a male and female figure surrounded by birds and mythical beasts beside a single male.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the ‘S’ collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
202
OLD BABYLONIAN CYLINDER SEAL OF ILI-IDDINAM, SERVANT OF THE GODDESS NIN-SI’ANNA
CIRCA 1900-1600 B.C.
1¼ in. (17 grams, 31 mm)
With three standing figures; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: ‘Cylinder Seal of Black Stone with White Streaks / 31 x 17 mm. / The design consists of three standing figures: a god in short clothes on the right, a worshipper in long robe raising one hand in the middle, and a nude female shown frontally on the left. A spade symbol appears in front of the god on the right. A two line cuneiform inscription names the ancient seal-owner: Ili-iddinam, servant of (the goddess) Nin-si’anna / Nin-si’anna is a name of Ishter-Venus. This is an Old Babylonian seal, c. 1900-1600 B.C. It has a rare stone for the period, but is not deeply cut. The seal is in very good state of preservation.’ [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
203
MESOPOTAMIAN CYLINDER SEAL WITH DRINKING AND ANIMAL COMBAT SCENES
CIRCA 2400-2200 B.C.
1¼ in. (8.09 grams, 31 mm)
With drinking scenes; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: ‘Cylinder Seal of Translucent Greenstone / 31 x 12 mm. The engraved area is divided into two registers by a double line. Above is a drinking scene: two seated drinkers, each with a large ot of beer, and between the pots a standing servant. Below is a contest scene: two crossed lions molest each a horned animal. The horned animal on the left is upended, and is succoured by a hero. This comes from Mesopotamia and dates to c. 2400-2200 B.C. It is nicely engraved and in excellent state of preservation.’ [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
204
LATE BABYLONIAN STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH CONTEST SCENE
1000-800 B.C.
1½ in. (32.6 grams, 40 mm)
With incuse frieze depicting a winged male figure wearing a tall headdress and holding a khopesh hooked sword, one foot placed on the corpse of a goat or ram, grappling with a rearing bull-headed winged beast and gripping its raised foreleg; behind, a second winged male figure with a sceptre and raised club to strike the bull-headed beast from behind; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
205
LARGE NEO-ASSYRIAN STONE CYLINDER SEAL
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1¾ in. (65.7 grams, 44 mm)
With figural frieze between two borders of guilloche ornament: central hero-figure with axe in one raised hand, the other gripping the foreleg
of a winged rampant gryphon, with recumbent goat at his feet; behind, radiant sun above a monkey sitting on the rump of a horse with a second gryphon attacking; opposed rampant ibexes flanking a tree; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
206
BABYLONIAN CYLINDER SEAL WITH KING AND BULL-MEN
CASSITE PERIOD, CIRCA 1400-1100 B.C.
⅞ in. (2.8 grams, 22 mm)
With three standing figures; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: ‘Cylinder Seal of Fawn, Colourless and Whitish Agate, 22.5 x 9 mm. The design shows two standing bull-men holding between them a pole-standard with a kind of fleur-de-lis on top. There is a cuneiform inscription in Babylonian language: sa-ki-in (May god be merciful) / na4kisib an-ni (to the one equipped) / ilum li-re-en-s[u] (with this seal. This is a Cassite-period Babylonian seal, c. 1400-1100 B.C. It is a rare design for the period and the inscription may be unique. The seal is chipped at the edges, and is joined from two pieces with no loss of surface, and is in an attractive stone.’ [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
207
NEO-ASSYRIAN STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH SCORPION AND BIRD
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
⅝ in. (3.32 grams, 17 mm)
With pointillé design of two birds one above the other, a scorpion and a tulip.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the ‘S’ collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
208
NEO-ASSYRIAN STONE CYLINDER SEAL WITH SCORPIONS AND FISH
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
⅝ in. (2.58 grams, 16 mm)
With frieze depicting three scorpions, four fishes and other items in themed groups; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the ‘S’ collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Teissier, B., Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seals in the Marcopoli Collection, Berkeley, 1984, item 563, for type.
209
MESOPOTAMIAN AMETHYST CYLINDER SEAL WITH BEARDED GOD
CIRCA 900-600 B.C.
1 in. (6.57 grams, 23 mm)
With bearded male between winged horses; accompanied by an old scholarly note, written and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: ‘Cylinder Seal of Amethist [sic] 24 x 11mm. Standing god between two winged horses. North Mesopotamia or West Iran. c.900-600 B.C. Condition good.’ [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex Oasis Ancient Art, London, W1, before 1990.
Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the 1990s.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an original handwritten and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 19701993.
210
LARGE SUMERIAN STONE CYLINDER SEAL
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
1⅜ in. (56 grams, 34 mm)
With frieze in two registers; above: ibexes with raised heads drinking water from a rounded vessel mounted on a raised frame; below: repeating pattern of vessels with water flowing from their mouths; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
211
EARLY DYNASTIC CYLINDER SEAL WITH WORSHIPPING PARADE
CIRCA 2550-2350 B.C.
1¼ in. (5.26 grams, 32 mm)
Haematite cylinder seal featuring two horizontal registers with worshipping parades comprising long-robed male priests wearing ankle-length garments, seated on the stool-shaped throne, elegantly raising their left hands to hold a cup; other male priests in long garments either holding a vessel containing holy water or oil, or standing in a solemn gesture with hands raised or clasped in front of their chests.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the 1990s.
Ex West London family collection. Property of a Bristol, UK, gentleman.
212
JUDAEAN GEM WITH LION AND HEBREW INSCRIPTION
CIRCA 7TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
¾ in. (5.05 grams, 20 mm)
Plano-convex glass seal imitating lapis lazuli with incuse leaping lion on a baseline with legend below, unpierced.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the Fadel family collection, London, UK, 1970s.
213
LARGE MESOPOTAMIAN STONE STAMP SEAL WITH LAMASSU
CIRCA 2000 B.C.
2⅜ in. (70 grams, 59 mm)
Plano-convex in section with broad face, incuse profile image of a lamassu (winged bull with a human head) with pellets and objects in the field.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE: Collected from 1969-1999.
From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
214
LARGE JEMDET NASR PERIOD STAMP SEAL
3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
3½ in. (130 grams, 90 mm)
Carved steatite seal in the form of a reclining feline with sockets at the eyes; drilled pattern to the underside.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999, thence by descent.
215
WESTERN ASIATIC LARGE AGATE BEAD NECKLACE
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
33 in. (345 grams, 84 cm long)
Composed of graduating opaque rounded biconical beads with a large flattened bead to the centre.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Ex French gallery, 1970-1990. Paris collection, France.
216
SYRO-HITTITE SILVER AMULET
CIRCA 14TH CENTURY B.C.
1⅛ in. (3.9 grams, 29 mm)
Amulet of a deity in human form wearing a pointed cap and pleated kilt, hands placed on the chest supporting coiled serpent (or staff), ledge to rear; possibly Tar unna, the Hittite weather-god.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the Bavarian private collection of F.U., Germany, before 2000. Acquired Gorny & Mosch, 17 June 2015, lot 246.
Property of a French collector.
FOOTNOTES:
The proper name of the weather god is not known, as it was expressed with an ideogram in the texts; his name was probably Tarhunna, from Hattic Taru. Among the Luwians he was called Datta and Tarhunt. The Hittite province of Tarhuntassa, south of the heartland of the Hittite Empire, took its name from the latter: ‘land of the weather god’.
217
TELL HALAF IDOL OF A SEATED MOTHER GODDESS
4TH MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 in. (57 grams, 77 mm)
Modelled in the round as a seated female with pinched facial features, hands pressed flat beneath the breasts, legs flexed; traces of pigment detailing to the face and collar; repaired.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
218
CHALCOLITHIC TERRACOTTA FIGURE
CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
6⅞ in. (173 grams, 17.5 cm high)
Modelled in the round with columnar head and neck, pinched and impressed facial details, applied headdress, collar and calf-length skirt, stub arms.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the property of the late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999.
Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.N122k33 from Oxford Authentication.
219
WESTERN ASIATIC BRONZE STANDING IDOL
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
7½ in. (310 grams total, 19 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round as a columnar figure with curved stub arms and pointed headdress; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
220
MESOPOTAMIAN HARDSTONE AMULET
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1⅜ in. (11.2 grams, 36 mm)
Carved with four outward-facing figures on a plinth, with their hands clasped at the chest. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired in the 1960s-1970s.
From the private collection of N.S. and A.L., Bavaria, Germany.
Acquired from Gorny and Mosch, Munich, 12 December 2015, no.855 (Part).
Property of a French collector.
221
MESOPOTAMIAN TORCH BEARER STAND WITH LION TAMER EARLY DYNASTIC II, MID 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C. 8¼ in. (2.15 kg, 21 cm high)
A substantial torch bearer depicting a male lion or panther standing with legs firmly planted on a rectangular base, tail extending to the ground, with a massive circular shaped armature or candelabra issuing from its back and wearing an elaborate muzzle, the eyes retaining shell inlay with a circular hollow for the pupils; to the right of the beast a kneeling nude male wearing a large belt-armour and a diadem, eyes inlaid, left hand extended to the side and holding the lion’s leash.
£20,000 - 30,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired before 1983. Ex London gallery, 1990s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12043-216337.
LITERATURE:
Cf. a similar vessel stand with ibex support in the Metropolitan Museum, accession number 1974.190; Frankfort, H., More Sculpture from the Diyala Region, OIP 60, Chicago, 1943, pls.33-34, 55-57; 91,95; Carter, M.L., Goldstein, S., Harper, P.O., Kawami, T.S., Meyers, P., Splendours of the Ancient East, Antiquities from the al-Sabah collection, London, 2013, figs.1 and nos.1-2-3-4, for metal figures made in similar style; Prell, S., ‘Buckle up and fasten that belt! Metal belts in the early and Middle Bronze Age’ in Ägypten und Levante/Egypt and the Levant, vol.29 (2019), pp.303-330.
FOOTNOTES:
The object belongs to a series of artefacts which attest the wide regional trade existing in the mid to late 3rd millennium B.C. in the Mesopotamian lands. Stands of this type were intended to hold offering bowls or lamps.
222
CANAANITE DOUBLE-FACED KOHL POT
1300-1200 B.C.
3¼ in. (135 grams, 82 mm)
FOOTNOTES:
With tapering square-section body, bulbous finial formed as two addorsed male masks, loop handle to each lateral face, trumpetshaped mouth; with old collector’s note ‘double face perfume vessel / Ugarit (Ras Sharma) / date Middle Syrian Period / 1300/1200 BC / material: bronze / height: 8.5cm / Canaanite gods in metal’.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1, UK, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
Accompanied by an old handwritten identification note on Christie’s headed paper.
223
PHOENICIAN BRONZE SEATED FIGURE HOLDING AN OFFERING CUP
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY B.C.
4⅜ in. (301 grams total, 11 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round with tight-fitting robe and carefully detailed tiered hairstyle; right hand raised to support a chalice; peg beneath the feet; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve] £800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the French art market.
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Moscati, S., I Fenici, p.229, for a statuette in similar style.
Iberian statuettes from 6th century B.C. were produced under the influence of Greeks and Phoenicians. Small votive offerings of priests, priestesses, and deities in bronze, were found everywhere in Spain. The body of these figurines is often reduced to a rectangular plaque, but the head, as in all these types, is of plastic work, a process which reminds the prehistoric terracottas from the Argive Heraeum and elsewhere. The curve of the nose, which gives the face a Semitic appearance, is not accidental, and underlines the Phoenician influence.
224
LURISTAN ZOOMORPHIC PIN FINIAL
8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
8½ in. (118 grams, 21.5 cm)
With complex finial incorporating the foreparts of an ibex surmounted by a winged gryphon with cow-horns and coiled disc between the neck and arched wing.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: Acquired in 1967.
Property of a London, UK, gentleman.
225
UNOPENED ARAMAIC LEAD SCROLL WITH MAGICAL TEXT
2ND-8TH CENTURY A.D.
2¼ in. (131 grams, 58 mm)
Tightly coiled sheet lead scroll with incised Aramaic script text to one face; unopened.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999.
226
ELAMITE SPOUTED VESSEL WITH FLOWERS
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
5¾ in. (340 grams, 14.5 cm)
The body of squat profile with narrow mouth and short lateral Usection spout, short stem and stepped domed base; repoussé ornament comprising flowers and vines with leaves.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired before 1983. Ex London gallery, 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12124-216336.
227
MESOPOTAMIAN GREEN STONE BOWL ‡ EARLY DYNASTIC, MID 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
6 in. (614 grams, 15.1 cm wide)
Hemispherical in profile with flat base. carinated shoulder and flat rim to the mouth.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection, Mrs L.S., 1990s. Acquired from the above, 2001. Private European collection.
228
BACTRIAN STONE BOWL WITH SNAKES
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
6¾ in. (881 grams, 17 cm)
Carved with squat, vertical sidewall and everted rim, frieze of entwined snakes with opposed heads between raised bands around the body.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE: Acquired from a French gallery in 1982; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Aruz, J. ed., Art Of The First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2003, p. 326, for similar.
FOOTNOTES: The stone is likely chlorite.
229
LARGE BACTRIAN COPPER STAMP SEAL WITH STANDING FIGURE
3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
2⅞ in. (102 grams, 74 mm)
Discoid in plan with U-shaped handle, the obverse divided into cells forming an image of a standing figure within a meandering border.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE: with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
230
BACTRIAN VEINED MARBLE WEIGHT
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 in. (9.35 kg, 18 cm)
Conical in profile with flat base and U-shaped channel through the apex.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE: Ex London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s.
232
BACTRIAN CERAMIC JAR WITH STAMPED DECORATION
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
5⅜ in. (540 grams, 13.8 cm wide)
Squat in profile with broad foot, carinated rim with notched edge, band of impressed rosettes and inset shell studs to the shoulder, notched borders.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
231
LARGE BACTRIAN STONE VESSEL
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
10⅛ in. (7.45 kg, 25.7 cm wide)
With slightly dished base, trumpet-shaped sidewall, parallel circumferential ridges below the rim with segmented detailing. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
233
WESTERN ASIATIC ALABASTER COSMETIC DISH
MID-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
1¼ in. (34 grams, 33 mm wide)
Comprising a shallow rounded bowl supported by three feet modelled as reclining lions; old inked collection number 88.349 to the bottom.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex Symes gallery, Mayfair, London, UK, before 1999, with stock reference number.
Accompanied by a previous catalogue information slip.
234
PROTO-SUMERIAN ALABASTER VESSEL ‡ CIRCA 3000 B.C.
4⅝ in. (1.02 kg, 11.7 cm wide)
Jar with slightly tapering cylindrical sidewall, flared rim to the mouth; incised hatched band to the shoulder and four pierced lugs.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE: with Gwain McKinley, London, 1980s. Acquired from the above, 1993. Private European collection, thence by family descent.
235
WESTERN ASIATIC STONE BOWL WITH LOCUSTS
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
5½ in. (890 grams, 14 cm wide)
Hemispherical mortar with rounded rim and underside, reserved locust motifs carved in high-relief beneath the rim. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
236
WESTERN ASIATIC CERAMIC CHILDREN’S TOY DONKEY AZERBAIJAN, 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
5⅞ in. (348 grams, 15 cm wide)
Hollow-formed figure of a donkey laden with packs on a heatershaped base; vents to each side to accept axles, hollow to the underside, keeled forward edge pierced to accept a cord; packs open to the upper face.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
237
PARTHIAN ALABASTER HEAD OF ISHTAR 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
5⅛ in. (523 grams total, 13 cm high including stand)
Modelled in the round with luxuriant flowing hair, large lentoid eyes with inlaid black irises, small slit mouth; some encrustation; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
238
SASSANIAN CHALCEDONY HAIR RING WITH GAYOMARD FIGURE
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅛ in. (23.5 grams, 30 mm)
Barrel-shaped with broad central hole; engraved to the outer face with a ‘Gayomard’ figure holding spears in his extended hands; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE: with Christie’s, London, 21 April 1999, no.11.
From the ‘Empire’ collection, an important UK private collection of seals, no.19
Accompanied by a copy of an old typed cataloguing page signed by A D H Bivar.
239
SASSANIAN CHALCEDONY MAGIC SEAL WITH THREE FIGURES AND INSCRIPTION
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (10.7 grams, 24 mm)
Plano-convex seal with transverse piercing; underside with three figures advancing to the right, one with a staff; scorpion and quadruped in the field, three Pahlavi characters; to the outer face, enigmatic Pahlavi inscription and animals; supplied with a museumquality impression. [No Reserve]
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Acquired between 1980-1983.
From the ‘Empire’ collection, an important UK private collection of seals, collection no.11.
Accompanied by a copy of a typed and signed scholarly note by A D H Bivar.
240
SASSANIAN RED JASPER STAMP SEAL WITH HUMAN-HEADED BULL
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (5.96 grams, 18 mm)
Plano-convex seal with intaglio crouching Gopatshah bull with a man’s head, crowned, and small wing to his shoulder; Pahlavi inscription ‘pst’n ‘L yzd’ (reliance on god); supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired between 1980-1983.
From the ‘Empire’ collection, an important UK private collection of seals, no.13.
Accompanied by a copy of an old typed cataloguing page signed by A D H Bivar.
241
SASSANIAN RED JASPER SEAL WITH PEGASUS
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (8.1 grams, 20 mm)
Plano-convex pierced seal with advancing winged horse, Pahlavi inscription ‘l’sty rast’ (‘just’); supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired between 1980-1983.
From the ‘Empire’ collection, an important UK private collection of seals, collection no.16.
Accompanied by a copy of a typed and signed scholarly note by A D H Bivar.
242
SASSANIAN ONYX SEAL WITH TWO HORSES AND RIDERS
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (16.37 grams, 24 mm)
Plano-convex seal with intaglio image of two horsemen face-to-face with a segmented arch between them; probably the Sassanian equivalent of the Diskouroi; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired between 1980-1983.
From the ‘Empire’ collection, an important UK private collection of seals, no.10.
Accompanied by a copy of an old typed cataloguing page signed by A D H Bivar.
LITERATURE:
A similar image of two horsemen also appears on a Sassanian silver-gilt dish now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no.63.152). Alternatively, the image may be of an investiture scene, as shown in the sculpture of Naqsh-i Rustam. Cf. BM Stamp Seals II, reference BL6.
243
SASSANIAN GREEN CUT-GLASS CUP
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3½ in. (185 grams, 91 mm)
Translucent with a roughly U-shaped cross-section, graduated decorative wheel-cut facets composed of larger circles to the base, followed by smaller ovals, lozenges and fan-shapes towards the neck.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: London art market, 1986.
LITERATURE:
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 59.34, for similar; cf. Oliver, A. Jr., Ancient Glass, In the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, 1980, p.138, no.235, for similar.
244
SASSANIAN CUT GLASS CUP
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
4⅝ in. (150 grams, 11.8 cm wide)
Conical opaque glass with decorative wheel-cut facets.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a estate of a late gentleman, 1988. Ex UK collection.
LITERATURE:
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 59.34, for similar.
245
SASSANIAN TAPESTRY FRAGMENT WITH DUCKS AND HORSES ‡
7TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
13⅝ x 10 in. (365 grams, 34.6 x 25.6 cm)
Rectangular tapestry panel with repeating designs of a circular border with reserved hexagons enclosing the head and neck of an advancing horse in profile, opposed pairs of ducks with curled wings; mounted on a wooden-framed fabric backing. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Esther Fitzgerald Rare Textiles, London, UK. Property of a North American gallery.
246
LARGE WESTERN ASIATIC GOLD HOOP EARRINGS
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
2⅜ in. (20.34 grams total, 62 mm each)
Matched pair, each with radiating granulated triangular plaques and large granule clusters. [2]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s.
247
GOLD RING WITH SASSANIAN DRAGON GEMSTONE ‡ 7TH-10TH CENTURY A.D. AND EARLIER
1¼ in. (15.87 grams, 33.98 mm overall, 18.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q½, USA 8¼, Europe 18.12, Japan 17))
Substantial ring with D-section hoop, tiered bezel with inset 4th-5th century A.D. carnelian gemstone, intaglio of a gryphon in flight. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired from a New York private collection, in the early 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Content, D.J. (ed.), Islamic Rings & Gems. The Zucker Collection, London, 1987, item 28, for type.
248
SELJUK GOLD RING WITH SQUARE CARNELIAN BEZEL ‡ 12TH-13TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (9.34 grams, 23.69 mm overall, 16.86 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J½, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9))
With frond detailing to the shoulders, square bezel with hatched ornament, inset carnelian gemstone.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: Ex private collection, acquired in the 1980s. with Christie’s, New York, ‘Ancient Jewellery’, 11 December 2003, no.455. Private European collection.
LITERATURE: Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 529, for type.
249
WESTERN ASIATIC GARNET-SET GOLD PENDANT ELEMENT
CIRCA 12TH CENTURY A.D.
2¼ in. (11.3 grams, 59 mm)
Lozenge-shaped and of box construction, the central field set with nine garnets within raised frames set, the base with wire and chain work, the four corners set with facetted spherical terminals, four suspension loops between each terminal.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE: From a private family collection formed in the 1970s.
250
BACTRIAN GOLD WIRE NECKLACE WITH PENDANT 3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.
26 in. (37.20 grams, 66 cm)
Tightly-coiled wire band with graduated profile, domed disc closure with repoussé central boss and pellets to the rim, pendant formed as a rectangular frame enclosing two fusiform banded agate and another fusiform bead, barrel-shaped gold collars and coiled wire finials.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE: with Ancient and Islamic Art Ltd, 1993. Private European collection, early 1990s.
251 MESOPOTAMIAN GOLD AND OTHER BEAD NECKLACE EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
20⅞ in. (33.61 grams, 53 cm)
Restrung group of spherical amethyst beads with gold tubular and acorn beads, centrepiece a square-section hatched gold bar with ribbed bulb finials.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1969-1999.
252
SELJUK GOLD PENDANT WITH TWO BIRDS 12TH-13TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅝ in. (11.18 grams, 41 mm)
D-shaped in plan hollow-formed sheet gold pendant with lateral attachment loops; repoussé design to each broad face of two opposed birds within a circle formed by the branches of a tree, band of calligraphic text to the border; lid with rolled tubular panel, repoussé quatrefoil design, rim with running vinescroll; repaired.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
253
FATAMID GOLD RING WITH STAR-SHAPED BEZEL ‡
EGYPT, 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅛ in. (6.77 grams, 29.16 mm overall, 20.13 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T½, USA 9¾, Europe 21.89, Japan 21))
Comprising a slender hoop with baluster detailing to the shoulders, box bezel of six radiating points with seed pearls between, concentric bands of filigree surrounding the central cell with turquoise-coloured glass cabochon; replaced seed pearls on modern wire. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: Private USA collection.
Acquired from the Alexander Gallery, New York, USA, in the early 2000s.
254
NISHAPUR WHITE GLAZED PLATE WITH KUFIC INSCRIPTION
9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
9½ in. (628 grams, 24.1 cm wide)
Funnel-shaped with stepped foot, cream-glazed inner face with large orange Kufic script motif outlines in black and a band of dense calligraphic text opposite.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12129-217322.
255
NISHAPUR CALLIGRAPHIC POTTERY BOWL
PERSIA, 9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
6⅞ in. (334 grams, 17.5 cm wide)
Of carinated profile with reserved orange shapes on a field of white pellets on black, roundels with legends; intact.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE: with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s. 256
CENTRAL ASIAN POTTERY BOWL WITH KUFIC INSCRIPTION
CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
6½ in. (384 grams, 16.5 cm wide)
Of rounded profile with painted design to inner face: quartered design of black, olive green and coral stripes on a cream field, one and a half lines of Kufic text across the centre; repaired.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
257
QAJAR TILES DECORATED WITH PERSIAN BATTLE SCENE
19TH CENTURY A.D.
34¼ x 27 in. (24.5 kg, 87 x 68.5 cm)
A panel of twelve glazed pictorial tiles in vibrant colours depicting a battle scene from the epic poem ‘Shahnameh’, written during the reign of Sultan Mahmoud Ghaznavi (979-1030 A.D). and presented to him by the poet Ferdowsi, with two warriors on horseback fighting with swords, four trumpeters above and wounded figures and discarded arms below; with three small cartouches of nasta l q script inscription at top; the tiles set with ornamental studs at intersections; all mounted within a substantial part-gilt wooden frame for hanging or display.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Habib Anavian Galleries Ltd, New York, USA. with Mahboubian Gallery, London, UK.
Accompanied by the original 1979 catalogue where this piece is published.
PUBLISHED:
Imai, Ayako, Habib Anavian, Habib Anavian Galleries Ltd, New York, 1979, item number 58.
259
QAJAR GLAZED PLATE WITH HERO ‡ LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
17½ x 17¾ in. (5.2 kg, 44.5 x 45 cm)
Border of reserved running tendrils and leaves, central panel a horseman riding in a landscape; white horse with saddle blanket supporting a hero with plumed helmet and shield slung over his back, wielding a dagger in his left hand against a winged serpent wrapped around the rump and hindlegs of his horse, his right hand strangling another such beast; mounted in a wooden display frame.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection, UK. with Rosebery’s, London, UK, 10 December 2013, no.1184. with Weber Kunsthandel, Cologne, Germany.
258
IRANIAN CERAMIC PLATE WITH ENTHRONED NOBLEMAN ‡ EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
13½ in. (1.24 kg, 34.1 cm wide)
With running foliage border enclosing a scene with a bearded nobleman sitting on a four-legged throne with lion-head finials and flanked by two attendants; flowers and other details in the field.
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex private collection, Belgium. with d’Arts d’Orient et Orientalisme, Paris, France, 1 June 2015, no.73. Ex Weber Kunsthandel, Cologne, Germany, 2015.
260
LURISTAN ‘MISTRESS OF ANIMALS’ BRIDLE BIT
CIRCA 9TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
9⅝ in. (1.03 kg, 24.5 cm)
Each cheekpiece comprising the figure of a goddess on a rectangular base, standing in a long fringed robe and tiara with horns emerging from his head, grasping an attacking rampant winged griffin or winged lion in each hand, three loops to the reverse, perforated through the body through which the long mouthpiece passes.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired on the London art market, 1995. Ex Christie’s London, 2nd April 2014, no.32.
From the private collection of a North West London, UK, gentleman.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
The image of a deity holding two animals is ancient and found in many cultures and can depict either a male or female divinity. The goddess was known by the Greek as Potnia Theron, or Lady of the Animals, a term first used by Homer in the Iliad.
261
LURISTAN ‘MASTER OF ANIMALS’ BRIDLE BIT
CIRCA 9TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
7¾ in. (1.17 kg total, 19.5 cm wide including stand)
Comprising: a square-section bar with the ends scrolled in opposite directions; matched pair of outward-facing detailed openwork castings, each cheek-piece showing a god with a horned head above a figural scene with two opposed human figures in profile advancing towards a column with profile animal heads and other detailing; accompanied by a custom-made stand.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
From an old private Japanese collection. Acquired from Shimojo Art, Tokyo, Japan, in 2014.
From the private collection of a North West London, UK, gentleman.
Accompanied by a previous collection photograph, and the original official Japanese cultural export certificate issued by the Director of Art and Curatorial Division, Cultural Properties Department, Agency for Cultural Affairs, and invoice, dated 7th November 2014.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
262
ELAMITE WAR CHARIOT WHEEL FITTINGS
LATE 3RD-EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. 38½ in. (19.35 kg, 98 cm diameter)
Comprising five large wheel clamps and twenty conical rivets; each C-section clamp with tongue-shaped later lugs with rivets to both sides; mounted on a custom-made wheel-shaped display mount.
£6,000 - 8,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired before 1983. Ex London gallery, 1990s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12038-216335.
LITERATURE: See Caubet, A. & Yon, M., ‘Pommeaux de chars, du Levant à la Mésopotamie et à l’Élam’ in Études Mésopotamiennes: Recueil de Textes Offert à Jean-Louis Huot, Paris, 2001, pp.69-78; Gökce, B., ‘On Urartian Chariots’ in Veldmeijer, A.J. & Ikram, S., Chasing Chariot/Proceedings of the First nternational Chariot Conference (Cairo, 2012), Cairo, 2013, pp.107-122; a similar wheel is on display at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, and was excavated from Choqa Zanbil, an ancient Elamite site in Khuzestan province; important similar specimens (3) were found in Susa, see Kawami, T.S. ‘That Strange Equid from Susa’ in Crouwel, H.J., ‘Wheeled Vehicles and their Draught Animals in the Ancient Near East—an Update’ in Raulwing, P., Linduff, K.M., Crouwel, J. H., Equids and Wheeled Vehicles in the Ancient World, Essays in Memory of Mary A. Littauer, Oxford, 2019, pp.97-105, figs.5,7,9.
FOOTNOTES:
The custom of burying the deceased with chariots and the respective yoked animals has been documented since the 3rd millennium B.C. Bronze wheel clamps similar to these have been found in Elamite and Urartian graves, and are consistent with Assyrian and Elamite models. These clamps have important parallels, including those found from the Susa region which show an affinity with Assyrian iconography.
263
MARLIK BRONZE SPEARHEAD WITH LINEAR DECORATION
14TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
24 in. (436 grams total, 61 cm high including stand)
Of triangular shape with projecting midribs with vertical grooves alongside, long folded socketted shaft with eighteen horizontal grooves at the base, hole for attachment to a wooden shaft.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Ex German collection, 1980s.
From a Surrey, UK, private collection, 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, item 271.
FOOTNOTES:
This specimen belongs to the type VIII, subtype B of the Khorasani classification. Similar specimens were excavated in the Marlik Royal cemetery by Dr Negahban. The spearheads of this type are characterised by well projecting mid-ribs and long, folded sockets.
264
NORTH-WEST PERSIAN BRONZE SHORT SWORD WITH MUSHROOM POMMEL
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
23 in. (613 grams, 58.5 cm)
The hilt with conical openwork hollow-cast pommel, grip decorated with horizontal grooves and twisted zig-zag pattern, crescentic guard decorated with waves, long blade with ridged mid-grip.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Kuizenga collection, the Netherlands, acquired in Utrecht 21 December 1977. with Bonhams, London, 7 December 2023, no.154.
LITERATURE:
See a similar sword in Christie’s, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, item 24, p.27.
FOOTNOTES:
This category of swords has been classified by Khorasani as ‘swords with a mushroom pommel’ and are usually characterised by a solid-cast hilt with a penannular guard, a ribbed or variously decorated grip and the conical hollowcast mushroom pommel. Usually the blade is multi-fullered and tapers to a sharp tip. Moorey considers them to be from the end of the 2nd millennium B.C.
265
LURISTAN BRONZE SHORT DAGGER 1st MILLENNIUM B.C. 7¾ in. (83 grams, 19.5 cm)
With broad lobed pommel, balustered grip and narrow guard; lentoidsection triangular blade; extremely rare and unusual.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: From a Mayfair, London gallery, UK 1990s.
266
LURISTAN BRONZE SWORD BLADE LATE 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. 22 in. (876 grams, 56 cm)
With solid cast hilt with penannular guard and a horizontally ribbed grip; a conical stone mushroom pommel and a multi-fullered blade tapering to a sharp tip; handle repaired.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
LITERATURE: Cf. Khorasani, M. M., Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, pp.394-5, for type.
FOOTNOTES: According to Moorey, such category of swords were distributed in the Northern Iran area, as proved by the Amarlu finds. Based on the example from the Ashmolean Museum, he dated them to the end of the 2nd millennium B.C., more precisely to a period between 1400-1200 B.C.
267
ROMAN PATTERN-WELDED ‘DAMASCUS’ IRON SWORD
3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
33¾ in. (659 grams, 85.5 cm)
A spatha with double-edged blade of Osterburken-Kemathen Type, fullers with damask pattern (rosette damask technique B.II.I.2), sturdy tang with remains of wood; the blade cleaned and conserved on one side.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no. 11923-209660.
LITERATURE:
See Miks, C., Studien zur Romischen Schwertbewaffnung in der Kaiserzeit, III Banden, Rahden, 2007; for similar specimens see Miks, 2007, nos. A533, p.680, pl.137, from Nowa Cerekiew; A766, p.755, pl.141, from Vrasselt.
EXHIBITED: Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
268
ROMAN BRONZE AND IRON MILITARY HORSE BIT
2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.
10¼ in. (377 grams, 26 cm)
Comprising a pair of curved iron bars linked at the centre, loop at each outer end attached to a substantial flat-section ring with lateral lug pierced to accept a strap. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. James, S., Excavations at Dura Europos 1928-1937. VII The Arms, Armour and Other Military Equipment, London, 2004, p.66-7.
269
PHOENICIAN BRONZE ARROWHEAD WITH INSCRIPTION
CIRCA 12TH-11TH CENTURY B.C.
2½ in. (9.2 grams, 63 mm)
With incised text to the midrib on one face, less well-defined characters to the reverse.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Röllig, W., ‘Onomastic and Palaeographic Considerations on Early Phoenician Arrow-Heads’ in Fantar, M. (ed.), Actes du IIIe Congrès International des Études Phéniciennes et Puniques, Tunis, 11-16 November 1991, Vol. II (1995), pp. 348-355; Elayi J., ‘Four New Inscribed Phoenician Arrowheads’ in SEL, 22, 2005, pp.33-45, pl.IV.
270
BYZANTINE SILVER-GILT ARCHER’S THUMB RING
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅝ in. (25.68 grams, 42.70 mm overall, 21.06 mm internal diameter (approximate size British X½, USA 11¾, Europe 26.92, Japan 25))
With D-section hoop and triangular extension decorated with incised hatching; parcel-gilt silver with three discoid plates to the shank.
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
271
SCYTHIAN SCALE ARMOUR SECTIONS
6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
6 - 6½ in. (255 grams total, 15.2-16.5 cm)
Two panels from a scale armour coat composed of more than two hundred overlapping bronze scales, each mounted onto a custommade leather panel for purposes of display; the scales formed in different series, some having holes only in the upper part, some with three holes in the upper part and two holes to the left, and others showing three upper holes and one side hole. [2]
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
272
BYZANTINE BRONZE BELT FITTING SET
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅜ - 2⅜ in. (150 grams total, 35-61 mm)
Comprising twelve rectangular plaques and a garnet inlaid buckle, each of the plaques with a pair of low-relief emperor’s busts within a pelletted frame. [15]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Schulze-Dörrlamm, M., Byzantinische Gürtelschnallen und Gürtelbeschläge im Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseum, Teil 1. Die Schnallen ohne Beschläg, mit Laschenbeschläg und mit festem Beschläg des 5. bis 7. Jahrhunderts, Mainz, 2009, fig.77, nos.1-2, for a similar typology of buckle.
273 VIKING AGE BRONZE HORSE HARNESS MOUNT SET
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (205 grams total, 24-26 mm)
Group of rectangular mounts each with fixing studs to the reverse, decorated with a dense foliage and leaf motif. [56, No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.25, for types.
JIN JURCHEN WARRIOR SIGNED SUIT OF IRON PLATE ARMOR
JIN DYNASTY, EARLY 13TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅛ - 4¼ in. (8.5 kg total, 3-11.1 cm)
A complete suite of rectangular iron plates to form a protective coat; the plates provided with a series of holes close to the long edges by which they were laced together into articulating panels; one plate with inscription in Chinese script recording: ‘first month of the Datong era / control of the propagation of Armour. Yanhui’. [894]
£8,000 - 10,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12051-216403.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Thordeman, B., Armour from the battle of Wisby, 1361, Malmo, 1939 (London, 2001), pp.245-264; Artemyeva, N., Prokopets, S., ‘Defensive weapons of the Jurchen warrior’ in Russian Archaeology, No. 1-2012, pp.129-142.
FOOTNOTES:
The Datong Era ( , 1224–1233) is a name used for the reign of Puxian Wannu, a Jurchen warlord who established the Eastern Xia Dynasty in 13th century China. However, the war with the Jurchen states took more than 30 years: having first invaded the Jurchen borders in 1211, the Mongols finally defeated the Jin Empire only in 1234, while the Eastern Xia fell in 1246.
275
VIKING SWORD WITH INLAID CROSS AND ORB MARK CIRCA 10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
36½ in. (752 grams, 93 cm)
With three-lobe pommel and decorated guard; the blade 45mm wide at the upper end, gently tapering with fuller to both faces, rounded tip, indented ring to one face with silver inlay, scaphoid-section lower guard with two rows of shallow pellets to each face gilt or latten inlay; flat tapering tang; pommel of Petersen’s Type S with traces of vertical inlaid wire.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From the family collection of a London gentleman; formed in the late 1940s1950s; thence by descent.
Accompanied by metallurgic analytical report number 114366/569, written by metallurgist Dr Brian Gilmour of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
EXHIBITED:
Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
276
VIKING IRON SWORD WITH THREE-LOBED POMMEL
10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
36¾ in. (1.07 kg, 92.5 cm)
Double-edged cutting sword of Petersen Type S or T variant with tapering blade bearing some deep battle scars; boat-shaped straight lower guard and tapering tang; boat-shaped upper guard supporting a massive three-lobed pommel with remains of silver inlay to both sides.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
These swords were widely used in the Baltic area, to the extent that V. Kazakevicius noticed a variation within the decoration of some Type T swords, creating a Curonian type T, which were most likely of Baltic manufacture (at least the hilt construction). The traces of silver ornaments are not sufficient to determine the type of ornamentation, but the remains are artistically consistent with archaeological examples of decorative work from the geographic region or estimated cultural point of origin, probably Eastern Scandinavia or the Baltic areas.
277
VIKING PETERSON TYPE X SWORD WITH INLAID HILT
CIRCA 10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
37 in. (1.25 kg, 94cm)
With pattern-welded double-edged blade, showing well-defined shallow fullers and wide cutting edges, the fullers occupying not less than one third of the entire width and running to a point about 19 cm from the tip; massive, simply decorated hilt; the pommel, as well as the cross-guard, with visible zig-zag patterns; the pommel of solid teacosy type, divided into two sections by a well marked groove, the bottom being the larger, the curved top portion of the pommel further divided into three lobes; traces of inlay visible on the pommel and on the cross-guard.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the European art market in the 1990s.
From the property of a Suffolk collector.
FOOTNOTES:
The blade shows in its central section, and on both cutting edges, the blodi a style pattern-welding through the central portion of the blade (Oakeshott, 1960, fig.70). The fine pattern-welded blade patterns of Viking swords are the blodi a (Blood-Eddy) and ‘ann’ (rows of mown hay) known from Norse poetry.
278
MIGRATION PERIOD IRON SPATHA SWORD WITH GARNET INLAID HILT
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ - 31½ in. (753 grams total, 1.9-80 cm)
Comprising a double-edged parallel-sided blade showing battle nicks on both cutting edges, medium length tapering tang; lentoid-shaped lower-guard with inset garnets to one side; accompanied by an amber sword bead with a bronze stud with garnet inlay. [4]
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
This type of swords (cf. Lebedinsky 2001, p.117) usually had stones hanging from the pommel or hilt, like the one preserved here. This typology was widespread in central Europe by the Huns and there are also specimens attested in Gaul in the 5th century.
279
MIGRATION PERIOD IRON SWORD WITH ROCK CRYSTAL, GOLD AND GARNET SWORD BEAD
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
1½ - 36 in. (750 grams, 4-91.5 cm)
Comprising a double-edged blade with pointed tip, battle nicks to both cutting edges; short bronze guard and a long tang; accompanied by a facetted rock crystal hilt pendant with a granulated gold mount above, set with a garnet cabochon; Eastern Roman or Alano-Gothic.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
A characteristic type of the Migration period, originally used by nomadic people such as the Alans and Sarmatians. An important element of these swords was the presence (in tombs) of amber or rock crystal fittings, which some authors have identified being part of the pommel (Zasetskaya), and others as pendants hanging from the hilt of the sword. Interestingly the sword of grave 9 from the Necropolis of Novohryhorivka is decorated with a similar pendant, made of amber and fitted with a silver mount decorated with a filigree border.
280
MIGRATION PERIOD IRON SWORD WITH BRONZE POMMEL
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
35⅞ in. (707 grams, 91 cm)
A spatha with a double-edged parallel-sided blade, battle nicks to both cutting edges; long tang with a fastening rivet in situ; small trapezoidal bronze pommel.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
FOOTNOTES:
The spatha, often with an elegantly decorated hilt with golden elements, was characterised by a relatively light handle so that the centre of gravity of the weapon was moved towards the tip. The evolution of the ‘barbarian’ long sword in the west, during the invasions, began around the 5th century.
281
‘THE GENERAL SIR GEORGE COCKBURN’ FLINT ARROWHEAD COLLECTION
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 5TH-3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
1⅛ - 2¾ in. (33.2 grams total, 29-71 mm)
Mixed group including leaf-shaped, barbed and barbed-and-tanged types, each with inked collector’s number and card giving details of provenance. [5]
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE:
Probably from the collection of General Sir George Cockburn (1763-1947), Shanganagh Castle, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, sold at auction between 1935-1939.
Accompanied by an old handwritten identification card.
282
‘THE GENERAL SIR GEORGE COCKBURN’ POLISHED AXEHEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 4TH-3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
4⅞ in. (416 grams, 12.5 cm)
Highly polished with slightly convex cutting edge, body tapering to a narrow square butt. [No Reserve]
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE:
Probably from the collection of General Sir George Cockburn (1763-1947), Shanganagh Castle, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, sold at auction between 1935-1939.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. ed., Antiquities From Europe and the Near East in the Collection of The Lord McAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, no.5.7, for similar form.
283
‘THE GENERAL SIR GEORGE COCKBURN’ CLASSIC BRITISH
TEARDROP-SHAPED KNAPPED FLINT HANDAXE
PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 200,000 B.C.
4¾ in. (278 grams, 12 cm)
With broad rounded butt, D-shaped in section, some cortex in place; old inked ‘3’ beneath a natural cavity with cortex. [No Reserve]
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE:
Probably from the collection of General Sir George Cockburn (1763-1947), Shanganagh Castle, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, sold at auction between 1935-1939.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 1.12, for type.
284
VERY LARGE ‘CHARENTE’ KNAPPED FLINT AXE HEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 5000 YEARS B.P.
8⅞ in. (1.19 kg, 22.5 cm)
Biconvex in section with square butt and broad cutting edge, regular in shape and with unusual colouration. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Found Charente, Dordogne Region, France.
From an old French collection formed in the early 1900s. From the collection of a Norfolk, UK, lady collector.
285
‘SALISBURY’ KNAPPED FLINT HANDAXE
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, 480,000-250,000 B.C.
6⅛ in. (744 grams, 15.5 cm)
Irregular ovate form with cortex remaining, broad knapped edge. [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst field walking near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK.
Ex British private collection.
From the collection of a South West London, UK, specialist Stone Age collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 1.9, for type.
286
VERY LARGE ‘ABBEVILLEIEN’ CARAMEL AND BURNT-ORANGE KNAPPED FLINT HANDAXE
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, 600,000-400,000 YEARS B.P.
7⅞ in. (1.12 kg, 20 cm)
Substantial flint pointed tool with much cortex remaining. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Found by the Somme River at Abbeville, France.
From an old French collection formed in the early 1900s.
From the collection of a Norfolk, UK, lady collector.
FOOTNOTES:
Abbervillien in style - a phase of the Olduwan that occured in Europe dated to 600,000 to 400,000 years ago.
287
EXTREMELY LARGE ‘MELTON CONSTABLE’ KNAPPED FLINT AXE HEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 4000 YEARS B.P.
8⅝ in. (1.3 kg, 22 cm)
Biconvex in section with square butt and broad cutting edge, regular in shape. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst fieldwalking in the Melton Constable area, Norfolk, UK, in the 1960s; thence by descent to the finder’s daughter.
From the collection of a Norfolk, UK, lady collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 4.192, for type.
288
DANISH KNAPPED FLINT DAGGER LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 2000-1700 B.C.
8⅞ in. (120 grams, 22.5 cm)
With lentoid-section shank, leaf-shaped blade. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 4.206.
289
MASSIVE SPECKLED POLISHED AXEHEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 7TH-5TH MILLENNIUM B.C. 15⅜ in. (3.17 grams, 39 cm)
With rounded cutting edge and almost-circular shank, thin pointed butt. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 4.154, for type.
290
POLISHED GREENSTONE AXEHEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, 4,000-3,500 B.C.
3¾ in. (131 grams, 95 mm)
Of teardrop shape in polished greenstone with broad curving cutting edge, lentoid-section body and narrow rounded butt.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Found Grimsby, UK, in 2014.
From an East Anglian private collection.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) record report slip entry no.5266.
291
LARGE ‘REYGASSE’ KNAPPED HAND AXE
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400,000-200,000 B.P. 6 in. (697 grams, 15.1 cm)
In light-pink stone with wide butt; inked collection inscriptions to one side ‘S’Laikia’, ‘Reygasse’ and ‘Coll- Mortillet 2152’. [No Reserve]
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE: Believed to have been found in Reygasse, France. Ex Collection Martillet, no.2152. Collection of Mr François Bigot (1950-2009).
Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural export permit, no.231578.
292 ‘REYGASSE’ KNAPPED HAND AXE
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400,000-200,000 B.P. 6 in. (575 grams, 15 cm)
In light brown stone, of rounded profile with thickened butt; inked collection inscription to one side ‘ Smaïz’, ‘Reygasse’ and ‘Coll Mortillet 2154’. [No Reserve]
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE: Believed to have been found in Reygasse, France. Ex Collection Martillet, no.2154. Collection of Mr François Bigot (1950-2009).
Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural export permit, no.231578.
293
POLISHED GODDESS IDOL
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 6TH-4TH MILLENNIUM B.C.
5⅞ in. (6½ in.) (635 grams, 15 cm (686 grams total, 16.5 cm including stand))
With rounded profile, stub arms and head without facial detailing, vestigial legs; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Morris, D., The Art of Ancient Cyprus, Oxford, 1985, figs.114-115, pp.120121, for similar idols.
FOOTNOTES:
Most scholars consider these as symbols of the cult of fertility and evidence of the existence of a matriarchal society as a form of organisation of the earliest human society. The people of the Stone Age may have considered figures such as this to represent women and mothers with their life-giving powers, or as depictions of the ancestors.
294
SCANDINAVIAN TYPE LOZENGE-SHAPED PIERCED BATTLE
AXEHEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, 4TH-3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
8⅝ in. (1.01 kg, 22 cm)
With slightly convex cutting edge, second edge to butt. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Evans, Sir J., Ancient Stone Implements of Great Britain, 2nd edition, 1897, items 55, 56, 66.
295
DOUBLE-SIDED AXEHEAD ‡ NEOLITHIC, 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
7⅛ in. (738 grams total including stand, axehead: 18.2 cm)
Boat-shaped in plan with central drilling; small chip to on edge; mounted on a custom-made stand.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Raguse, Switzerland. with Kölner Munzkabinett, Germany, before 2016. Private European collection.
Accompanied by a copy of the 2016 invoice.
296
LARGE PIERCED BOAT-SHAPED AXEHEAD
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 4TH-3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
9 in. (1.8 kg, 23 cm)
With partly rounded butt and convex convergent sides, straight vertical cutting edge and central mounting socket. [No Reserve] £300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
LITERATURE:
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 6.19.
297
LARGE BRONZE AGE SPECTACLE BROOCH
8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
6 in. (207 grams, 15.3 cm)
Formed as two large tightly-wound coils with figure-of-eight-shaped intermediate coils, similar verso with pin absent.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 37.11.18, for a very similar item.
298
MASSIVE BRONZE AGE BRACELET WITH COILED TERMINALS
12TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.
4½ in. (441 grams, 11.6 cm wide)
Formed as a thick (10mm) rod with one smaller (38mm) and one larger (64mm) spiral coil.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired from Munich and London, 1990s. From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman.
299
BRONZE AGE SHEEP BEAD NECKLACE AND BRACELET GROUP
12TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
7⅞ - 14 in. (124 grams total, 20-35.5 cm)
Restrung using annular and other beads, interspersed with Argali mountain sheep head beads; Korban culture. [2]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
300
LARGE LATE BRONZE AGE NECK TORC AND ARM-RING SET
10TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.
4⅜ - 5¼ in. (850 grams total, 11.2-13.4 cm)
Comprising a substantial neck-ring with everted scrolled finials, and a coiled rod spiral. [2]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
301
‘THE BADGERS HILL’ BRITISH BRONZE AGE DAGGER
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
6 in. (100 grams, 15.4 cm)
Long leaf-shaped blade, lentoid in section with two cutting edges and shallow tip; flared shoulders with recesses to accept mounting rivets.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
Found Badgers Hill, Luton, Bedfordshire, UK, in 1987. Ex M. Hamblin collection, UK.
Recorded with Wardown Museum, Luton, UK.
302
LARGE CELTIC ENAMELLED DRAGONESQUE BROOCH
75-175 A.D.
2⅛ in. (15.7 grams, 54 mm)
S-shaped dragonesque brooch with comma-shaped finials, each with a raised ring-and-dot ‘eye’, curved neck, body with high-relief cells to accept enamel fill; free-running pin coiled about the ‘neck’. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector in South Stainley with Cayton, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK, in May 2014.
Accompanied by a copy of a British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.SWYOR-279501.
Accompanied by an original British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) receipt copy no.002210 dated 14 July 2014.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Bayley, J. & Butcher, S., Roman Brooches in Britain: A Technological and Typological Study based on the Richborough Collection, London, 2004, item 350, for type.
303
ROMANO-CELTIC BRONZE ‘RASKELF’ DRAGONESQUE BROOCH
CIRCA 75-175 A.D.
2 in. (7.4 grams, 50 mm)
Comprising the majority of the S-shaped brooch with a transverse band across the centre filled with triangular and lozenge cells with enamel; the head with a large eye with light blue enamel, ridged and curving ear-terminal above; pin coiled around the neck of the beast. [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near North Yorkshire, UK, in 10 May 2023, by Mark Didlick.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.YORYM-1AFB8C.
304
IBERIAN CELTIC BRONZE WORSHIPPER STATUETTE
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY B.C.
4½ in. (82 grams total, 11.5 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round as a figure standing nude, the arms stretched out to the front, flat pinched head with conical headdress, impressed eyes and slotted mouth, applied genitals, exaggerated feet; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of coll. Ernst Beyeler. Acquired from Cahn Auktionen AG, 3 November 2012, lot 135. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of the Cahn invoice and relevant catalogue pages. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate dated 24 September 2012.
305
LARGE EUROPEAN BRONZE AGE GOLD RIBBED BANGLE
2500-800 B.C.
3¾ in. (70.00 grams total, 9.6 cm)
Sheet gold tubular cuff with balustered profile and beaded detailing to the interstitial rings, reeding to the edges, slightly fragmentary.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
From a collection of jewellery formed by a gentleman collector, deceased 1970s. Latterly in the J L Surey collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12133-217906.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar but less decorated example in the British Museum under accession no. 1867,0508.476.
306
BRONZE AGE CENTRAL EUROPEAN RIBBED GOLD BRACELET
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
2½ in. (16.71 grams, 64 mm wide)
An annular hoop with deep ridges to the outer face.
£1,500 - 2,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
307
BRONZE AGE HEAVY GOLD SPIRAL HAIR RING
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
⅝ in. (7.45 grams, 15 mm)
A round-section rod coiled and partly flattened to form a hair ornament.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
LITERATURE:
See Taylor, J.T., Bronze Age Goldwork of the British Isles, Cambridge, 1980, for discussion.
308
BRONZE AGE SACRIFICED BRITISH LONG SWORD
1500-1100 B.C.
22¼ in. (930 grams total, 56.5 cm high including stand)
Leaf-shaped blade with flared shoulder and two attachment rivets; moulded midrib flaring to two shallow channels; narrow lentoidsection tip; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£6,000 - 8,000
PROVENANCE:
Reputedly found in the River Blackwater, Bradwell, Essex. with Christie’s, South Kensington, 13 May 2003, no.259.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie’s catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12136-217739.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Pendleton, C.F., Bronze Age Metalwork in Northern East Anglia. A Study of its Distribution and Interpretation, B.A.R. British Series 279, Oxford, 1999, item 194, for type.
FOOTNOTES:
The lack of an integral tang is an early feature found on Class II rapiers.
309
‘THE KILBURN’ IRON AGE CELTIC BOVINE BOWL MOUNT
CIRCA 100 B.C.-300 A.D.
2⅝ in. (80.8 grams, 68 mm)
A substantial head with a convex front and concave back with a loop above, pierced eye sockets to accept glass inserts with one in situ; large projecting horns curving forwards in front of the ears; remains of two ferrous rivets to the reverse.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near North Yorkshire, UK, in 3 August 2020, by Mark Didlick.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.YORYM-76CAE2.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Portable Antiquities Scheme record nos.SF-536544, SOM-2F31A3, LVPL2152, WAW-DCDC43, WAW-F4DF95, for bucket fittings of BV Group 9b (two rivet); cf. also the British Museum, accession no.1962,0706.1, for a bucket fitting of same type; see also Portable Antiquities Scheme reference nos.LEICEF14F5 and FAKL-DE7417, for eye inserts.
310
ANGLO-SCANDINAVIAN VIKING BRONZE SKELETAL STIRRUP APEX MOUNT
11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (31.4 grams, 50 mm)
A well-defined Williams’s Class A Type 6 mount comprising a Dshaped plaque with high-relief central tree or skeleton, a serpent to each lateral edge with divided tail coiled over the ‘tree’s’ trefoil finial, head at the tree’s base; beast-head finial with loop above; shallow ledge to the reverse, two circular piercings above.
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Found Kings Lynn, Norfolk, UK.
From an East Anglian private collection.
311
ANGLO-SCANDINAVIAN VIKING BRONZE STRAP JUNCTION WITH MASK
11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (28.2 grams, 51 mm)
Formed as a central plaque with forked arms above and below, each joined by a narrow bar; the arms with fleshy scroll detailing, the median plaque with high-relief facing mask; hollow to the reverse.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Found East Rudham, Norfolk, UK.
From an East Anglian private collection.
312
ANGLO-SCANDINAVIAN VIKING BRONZE URNES STYLE ENTWINED BEAST STIRRUP MOUNT
11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (30.48 grams, 54 mm)
A rare variant of Williams’s Class A Type 10b, a heater-shaped plaque with pierced lug at the apex, two piercings below, low-relief openwork Urnes style design with standing beast and entwined tendrils, narrow ledge to the reverse, the apex terminating in a diamond shape.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Found Cambridgeshire, UK.
313
ANGLO-SCANDINAVIAN VIKING BRONZE APEX STIRRUP MOUNT WITH URNES ENTWINED BEASTS
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅞ in. (23 grams, 48 mm)
An exceptionally rare tulip-shaped mount with Urnes Style interlace, pierced at the apex and twice at the base above the shallow rear ledge.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector in East Anglia, UK.
314
LARGE SAXON AMBER BEAD GROUP
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1¼ - 1¾ in. (106 grams total, 33-44 mm)
Comprising eight large beads, the larger ones of amorphous form and the smaller ones worked into regular shapes. [8]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
315
VIKING BRONZE BORRE STYLE BROOCH SET
10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
2⅞ - 19⅞ in. (280 grams total, 7.2 - 50.5 cm)
Comprising: two elliptical bronze tortoise brooches, each domed with raised ornament of four Borre-style faces with pellet eyes to the centre of a panel of body parts and hatching with two more faces to the narrow ends, wide flange, catchplate, pin-hinge and pendant attachment bar to the reverse; equal-arm brooch with two trapezoidal arms, each with raised Borre-Style geometric ornament, masks to the ends and central domed panel, lugs for the pin to the reverse, pierced lug to accept the chain; short chains of double-links. [4]
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
316
LARGE VIKING AGE BRONZE BROOCH WITH DUCK-FOOT PENDANTS
8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
6½ in. (157 grams, 16.5 cm)
Comprising a broad hoop with beaded base and rim, small bronze pin, bands of applied beading; above, plaque with applied scrolls and beading, granule clusters; to the lower edge an arc of loops each with a pendant chain and duck-foot dangle; Finno-Ugric type.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
317
VIKING AGE BRONZE PENDANT WITH DUCK-FOOT PENDANTS
8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
5⅞ in. (146 grams, 15 cm)
A rectangular bronze pendant formed as a pair of addorsed horseheads in profile and openwork panel; bar with seven articulated chains each terminating in a pendant formed as the foot of a wading bird; Finno-Ugric type.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
318
VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIAN GOLD FILIGREE PENDANT WITH INTERLACE MOTIF
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅝ in. (7.24 grams, 42 mm)
Disc with integral loop secured at the reverse; obverse with applied filigree and granulation forming dense zoomorphic forms; three radiating cat-head images to the centre. [No Reserve]
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Kershaw, J.F., Viking Identities. Scandinavian Jewellery in England, Oxford, 2013, pl.4, for type.
319
MIGRATION PERIOD GOLD RING WITH INSCRIBED INLAY ‡
ITALY, 5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (8.50 grams, 23.40 mm overall, 19.15 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16))
Round-section hoop with applied granule trefoil to each shoulder, ellipsoid bezel with beaded wire collar, stepped cell, inset silver plaque with niello-filled design of a stylised portrait bust with legend above ‘+MISI[T]’; inked legend to reverse ‘f20’ and old Christie’s tag. [No Reserve]
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE: with Christies, sale 3498, 11 December 2014, lot 291.
Accompanied by an original Christie’s lot tag.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 487, for type.
320
SAXON GOLD PENDANT WITH CABOCHON GARNET CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (5.38 grams, 24 mm)
Tongue-shaped gold cell with applied bands of braided filigree, inset cabochon garnet; integral loop.
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
321
MEROVINGIAN BELT PLATE WITH GARNETS
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1⅜ in. (9.81 grams, 33 mm)
Or Ostrogothic, comprising a rectangular panel with four fixing studs, central ellipsoid cell surrounded by garnet cloisons with stepped edges; central cell replaced.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market.
Property of a London gentleman.
322
CAROLINGIAN BONE COMB ‡
8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
3¼ in. (15.09 grams, 82 mm)
Lentoid in section with thick-cut teeth to one edge and fine-cut to the other.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Ex private central European collection. with Tkalec AG, Limmatquai 48, Zurich, early 2000s. Acquired from the above, 2006.
323
‘THE HOXNE PRIORY’ ANGLO-SAXON BRONZE ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURINE
600-700 A.D. OR LATER
3 in. (43.6 grams, 75 mm)
Modelled in the round standing naked with both feet on a drumshaped base; the head bulbous with small lentoid eyes placed high on the face, wedge-shaped nose and slit mouth; the arms poorly defined but apparently extending to the hips (and perhaps bent flat across the body); the legs separated by a rotary device with small feet, the genital area blank with a shallow socket in the shape of a phallus and testes.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector approximately 100 yards from the ruins of Hoxne Priory, Suffolk, UK, on 27th August 2023 by Richard Hudson.
Accompanied by a report by Anglo-Saxon and Viking specialist Stephen Pollington.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.SF-F804CE.
Accompanied by a copy of the Suffolk County Council archaeological finds recording service receipt dated 27th August 2023.
Accompanied by a handwritten signed letter from the finder explaining the circumstances of finding including copies of photographs taken shortly after finding.
LITERATURE: See Brundle, L.M., Image and Performance, Agency and Ideology: Human Figurative Representation in Anglo-Saxon Funerary Art, AD 400-750, University of Durham, 2014; Chaney, William A. (1967), ‘Paganism to Christianity in AngloSaxon England’ in Thrupp, Sylvia L. (ed.), Early Medieval Society, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, pp.67-83.
PUBLISHED:
Dated 600-700 A.D. by the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report, with reference no.SF-F804CE.
FOOTNOTES:
The piece is unusual in that the arms are poorly defined and the lower arms and hands not easily discernible, the columnar base is not normally present, and the legs were apparently connected by metal which needed to be drilled out, possibly due to a poorly-prepared mould allowing leakage across from one leg to the other. Metal analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and the trace elements found therein, seems to support an early Anglo-Saxon date: Cu 59.8, Sn 20.7, Pb 8.1, Fe 7.0, Zn 2.1, As 1.2, Bi 0.8, Ti 0.2. The find spot is near Hoxne, Suffolk, which has a long and interesting history. In 1992, a huge hoard of Roman silverware was discovered in the vicinity, with the largest collection of gold and silver coins of the 4th-5th century found anywhere within the Roman Empire. This suggests that the area was always important economically and socially. The local Priory dates from the mid-tenth century (i.e. mid-Saxon period) but the site was already associated with the kings of East Anglia, who held land here; it is usually said to be the spot where King Edmund defied the Danish leader Hinguar (Ivarr) and met his death. It is probable that the priory’s location was chosen because it was already a site of religious worship: Pope Gregory’s instruction to the missionaries attempting to convert the AngloSaxons was to preserve their festivals and sites of religious worship, but to alter the religious content (Chaney, 1967). It is thus likely that the location of the Priory was already a (pre-Christian) holy place with a temple.
324
327
ANGLO-SAXON GILT BRONZE HORSE HARNESS PELTA MOUNT
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
2¼ in. (18.2 grams, 56 mm)
Comprising a pelta-shaped panel pierced in three places to accept a rivet (one absent); obverse with low-relief Style II knotwork.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: Found Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. From an East Anglian private collection.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Pollington, S., Kerr, L. & Hammond, B., Wayland’s Work: Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth & Material Culture from the 4th to 7th century, Ely, 2010, pl.51, for type.
325
VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIAN SILVER FILIGREE PENDANT
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1¾ in. (5.68 grams, 44 mm)
Discoid plate with integral suspension loop secured at the reverse, symmetrical cruciform design of applied silver filigree coils and granule ornament. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Kershaw, J.F., Viking Identities. Scandinavian Jewellery in England, Oxford, 2013, pl.5, for type.
326
VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIAN SILVER ODIN PENDANT WITH RAVENS
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (1.76 grams, 21 mm)
A discoid silver pendant with integral loop, beaded border enclosing a low-relief niello image of a male facing mask between two birds embraced at the necks. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Hammond, B. M., British Artefacts Volume 2 - Middle Saxon and Viking, p.57, item 1.5.3-f; Korshyn, V.E., Yazcheskye Priveski Drevnei Rusi X-XIV Vekov, Moscow, 2013, item M.2.02.
VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIAN SILVER FILIGREE PENDANT
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
1¼ in. (3.12 grams, 30 mm)
Discoid plate with integral suspension loop secured at the reverse, symmetrical design of applied silver filigree and clusters of granules. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Kershaw, J.F., Viking Identities. Scandinavian Jewellery in England, Oxford, 2013, pl.5, for type.
328
VIKING AGE SCANDINAVIAN SILVER PENDANT WITH MASK CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (3.38 grams, 21 mm)
With integral loop, border enclosing a low-relief image of a male facing mask between two birds embraced at the necks; Kipplingeberg type. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Korshyn, V.E., Yazicheskiye Priveski Drevniye Rusi X-XIV Vekov, Moscow, 2013, item J.2.02.
329
VIKING AGE SILVER CROSS PENDANT 10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (19.2 grams, 53 mm)
Cross pommée with raised ribs to the obverse, central boss, pierced lug above.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
330
LARGE SAXON PERIOD SILVER PENDANT WITH CRYSTAL ORB
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3½ in. (96.4 grams, 88 mm)
With discoid base and four straps containing the sphere, attached to a narrow collar at the top with a suspension ring; punched decoration to the straps.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather’s collection formed before the early 1970s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar set in gold in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.22.139.51.
331
LATE ANGLO-SAXON BRONZE RING WITH FOUR OVATE BEZELS
CIRCA 1100-1400 A.D.
1 in. (4.55 grams, 26.17 mm overall, 20.09 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U½, USA 10¼, Europe 23.15, Japan 22))
Comprising a large sub-circular hoop with four evenly spaced ovate bezels giving an octagonal appearance to the hoop; the bezels with a moulded collar to each side and with a deeply incised symbol: one with a Trewhiddle style beast(?); the second with a symbol resembling lower case Omega sign; the third and fourth bezel with two upper case Omega symbols oriented horizontally with the bases at the centre of the bezel. [No Reserve]
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near North Yorkshire, UK, in 31 July 2022, by Mark Didlick.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.YORYM-110C9F.
LITERATURE:
See Portable Antiquities Scheme no. YORYM-EA5D0E and HAMP-C25EF3, for earlier rings with ovate bezels.
332
VIKING AGE SILVER BRACELET WITH PENDANTS
CIRCA 10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
3½ in. (28.75 grams total, bracelet 88.90 mm wide)
With graduated silver wire coils to the shank, collection of free-running cosmetic grooming pendants comprising: pelta-shaped plaque, quadrant-shaped plaque, ear scoop, miniature hammer, tweezers. [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE: Formerly acquired in the late 1950s. From the family collection of a South East London collector.
FOOTNOTES:
Miniature hammers occur in pre-Viking times both in Scandinavia and in England, but their number increased markedly in Viking Scandinavia. They are known in iron, bronze, occasionally amber, and, from the 10th century onward, silver. They are predominantly found in women’s graves, while most of the silver examples come from hoards of the late 10th and 11th centuries.
333
VIKING AGE SILVER ‘HOARD’ GROUP
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ - 2⅛ in. (71 grams total, 18-55 mm)
Comprising: a flat-section bracelet with raised ribs; two bracelets each of twisted silver wire; group of five silver Dirhem coins, each mounted for use as a pendant. [8, No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From a South German collection. Previously with Gorny & Mosch, Munich, Germany. Ex New York Gallery, USA, November 2009. Property of an important West London collector, inventory no.1122.
334
MEROVINGIAN BRONZE BELT BUCKLE WITH GOLD AND GARNET INLAYS
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
3⅞ in. (147 grams, 98 mm)
Comprising: ellipsoid loop with hollowed underside; tongue with Dshaped shield bearing stylised facing mask among pellets, waisted and curved over the forward edge of the loop; rectangular plate with applied sheet-gold triangular panels bearing repoussé rings, waves, points and other motifs, gold cellwork and segmented frame with garnet cloisons, a central garnet cabochon, segmented rim; four pierced attachment lugs to the reverse.
£6,000 - 8,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Adolphe Stoclet, 1871-1949.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12137-217046.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Menghin, W., The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, Berlin, 2007, items IX.3.1 & 2 (Badajoz, Spain); Heynowski, R., Bestimmungsbuch Archaeologie: Gürtel, Munich, 2017, type 8.4; MacGregor, A. et al., A Summary Catalogue of the Continental Archaeological Collections, Oxford, 1997.
PUBLISHED:
Georges A Salles and Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Adolphe Stoclet Collection (part I), Brussels, 1956, p.137 (d).
FOOTNOTES:
The buckle plate is large and impressive, while the loop is somewhat narrower and may have been replaced. The central cabochon is a feature of buckle plates from this period (e.g. Menghin, IX.3.1, IX.5.1). The tongue-shield is of an unusual type more often found in Frankish contexts (e.g. Menghin, VII.40.18, MacGregor 77.24, 77.25, 77.26) of the same period.
335
VISIGOTHIC SILVER BOW-BROOCH AND OTHER ITEMS ‡
5TH CENTURY A.D.
2 - 5¾ in. (132 grams total, 5.1-14.6 cm)
Comprising: matched pair of silver bow brooches, each a D-shaped headplate with lateral posts and knop finials, C-shaped bow with rosette to each end and cross below, tongue-shaped footplate, two transverse bars to reverse of headplate, spring and pin, catch below; matched pair of smaller bow brooches each with triangular headplate and radiating knops, carinated bow, tongue-shaped footplate, remains of ferrous spring and catch to the reverse; dress pin with biconvex fluted head; tweezers with pointillé band to each arm. [6]
£1,800 - 2,400
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12143-218210.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Menghin, W., The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, Berlin, 2007, item IX.6.9, for larger type.
VISIGOTHIC BRONZE BELT BUCKLE WITH GOLD AND GARNET INLAYS
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (165 grams, 10 cm)
Comprising: ellipsoid loop with hollowed underside, segmented at lateral edges; tongue with violin-shaped shield, waisted and curved over the forward edge of the loop; rectangular plate with applied sheet-gold cellwork and frame to the obverse, segmented along the edges, comprising a central gold lion-mask in a circular frame surrounded by a ring of cells with garnet cloisons and four radiating arms forming a cross also with garnet cloisons, field of larger cells with cloisons, inset malachite square inlay to each corner; four pierced attachment lugs to the reverse.
£8,000 - 10,000
337
MEROVINGIAN BRONZE HARNESS BUCKLE WITH GOLD AND GARNET INLAYS
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
6⅞ in. (169 grams, 17.5 cm)
Comprising: ellipsoid loop with hollow reverse; tongue with discoid shield, curved over the forward edge of the loop; rectangular plate with five rectangular segments, each set with two triangular glass cloisons flanking a discoid cabochon, with roundel detailing to the end of each row and three more at the outer end of the plate; slightly domed disc with sheet-gold surface, to the outer edge a series of inset triangular garnet cloison, repoussé segmented band enclosing four roundels with interstitial gammadions, central stepped dome with banded agate cabochon to the centre, hinge knuckles to the outer edge.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Adolphe Stoclet, 1871-1949.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12138-217045.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Heynowski, R., Bestimmungsbuch Archaeologie: Gürtel, Munich, 2017, 8.4.1, for buckle type.
PUBLISHED:
Georges A Salles and Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Adolphe Stoclet Collection (part I), Brussels, 1956, p.137 (d).
FOOTNOTES:
The buckle plate is long and narrow and the loop is proportionate in size, but the inset glass elements have suffered from abrasion and usage wear. Normally, the buckle plate would have four pierced attachment lugs to the reverse, but the reverse of this plate is plain. The large gold-covered panel resembles a phalera or harness fitting rather than a belt-buckle fitting. On this basis, it is suggested that the item is likely a marriage of a belt-buckle with a harness fitting.
PROVENANCE:
From the collection of Adolphe Stoclet, 1871-1949.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Menghin, W., The Merovingian Period. Europe Without Borders, Berlin, 2007, item IX.3.2 (Badajoz, Spain); Heynowski, R., Bestimmungsbuch Archaeologie: Gürtel, Munich, 2017, type 8.4.
PUBLISHED:
Georges A Salles and Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Adolphe Stoclet Collection (part I), Brussels, 1956, p.137 (d).
FOOTNOTES:
The buckle plate is large and impressive, while the loop is somewhat narrower and may have been replaced. Cruciform motifs on the buckle plate are a feature of Visigothic belt-sets at this time. The use of malachite is unusual for this period, but semi-precious stones of various types appear on such plates (e.g. Menghin, IX.1.1).
338
‘THE DRAYTON’ MEDIEVAL GOLD RING WITH MAGICAL INSCRIPTION
1200-1300 A.D.
1 in. (3.95 grams, 25.72 mm overall, 19.75 x 18.44 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8½, Europe 18¾, Japan 18))
The bezel developing to a low pyramid with lateral facets, surmounted by an inset cabochon sapphire set within an irregular cell; a quatrefoil plaque to each shoulder, and three more regularly placed around the shank; carinated hoop with magical Lombardic script ‘+NI ONAN NRIO ONIC / NIAI AINO ANIOI NAN’.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Drayton, Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, UK, on Sunday 16th September 2018 by Chris Weir. Declared as treasure under the Treasure Act with reference no.2018T853, subsequently disclaimed and returned to the finder.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.GLO-0BFB91.
Accompanied by a letter from the finder describing the circumstances of finding.
339
‘THE WITHAM ON THE HILL’ MEDIEVAL GOLD ‘THE BEAUTIFUL GAME’ POSY RING WITH MATCHED PAIRS OF FLOWERS CIRCA 1400-1500 A.D.
⅝ in. (1.68 grams, 16.92 mm overall, 15.39 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I½, USA 4½, Europe 8.07, Japan 7))
Flat-section straightened hoop with incised blackletter text ‘le belle ie[u]’ translating to ‘the beautiful game’ with interposed flowers and stalks.
£2,500 - 3,500
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Witham on the Hill, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, UK, on Sunday 9th January 2022, by Mark Bowen.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.CAM-D675E8.
Accompanied by a copy of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Treasure receipt and and disclaimed with Treasure case tracking no.2022T153.
FOOTNOTES:
The final word of the inscription is ie for ie[u], an Anglo-Norman spelling of modern French jeu ‘game’. The game in question is, of course, love (not football!). The ‘game’ of love here is what we now refer to as Courtly Love (amour courtois, fin amor) and the phrase ‘beautiful game’ is also found on another ring recorded on the PAS database as YORYM-0A0FD2, the whole, a rhyming couplet, reading AMIE EN VV/ [E]ST MA VIE BELE GIEV [Beloved, in you my life is a beautiful game].
340
‘THE FRINTON’ MEDIEVAL GOLD BISHOP’S RING WITH EMERALD 13TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (1.76 grams, 24.07 mm overall, 18.96 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8½, Europe 18¾, Japan 18))
Comprising a slender hoop and pie-dish bezel with flanges at the junction, D-shaped aperture with inset emerald cabochon.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Frinton, Essex, UK, on Thursday 25th May 2023, by Jim Ridge.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.ESS-0840AB.
Accompanied by a copy of a letter, and video from the finder explaining the circumstances of finding.
EXHIBITED: Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 14th March-9th June 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefact on display.
341
MEDIEVAL GOLD SIGNET RING WITH HEXAGONAL BEZEL ENGRAVED WITH AN ARABIC INSCRIPTION ‡ 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (11.91 grams, 24.13 mm overall, 17.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M, USA 6, Europe 12.46, Japan 12))
Comprising a D-section hoop with traces of engraved guilloche to the outer edge, knop to the underside, scooped shoulders; octagonal bezel with facetted cup beneath, each face with engraved scroll motif, bevelled rim, engraved Arabic legend. [No Reserve]
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
From an old French collection believed to have been formed in the 1960s. Acquired privately as part of a collection in the early 1990s.
Accompanied by a copy of a previous illustrated catalogue information page.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Content, D.J. (ed.), Islamic Rings & Gems. The Zucker Collection, London, 1967, item 72, for type.
342
ELIZABETHAN PERIOD GOLD RING WITH IHS MONOGRAM ‡
LATE 16TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (3.15 grams, 21.73 mm overall, 19.88 mm internal diameter
(approximate size British R, USA 8½, Europe 18¾, Japan 18))
Comprising a slender hoop with acanthus-leaf detailing to the shoulders, discoid box bezel with engraved design to the upper face of IHS Christogram between scrolled tendrils and points. [No Reserve]
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From an old UK collection. Acquired from Derek Content, UK, in the early 1990s.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Oman, C.C., British Rings 800-1914, London, 1974, item 71(b).
343
ENAMELLED GOLD MEMENTO MORI RING WITH SKULL AND SKELETONS ‡
CIRCA 16TH CENTURY A.D.
⅞ in. (7.57 grams, 22.30 mm overall, 19.16 x 17.53 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8½, Europe 18¾, Japan 18))
Comprising a D-section hoop with coffin-shaped shoulder plaques, each plaque with a full skeleton on black-enamelled background; flower-shaped bezel with a central white-enamelled skull in threequarter view with black detailing, inscription ‘+ DIE x TO x LIVE’ surrounding.
£8,000 - 10,000
PROVENANCE: Ex private collection, UK. with Notaras Coins and Antiquities, before 2014. European private collection, acquired from the above.
LITERATURE:
See Dalton, O. M., Franks Bequest: Catalogue of the Finger Rings, British Museum, London, 1912, no.1450; see also Oman, C.C., British Rings 800-1914, London, 1974, item 85(B), for type.
344
GOLD RING WITH DIAMOND-SHAPED BEZEL ENGRAVED WITH A STAR ‡
17TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (7.20 grams, 22.25 mm overall, 15.94 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I½, USA 4½, Europe 8.07, Japan 7))
Slender hoop supporting a square bezel with domed underside with incised hatched detailing, hatched band to the rim, reserved motif to the upper face comprising a four-pointed star in reserved frame with scrolls surrounding. [No Reserve]
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE:
From an old French collection believed to have been formed in the 1960s. Acquired privately as part of a collection in the early 1990s.
Accompanied by a copy of a previous illustrated catalogue information page.
LITERATURE: Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 541, for type.
345
GOLD RING WITH CABOCHON GARNET
17TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (2.76 grams, 23.72 mm overall, 19.94 x 16.02 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6½, Europe 13.72, Japan 13))
With flat shoulders, rosette bezel with inset garnet cabochon.
£1,200 - 1,700
PROVENANCE: Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970s.
346
MEDIEVAL SILVER MEDALLION WITH SCENES OF THE NATIVITY
SOUTHERN GERMANY, CIRCA 1300 A.D.
1½ in. (3.28 grams, 37 mm)
Disc with beaded border, repoussé scene with lancet-arch arcade, nimbate Mary in bed with infant Jesus in a crib beside her; attachment holes to the rim. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Peter Szuhay, 2005.
Ex private collection, Suffolk, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Seyderhelm, B., Goldschmiedekunst des Mittelalters. Im Gebrauch der Gemeinden über Jahrhunderte bewahrt, Maagdeburg, 2001, cat.7, for a silver goblet decorated with similar medallions.
PUBLISHED:
Fogg, S., Treasury Objects of the Middle Ages, London, 2021, p.29.
FOOTNOTES:
These silver-gilt medallions with scenes of the Christ’s life in repoussé, show Gothic architectural features characteristic of the 14th century A.D., which are often represented in artworks of the late Medieval period including manuscript illuminations and stained glass. Interestingly, Saint Joseph is represented with the typical cap worn in Medieval Germany by the Jews of the same period.
347
MEDIEVAL SILVER MEDALLION WITH SCENES OF THE FLAGELLATION
SOUTHERN GERMANY, CIRCA 1300 A.D. 1½ in. (2.63 grams, 37 mm)
Disc with beaded border, repoussé scene with lancet-arch arcade, nimbate Christ being beaten by two tunicked soldiers with flails; attachment holes to the rim. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Peter Szuhay, 2005.
Ex private collection, Suffolk, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Seyderhelm, B., Goldschmiedekunst des Mittelalters. Im Gebrauch der Gemeinden über Jahrhunderte bewahrt, Maagdeburg, 2001, cat.7, for almost identical medallion.
PUBLISHED:
Fogg, S., Treasury Objects of the Middle Ages, London, 2021, p.29.
348
MEDIEVAL SILVER MEDALLION WITH SCENES OF THE RESURRECTION
SOUTHERN GERMANY, CIRCA 1300 A.D. 1½ in. (2.90 grams, 37 mm)
Discoid with beaded border, repoussé scene with lancet-arch arcade, nimbate Christ seated on a throne in majesty with orb and sceptre in his hands, in front of him Mary Magdalene, behind and below him the sleeping guards of the Holy Sepulchre; attachment holes to the rim. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex Peter Szuhay, 2005.
Ex private collection, Suffolk, UK.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Seyderhelm, B., Goldschmiedekunst des Mittelalters. Im Gebrauch der Gemeinden über Jahrhunderte bewahrt, Maagdeburg, 2001, cat.7, for a silver goblet decorated by similar medallions.
PUBLISHED:
Fogg, S., Treasury Objects of the Middle Ages, London, 2021, p.29.
349
MEDIEVAL SILVER SEAL MATRIX FOR JOHN THE EVANGELIST WITH ROMAN EAGLE GEMSTONE
13TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (3.74 grams, 21 mm)
The outer band with incuse legend ‘+ AQUILA IOhANNIS’ (Eagle of [Saint] John]), suspension loop above with a leaf terminal to the reverse; set with a 2nd century A.D. Roman carnelian intaglio with a military eagle standing with spread wings, a laurel crown held in its beak, the claws gripping the base, two military standards at its sides; both shafts decorated with alternating phalerae, and lunulae
£3,000 - 4,000
350
ELIZABETHAN PERIOD GOLD RING WITH POLISHED NATURAL DIAMOND CRYSTAL
MID 16TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (3.49 grams, 24.44 mm overall, 17.56 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6½, Europe 13.72, Japan 13))
Comprising a slender hoop with flared shoulders; the bezel formed as four intersecting scallops, with gussets to the underside and tiered collars below; inset polished octahedral diamond crystal.
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE: Private collection of a North London lady before 2000. Property of a London gentleman.
LITERATURE: Cf. Oman, C.C., British Rings 800-1914, London, 1974, pl.26(c), 27(a,b).
PROVENANCE:
From the Smith family collection, formed in the late 1940s-1980s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
LITERATURE:
Cf. for gemstones with an aquila also associated with images of Jupiter and Serapis, Walters, H.B., Catalogue of Engraved Gems & Cameos, Greek, Etruscan & Roman in the British Museum, London, 1926, no.1273.
FOOTNOTES:
Often the military intaglio gemstones of the ancient Rome were carved with an eagle between two standards. These intaglios could have been inserted in rings that belonged to an officer with the rank of Aquilifer (bearer of the legionary eagle). From the 4th century A.D., the vision of Ezekiel and John’s Apocalypse, assigned the lion, the angel, the eagle, and the ox a place in the iconography of the Tetramorph to represent the four evangelists.
351
ELIZABETHAN PERIOD GOLD RING WITH NATURAL DIAMOND CRYSTAL
MID 16TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (2.72 grams, 21.96 mm overall, 16.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4¾, Europe 8.69, Japan 8))
Comprising a slender hoop with flared shoulders; the bezel formed as four intersecting scallops, with gussets to the underside and tiered collars below; inset octahedral diamond crystal.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE: From a 1980s family collection; thence by descent. Property of a Yorkshire, UK, gentleman.
LITERATURE: Cf. Oman, C.C., British Rings 800-1914, London, 1974, pl.26(c), 27(a,b).
352
MEDIEVAL LIMOGES ‘HOUSE OF BURGUNDY’ BRONZE HERALDIC MEDALLION WITH CHAMPLEVÉ ENAMEL
LIMOGES, CIRCA 1300 A.D.
4 in. (75 grams, 99 mm)
Parcel-gilt plaque from a coffre, with openwork foliage border, central disc with raised heater shield flanked by reserved scrolled tendrils; shield with red border and field of diagonal stripes; Limoges workmanship; blazoned ‘bendy of seven azure an or within a bordure gules’, the arms of the house of Burgundy. [No Reserve]
£4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Paris, France. with Pierre-Richard Royer, 2006. Ex private collection, Suffolk, UK.
353
MEDIEVAL KNIGHT’S ENAMELLED GILT BRONZE HERALDIC HORSE HARNESS PENDANT WITH STAR 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
1¾ in. (12.2 grams, 44 mm)
With mounting stud and hinge above, heater shield with full red enamelled face and reserved pierced mullet.
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE: Found Yorkshire, UK, in the 1990s.
354
MEDIEVAL KNIGHT’S ENAMELLED BRONZE ‘RICHARD DE VALOINES’ HERALDIC HORSE HARNESS PENDANT 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (38 grams, 78 mm)
With substantial hook, pyramidal collar and enamelled lozenge panels: obverse with a red bend bearing three reserved stars on a blue-striped field; reverse with reserved bend on blue field with six reserved stars, an extremely rare type.
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: Found Grimsby, UK.
From an East Anglian private collection.
FOOTNOTES:
The arms to the obverse are similar to those of Richard de Valoines (barry of six azure and or, a bend gules).
355
MEDIEVAL FOUR BASSE-TAILLE PLAQUES FROM A PROCESSIONAL CROSS DEPICTING FOUR EVANGELISTS
CATALONIA, CIRCA 1400-1420 A.D.
2 in. (26 grams total, 48-50 mm)
Group of four quatrefoil plaques, each with a hole to the end of each arm for attachment and detailed enamelled image of an evangelist’s emblem (man, lion, eagle, calf) on a deep blue field. [4, No Reserve] £5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE: with Galerie Charles Ratton, 2021.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Vinycomb, J., Fictitious and Symbolic Creatures in Art, London, 1909, p.54; De Sanjosé Llongueras, L. & Olucha Montins, F., ’Una aproximacion a la orfebreria de los siglos XIV (segunda mitad), XV y XVI en las tierras de el Maestrat i Els Ports (Castellon)’ in Various, Pulchra Magistri. L’esplendor del Maestrat a Castelló. Culla, Catí, Benicarló, Generalitat Valenciana , 2013, pp.187-219, p.193, a Crucifixion with four quatrefoil plaques of the Evangelists.
FOOTNOTES:
From the 4th century A.D., the vision of Ezekiel and John’s Apocalypse, assigned the lion, the angel, the eagle, and the ox a place in the iconography of the Tetramorph to represent the four evangelists. Therefore, during the Middles Ages and until today, the evangelists’ emblems are: Matthew represented by an angel, Mark by a lion, Luke by a calf and John by an eagle. Strangely, in this set the image of an angel holding a scroll bears the inscription ‘Marcus’ (St Mark). These quatrefoils were usually decorating caskets keeping relics of saints, holy books or crosses.
356
MEDIEVAL STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH CHRIST BEFORE PILATE SOUTHERN GERMANY, PERHAPS RAVENSBURG, CIRCA 1420 A.D. 23⅞ x 14⅛ in. (2.65 kg, 60.5 x 36 cm)
Rectangular glass panel in lead frame; nimbate figure of Christ confronting Pontius Pilate in a landscape. [No Reserve] £4,000 - 6,000
PROVENANCE:
From the estate of Lloyd and Margit Cotsen, 2023. Ex central London gallery.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12147-217458.
357
MEDIEVAL LIMESTONE CAPITAL WITH FELINES
BORDEAUX, 12TH CENTURY A.D.
10¼ in. (27.5 kg, 26 cm)
Square in plan with round base and expanding trunk decorated on two faces with dense scrolled foliage and two opposed lions perching on branches within; high-relief modelling and some deep undercutting. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection in Bordeaux. with Pierre Berge, 29 November 2017, no.7.
358
VERY LARGE MEDIEVAL STAINED GLASS CRUCIFIXION TRIPTYCH
GERMANY, ERFURT, CIRCA 1420 A.D.
61½ x 31 in. (26.5 kg, 153 x 78.5 cm)
Triptych in a wooden frame comprising: Left: Mary in blue robe advancing against a red field, one hand raised before her face; Centre: crucifixion scene with Corpus Christi flanked by two thieves on smaller crosses beside truncated pillars, all against a blue field; Right: St John the Evangelist in floor-length blue robe matching that of Mary, standing in a red field with head tilted downwards; substantial modern
metal supporting frame to the reverse with electrical cable for integral illumination (untested). [No Reserve]
£6,000 - 8,000
PROVENANCE: Collection of Philip Kohler, Normandy, France, acquired by his parents in 1950s1960s.
Acquired from the above, 2009. Ex private collection, Suffolk, UK.
359
MEDIEVAL PAIR OF ENGLISH LIMESTONE CORBELS
CIRCA 15TH CENTURY A.D.
17-17½ in. (62.55 kg total including stands, 43.5-44.5 cm deep)
Each a rectangular block with carved male head; the figure looking to his right wearing a low chaperon with thick rolled brim; the other figure wearing a close-fitting cap with broad upturned rim; each mounted on a custom-made stand. [2, No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Believed to be from a building in the West Country, UK.
Acquired from Lichen Garden Antiques, Oxfordshire, UK, in 2012. Property of a Kent collector.
LITERATURE: The cap similar to the style worn by Thomas Cromwell in the portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger in the Frick Collection, New York, Accession
360
MEDIEVAL SALVATOR MUNDI APPEARING TO AN OLD MAN
15TH CENTURY A.D.
7 x 7⅜ in. (347 grams, 18 x 18.7 cm)
Rectangular vellum panel, hand-coloured initial ‘D’ from a manuscript page; to the left edge, a bearded male face in profile wearing a red cap; around the capital, four coral-pink dragons with head in profile; within the loop of the ‘D’ a scene depicting an old man with long white hair and beard kneeling before a table, above him Christ in ‘Salvator Mundi’ guise nimbate and holding an orb; in an old glazed wooden frame with cartapesta panel to the reverse. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Tuscany, inherited, 1969.
LITERATURE:
Cf. miniature of God blessing David, in the Graduale G 73, Museum of Bargello, Firenze, folio 2r, early 15th century, for similar.
FOOTNOTES:
The illumination is from a cutting of dismembered Code, likely representing a book of the ancient Testament. It is difficult to say who is the character to which God is appearing, although his costume betrays the intention to represent a grieving man, in Jewish garb. This points to a possible individuation of the man as David (an interpretation supported by the letter D), who, penitent in front of God for the sin he committed by killing Uriah, receives the blessing and forgiveness of God, whose hand is depicted in the blessing gesture.
361
MEDIEVAL PROPHET CUTTING FROM AN ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT
FLORENCE, ITALY, CIRCA 1470 A.D.
4½ in. (57 grams, 11.4 cm)
Discoid glazed mount with tiered profile, painted miniature of an Old Testament prophet with epigraphic scroll and incomplete Latin inscription reciting ‘Hic e Deus tuus..et non estimavi ali...ac illus’ [He is your God...and I did not estimate other...and He...’ [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: Private collection, Tuscany, inherited, 1969.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar in Tóvizi Á., ‘Some newly discovered Quattrocento illuminations in Székesfehérvár’, in Arte cristiana, 96 (2008), pp.307-12.
FOOTNOTES:
The illumination is from a cutting of dismembered codex, likely representing a book of the Old Testament. In 15th century North Italy there were proficient artists realising images on vellum, like the Master of Murano Gradual (active between 1430-1460). The miniature represents an Eastern Prophet, dressed with turban and long coat, maybe Ezekiel, or Abacuc, or even Moses, a prophet linked with the prophecies related to the Messiah.
362
MEDIEVAL LARGE MINIATURE OF LETTER ‘S’ FROM A CHOIR BOOK, THE RISEN CHRIST WITH MARY MAGDALA
TUSCANY, ITALY, CIRCA 1450 A.D.
14¾ x 13¼ in. (1.06 kg total, 37.5 x 33.5 cm)
Vellum manuscript page with hand-coloured large initial ‘S’ in a square frame and miniature painting of Christ emerging resurrected from the tomb and Mary kneeling before him; lateral band with acanthus-leaf scrolls and asterisks; mounted in a glazed wooden frame with a reveal. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: Private collection, Barcelona, 2022. Ex central London gallery.
363
MEDIEVAL GILT WOODEN RELIEF WITH ENTHRONED VIRGIN AND CHILD SURROUNDED BY ANGELS
ITALIAN, LOMBARDY, CIRCA 1480 A.D.
14⅜ x 10⅝ in. (1.07 kg, 36.5 x 27 cm)
Rectangular panel with cartapesta relief of Virgin and Child carved in the half-round; Mary seated, nimbate with hands pressed together in prayer, infant lying across her lap, flanked by four winged angels in poses of adoration; gilt surface with pink flesh tones; inscribed to base ‘SALVE REGINA MATE[R MISERICORDIAE]’ (Hail Mother the Queen). [No Reserve]
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
German private collection, 2019.
Ex central London gallery.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar relief in Metropolitan Museum, accession no.1974.126.4, from NorthItaly, 15th century in Castelnuovo-Tedesco, L. and Soultanian, J., Italian Medieval Sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010, no.51, pp.255–259.
FOOTNOTES:
Like all the ancient and medieval statues, this artwork was also originally lavishly painted and most of the colours are still visible with gold and red and light blue being the main colours used for Saint Mary. Interestingly, the inscription recalls the three first words of the Cluny prayer to the Virgin Mary: SALVE REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIAE (Hail Holy Queen Merciful Mother), used by the Templars as a war song.
364
MEDIEVAL TABERNACLE ‘SUDARIUM’ CARVED IN RELIEF EASTERN FRANCE, CIRCA 1480 A.D.
12¾ in. (810 grams, 32.5 cm high)
Wooden carved archway with high-relief image of St Veronica in floorlength robe standing on a domed base holding up the sudarium with the transferred image of the face of Christ with crown of thorns; raised edges and keyhole to the left edge with attachment holes for a lock mechanism, recess to the reverse. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: Private collection, Bonn, Germany.
LITERATURE:
See the ‘Way to the Calvary’, Netherlands circa 1510, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.15.12; in Fogg., S., Medieval Faces, London, 2020, fig.32 (Saint Veronica and the Mandylion).
365
MEDIEVAL GILT BRONZE PLAQUE OF THE TRUE FACE OF CHRIST ITALY, CIRCA 1500 A.D. 4 x 2⅝ in. (216 grams, 10.1 x 6.6 cm)
With raised rim, nimbate bust of Christ in profile with long beard and shoulder-length hair, folded collar to the mantle; dove above with wings spread between sun and moon, each with a facing mask; inscription I.N.R.I. visible on either side of the portrait; mounted on a velvet-covered stand. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: with Pierre-Richard Royer, 2010. Ex central London gallery.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Strong, R., 600 Years of British Painting: the Berger Collection an the Denver Art Museum, Exhibition catalogue, Denver, 1999, for history of the artefact; for a similar icon see a plaque in the Walters Art Museum, accession no.54.68.
366
MEDIEVAL PHILIP AUGUSTUS VELLUM PSALTER FOLIO
13TH CENTURY A.D.
9⅛ x 6½ in. (5.41 grams, 23.3 x 16.7 cm)
With 21 lines of bastarda script text in black with blue versals and gold leaf detailing, red and blue decorative blocking, vertical bar with beasthead finial to margin; drypoint ruling visible.
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
From an important collection of Christian artefacts formed by a London gentleman, 1970s-1980s.
From the private collection of Mr David Barker, London, UK; thence by descent.
367
MEDIEVAL HERALDIC TILE WITH THE HEADS OF THREE MOORS WITHIN A SHIELD
Normandy, late 15th century A.D.
8⅝ x 8⅝ in. (2.65 kg, 22 x 22 cm)
Terracotta floor tile with glazed design of a heater shield chevron between three Moors’ heads with a mullet at the apex. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: with Benjamin Proust, 2015. Ex central London gallery.
368
MEDIEVAL CARVED STONE HEAD OF A CLERIC 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
13¾ in. (6.85 kg, 35 cm including stand)
Corbel with head of a cleric forming the crest of two angled lateral facets; wearing a chaperon with band of inset rectangles to the brow; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Acquired Trevanion & Dean, UK, 15 October 2016, lot 395. Property of a Kent collector.
LITERATURE:
Cf. similar headgear on a slightly earlier stone bust in Musée National du Moyen Âge, Thermes et Hôtel de Cluny, Paris originally placed on Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, west façade.
369
MEDIEVAL EMBROIDERED ORPHREY WITH SIX SAINTS
SOUTHERN NETHERLANDS, 15TH CENTURY A.D.
41 in. (502 grams, 104 cm)
Rectangular textile panel with six figural scenes within laid work borders; each figure a nimbate saint with couched robes, satin stitch facial features, threaded sequins and other detailing; modern fabric backing. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: with SVV Prunier, 20 May 2018, no.86. Ex central London gallery.
LITERATURE:
Cf. for comparison an embroidered panel part of the dalmatic in MET, accession no.64.101.1381, in Hartt, F., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 4, The Renaissance in Italy and Spain, New York, 1988, pp.67-69.
FOOTNOTES:
This substantial embroidered panel comes from an ecclesiastic Dalmatic composed up of various sections, each section comprising an applied figure embroidered in yellow-brown colours with the addition of light blue in some figures. From top to bottom two female saints, probably the Virgin Mary and her Holy Mother Anna; in the second central panels are represented Saint Peter, keys in hand, and probably his brother Andrew. Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas are possibly the subjects of the last two vertical panels. The embroidery technique used is including fine worked nué, in which metallic threads are laid down and worked over in silk, with split stitch.
370
MEDIEVAL STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH HEAD OF ST MICHAEL ENGLAND, CIRCA 1500 A.D.
4⅛ in. (28 grams, 10.6 cm)
With painted clean-shaven head wearing a gold crown with stem and star above the brow, luxuriant hair, mail gorget or collar to the throat.
[No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Monastery Stain Glass, 1998. Ex central London gallery.
371
MEDIEVAL GILT BRONZE TURRETTED RING BROOCH WITH AMETHYST GEMSTONES
CIRCA 13TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
¾ in. (3.72 grams, 19 mm)
Comprising an annular body decorated with four raised pyramidal knops each set with an amethyst cabochon, interstitial lobes with pounced surface; sword-shaped pin.
£200 - 300
PROVENANCE: Found near Brandon, Suffolk, UK. From an East Anglian private collection.
LITERATURE:
Cf. Deevy, M.B., Medieval Ring Brooches in Ireland, Wicklow, 1998, item RB115, for type.
372
ETHIOPIAN TRIPTYCH ICON WITH THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
16TH CENTURY A.D.
10½ x 8¼ in. (663 grams, 26.5 x 21 cm)
Wooden triptych with recessed panels to inner face, twine hinges; central image of Mary and infant Jesus flanked by nimbate angels; left panel with baptism scene and triumphant horseman; right panel with crucifixion and two nimbate saints; painted knotwork to obverse, [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Owen Hargreaves, London, UK, March 2004.
Property of an important West London collector, inventory no.355.
373
ETHIOPIAN MANUSCRIPT PAGE WITH THE MIRACLE OF THE LAME MAN
17TH CENTURY A.D.
18⅝ x 17¼ in. (1.88 kg total, 47.2 x 44 cm)
Rectangular vellum leaf with hand-coloured composite scene: top left, Mary in blue mantle holding infant Jesus on her knee, addressing a standing robed figure, red Coptic text above ‘How the man with a club foot prayed to Our Lady Mary that she might heal him when he saw the bishop’s chastisement’; below left, six standing male figures in colourful robes looking left and a seventh turned to the right with an oversized shoe, red Coptic text above the group ‘these are the congregation and this is how he hid his foot with his clothing’ and the rightmost figure ‘this also is the man with the club foot’; right, seated cleric wearing a mitre beneath a canopy, addressing a group of five followers and pointing to a standing man raising his robe to show his leg, red Coptic text in three panels ‘Here is the bishop who asked the Frank that his foot might be healed’, ‘These are the congregation’ and ‘How he was healed and how the stone fell from his foot’; mounted in a glazed wooden frame with reveal. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
Collection of David Buxton (1913-2003), author of ‘Travels in Ethiopia’, 1949.
FOOTNOTES:
The image refers to the ‘Miracle of the Lame Man’ in which a man, who had been born lame, prayed before the shrine of the Virgin Mary and was healed. Here, the lame man shows the Archbishop his leg, and explains how he had been healed.
374
ETHIOPIAN WOODEN ICON WITH PAINTINGS OF SAINTS MID 17TH CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (91 grams, 10 cm high)
Carved portable icon with integral loop, frontal and rear recesses each with a door hinged with thread; painted scenes within of the Crucifixion and the meeting of Saint Abune Tekle Haimanot and Gabra Manfas Keddus (?), St. George attacking a dragon, Mary and Infant Jesus with angels Gabriel and Michael. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: Reece Gallery, c. 2010. Ex central London gallery.
375
LARGE ETHIOPIAN TRIPTYCH ICON WITH THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
CIRCA 1720 A.D.
23½ x 17⅜ in. (4.3 kg, 59.5 x 44 cm)
Illustrating scenes from the Gospel of Luke and representing the nativity of Christ; the centre shows Virgin Mary sitting on a throne, portrayed as a young girl with her head covered by a typical female cap, dressed in a long red vestis talaris, and her body wrapped in a blue cloak and baby Jesus standing on her lap, archangels Michael and Gabriel standing on each sides, armed with swords and dressed in contrasting robes, Saint Gabriel holding a bouquet of roses, another bouquet below the Virgin and a male supplicant next to her, possibly the donor of the icon, holding a red flag surmounted by a cross; the left side panel with the Annunciation to the top and the lower
part depicting an angel assisting St Luke with drafting his Gospel; the right hand panel with a Nativity scene to the top and the lower part depicting the visit of Saint Mary to Saint Elizabeth; inscriptions in Ge’ez to both side panels.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Milos Simonovic, New York, USA, December 2009. Property of an important West London collector, inventory no.1168.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12037-216186.
EXHIBITED:
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA, in 2008, and other locations.
FOOTNOTES:
The icon, contemporary to the Second Style of Gondar, served as model for two icons in the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa.
376
ETHIOPIAN MANUSCRIPT PAGE WITH MARY RESCUING THE TWO SCRIBES FROM DEVILS
17TH CENTURY A.D.
11⅝ x 10¼ in. (40 grams, 29.5 x 26 cm)
Leaf from a vellum manuscript with hand-coloured image: Mary, right, nimbate in red floor-length robe and blue mantle holding aloft a soul in yellow kilt, its neck seized by two crouching winged dark-skinned demons; a third demon, left, with protruding tongue seizing the upper body of another soul; foreground: two male figures seated on low stools, each with vellum page in one hand and quill in the other; panels of red Coptic text above the scribes, beside their souls; the right edge damaged, left edge folded and pierced for binding. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: Collection of David Buxton (1913-2003), author of ‘Travels in Ethiopia’, 1949.
377
BRONZE STATUE OF SAPPHO CIRCA 18TH CENTURY A.D.
11 in. (2.3 kg, 28 cm)
Hollow-formed figure standing in contrapposto pose, wearing a chiton and draped himation with decorative borders; the hair bound with ribbons into a cone and the loose ends draped onto the shoulders; sockets for separately cast forearms (absent); rear of neck damaged. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Discovered in a wall of a castle in Hagetaubin, France. Property of a French collector.
379
POST BYZANTINE SILVER CROSS WITH SAINTS
17TH-18TH CENTURY A.D.
6 in. (119 grams, 15.1 cm)
Ornate head from a processional cross formed as a flat-section cross pommee with evangelist symbols in the large roundels, low-relief image of Mary Theotokos and infant Jesus.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property
378 SILVER CRUCIFIX
LATE 18TH-EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
8 in. (128 grams, 20.2 cm)
Comprising a flat-section cross with tooling beside the outer edges on both faces, baroque lobed finials and foliage detailing; obverse with applied scroll bearing the ‘INRI’ legend, fluted starburst panel and Corpus Christi modelled in the round with rivets to the hands and crossed feet.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE: Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.
380
LARGE RUSSIAN VIRGIN OF VLADIMIR ICON
CIRCA 1860 A.D.
22¼ x 18⅛ in. (6.5 kg, 56.5 x 46 cm)
Depicting nimbate Mary Theotokos with veiled head and wearing a maphorion mantle over a dark blue robe with gold cuffs, inclined towards the infant Jesus supported by her right hand, his left arm wrapped around her neck and the right hand resting on her chest; gilt field and border with colourful enamelled detailing to the corners, roundels and rectangles with monograms and titling, on each side of her head ‘ ’ ( ( ) = Mother of God), over her left shoulder Cyrillic inscription ‘Владимирская Б.М.’ (Vladimir Mother of God), over the child inscription in Greek letters ‘ ’ ( = Jesus Christ), three letters (only two visible) inside the nimbus of Christ representing the continuous divine self-existence of Christ as God (‘O N’ = The Only One who always exists); Moscow School.
£5,000 - 7,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a London lady, part of her family’s collection.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
LITERATURE:
See Weizmann, K. et al., The Icon, New York, 1982; Popescu, G.A., Cristiani d’Oriente, spiritualità, arte e potere nell’Europa Post-Bizantina, Milano, 1999; Geelmuyden Bulgurlu, V., Ulf, A., Lindgren, N., Bodin, H., Balicka-Witakowska, E., Five essays on icons, Stockholm & Istanbul, 2005, fig.6, p.31.
FOOTNOTES:
This splendid specimen was probably originally housed in an aristocratic Russian home. The icon of the Virgin Mother of Vladimir with the infant Jesus (the original preserved in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), probably the most famous icon of all of Russia, was thought to have been created in Constantinople in the early part of 1100s.
381
RUSSIAN WOODEN ICON WITH ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
19TH CENTURY A.D.
12¼ in. (1.02 kg, 31 cm high)
Comprising a painted board with mounting panel and slots to the reverse, gessoed surface with painting of St John the Baptist standing nimbate with wings spread behind him, left hand supporting a bowl containing his severed head and holding an unfurled scroll with Cyrillic text ‘Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,’ (Matthew 3:2); right hand raised in blessing; landscape with sand-dunes and trees; gilded title above; the upper border with gilt Slavonic inscription reading ‘Holy John the Forerunner’; from the Palekh Icon School, probably made in Mstera circa 1890.
£3,000 - 4,000
PROVENANCE:
Ex property of a London lady, part of her family’s collection.
LITERATURE:
See Zinoviev, N., Art of Palekh, Leningrad, 1968.
382
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS LANCET-ARCH FINIAL PAIR
FRANCE, CHAMPAGNE, TROYES, CIRCA 1500-1510 A.D.
31⅛ x 22 - 31¼ x 22⅝ in. (14 kg total, 79 x 56 - 79.5 x 57.5 cm)
Comprising two large mounted and framed assemblages displaying intertwined vines and bunches of grapes, both with a folded scroll to base inscribed with Gothic script, one reading ‘Dominus Noster’ (for Our Lord). [2, No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
383
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH HEAD OF A MALE DONOR
NORTHERN FRANCE, CIRCA 1600 A.D.
9 in. (188 grams, 23 cm)
Irregular panel with lead frame, detailed portrait of a bearded male with short hair, wearing a shirt with folding collar and dentilled hem, repaired. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: De Baecque Vente, Paris, France, 5 March 2022, no.58. Ex central London gallery.
PROVENANCE: with Christie’s, New York, 19 April 2018, no.169 (part).
Ex central London gallery.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12090-217450.
384
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL OF A BEARDED MAN
NORTHERN FRANCE, CIRCA 1580-1600 A.D.
5 in. (81 grams, 12.6 cm)
Irregular fragment depicting the face of a man, possibly St Peter, in three-quarter view with luxuriant fair hair and beard on a blue field. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: De Baecque Vente, Paris, France, 5 March 2022, no.57. Ex central London gallery.
385
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL OF THE MONTH OF MARCH
SOUTHERN LOW COUNTRIES, ANTWERP, CIRCA 1540 A.D.
9½ in. (296 grams, 24 cm)
Discoid panel in a lead frame showing two workmen cutting back brushwood with sickles; posts and staves to the rear and two more men in the background landscape, repaired. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE: George Wigley, Monastery Glass, Towcester. Klaus Tiedemann Collection, inv.100. Acquired from the above, 2016.
386
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH THE STONING OF THE ELDERS
SOUTHERN LOW COUNTRIES, CIRCA 1580 A.D. 10⅞ in. (351 grams, 27.5 cm wide)
Ellipsoid plaque in a lead frame depicting two bearded men tied to posts with other figures around picking up stones to throw at them, discarded weapons on the ground; city wall in the background. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE: De Baecque Vente, Paris, France, 5 March 2022, no.46.
Ex central London gallery.
387
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH ENAMELLED ARMORIAL MOTIFS
SWITZERLAND, CIRCA 1600 A.D.
15½ x 12¼ in. (1.26 kg, 39.5 x 31 cm)
Rectangular glazed panel in lead frame, depicting two heraldic devices side-by-side against a background of flanking columns and hunting scenes; rectangular panel below with German text. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE: UK auction, circa 1995.
Ex central London gallery.
388
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH THE HEAD OF A MALE SAINT
ENGLAND OR FRANCE, 1330-1340 A.D.
7¼ in. (298 grams, 18.5 cm)
Ellipsoid panel with green field enclosing a painted panel showing a male head in three-quarter view, the hair tonsured, beard and hair untrimmed. [No Reserve]
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
De Baecque Vente, Paris, France, 5 March 2022, no.52 (Part). Ex central London gallery.
389
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS PANEL WITH TWO GROTESQUE CARYATID HERMS
SOUTHERN LOW COUNTRIES, 16TH CENTURY A.D.
10 in. (254 grams, 25.5 cm)
Rectangular panel in a lead frame; painted scene depicting an architectural feature with male and female herms, each on a tapering square-section stand and bare-chested. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
De Baecque Vente, Paris, France, 5 March 2022, no.52 (Part). Ex central London gallery.
390
RENAISSANCE STAINED GLASS ROUNDEL WITH A FEMALE MARTYR SAINT
ITALY, TUSCANY, FLORENCE, CIRCA 1510-1520 A.D.
11⅝ in. (613 grams, 29.5 cm wide)
With lead came surround, painted glass panel depicting a nimbate female holding a feather or quill in a landscape; probably St. Lucy; repaired. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE: with Nesbits Auction, Portsmouth, 1 August 2018, no.58. Private collection, Suffolk, UK.
391
VELLUM DOCUMENT OF POPE PAUL III
ITALY, 1534-1538 A.D.
29⅛ x 24⅜ in. (137 grams, 74 x 62 cm)
Large rectangle with linear upper border and three pendant medallions: St. Peter with book and key, angels supporting the communion cup, St. Paul with sword and book; flanking blocks of dense flowers, leaves and tendrils above incipit ‘IN XPI NOMINE AMEN’ (in the name of Christ let it be so); similar lateral floral ornament flanking the central block of text in a fine italic hand with red-inked titles and name of the issuing authority (PAVLVS); folded lower edge with cord for attachment of an authenticating seal (absent); witnessed at bottom left corner by Franciscus Caesariensis Ep[iscopu]s (Bishop Francis of Caesaria) and credited at bottom right ‘gratis in omnibus amore dei / Marius Cappocinus secretarius’ (with thanks to the love of God in all things, Marius the Capuchin, Secretary); some usage wear, faded Italian-language notation to reverse. [No Reserve]
£1,000 - 1,400
PROVENANCE:
Collection of Victor Spark, UK, 2007. Ex central London gallery.
FOOTNOTES:
Pope Paul III was the commissioner of the painting of the Last Judgement on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City.
392
LARGE OAK ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE SECTION WITH FIGURE OF CHARLES I
17TH CENTURY A.D.
57¾ in. (50 kg total, 146.5 cm high including stand)
With scrolled capital supported by a human bust above a tapering column ornamented with egg-and-reel detailing and a festoon of fruit and leaves, flared foot; the human bust a male, possibly King Charles I, with shoulder-length hair and goatee beard, the arms crossed at the chest and hands clasped to the body; mounted on a later wooden stand. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from an antiques shop in Southwold, UK.
Property of a Suffolk, UK, gentleman.
393
NEO-CLASSICAL MARBLE SEATED ROBED FIGURE
19TH CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
8¾ in. (4.6 kg total, 24.5 cm including stand)
Modelled in the round figure of a male wearing a short-sleeved tunica and with a toga draped carefully around the body; seated on a bench with a cushion, and with the folds of the toga arranged to the sides and rear; scroll in the right hand; mounted on a substantial marble base. [No Reserve]
£800 - 1,000
PROVENANCE:
Old collection of M.A.
From the estate of Mr William Nicholas Roos, c. 1980. with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, USA, 5 December 2010.
Property of a French collector.
394
HUGE SLICED SECTION OF FOSSILISED ‘RAINBOW’ WOOD
235 MILLION YEARS B.P.
26¾ in. (26.2 kg, 68 cm)
Petrified tree section of 40-46mm thickness with finely polished finish to upper and lower faces and set into resin; edges slightly chamfered.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of Mr J.G., UK, a company executive.
395
ENORMOUS TWO METRE SECTION OF FOSSIL MOSASAUR
‘MARINE DINOSAUR’ SPINE
CRETACEOUS PERIOD, 145-65 MILLION YEARS B.P.
70½ in. (60 kg, 1.79 m)
The spine section comprising sixteen large, perfectly lined dorsal vertebrae with transverse processes with another at each end lying flat, various other vertebrae and rib sections resting next to the spine; on a sedimentary matrix wrapped in a plaster field jacket.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE: From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
FOOTNOTES: Mosasaurs (from the Greek for ‘lizard’) were aquatic dinosaurs which probably gave birth to live young.
396
MASSIVE CRINOID PLATE
DEVONIAN PERIOD, CIRCA 417-354 MILLION YEARS B.P.
68⅛ in. (90.5 kg, 1.73 m)
An impressive display containing multiple intact Scyphocrinus elegans specimens showing detailed crowns and stalks.
£2,000 - 3,000
PROVENANCE:
From Erfoud, Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco, North Africa. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
FOOTNOTES:
Crinoids are filter feeding sea animals, which attach themselves to the bottom of the ocean with a stalk. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Today they are referred to as ‘Sea Lilies’, and are virtually identical to their fossil relatives, making them living fossils.
397
FOSSIL CROCODILE SKULL AND VERTEBRAE
PALEOCENE EPOCH, CIRCA 66-56 MILLION YEARS B.P.
20 in. (5.3 kg, 50.5 cm)
Displaying the left side of the skull and jaws with teeth, with a number of vertebrae to the side, set on a sandstone matrix; possibly Argochampsa krebsi. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
398 CANIS TEILHARDI WOLF’S SKULL LATE PLIOCENE-EARLY PLEISTOCENE PERIOD, CIRCA 5.3 MILLION60,000 YEARS B.P.
9⅝ in. (1.72 kg total, 24.5 cm including stand)
A near complete example retaining many of the animal’s teeth; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
399 LARGE FOSSIL FISH PLATE
EOCENE PERIOD, 58-36 MILLION YEARS B.P.
23¼ in. (13 kg, 59 cm)
A large rectangular matrix with four variously sized Diplomystus sp. and a Knightia alta sp. fish.
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
400 LARGE AFRICAN ‘T-REX’ FOSSIL DINOSAUR TOOTH WITH ROOT CRETACEOUS PERIOD, CIRCA 110 MILLION YEARS B.P.
6⅛ in. (100 grams, 15.7 cm)
A large Carcharodontosaurus saharicus dinosaur tooth with much of the root remaining and visible serrations; repaired.
£600 - 800
PROVENANCE:
From Morocco, North Africa.
Acquired from Richard and Mark Hawkes of Stone Treasures, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985.
Accompanied by a Stone Treasures identification card.
401
LARGE FOSSIL MEGALODON GIANT SHARK TOOTH
PLIOCENE PERIOD, CIRCA 5.2-2.5 MILLION YEARS B.P.
5¼ in. (274 grams, 13.3 cm)
Of exceptional quality, showing some serrations to the edges.
£500 - 700
PROVENANCE:
From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
FOOTNOTES:
Carcharodon megalodon is regarded as one of the largest and most powerful marine predators in vertebrate history and likely had a profound impact on structuring of the marine communities. Fossil remains indicate that this giant shark reached a length of more than 16 metres (52 ft) and also affirm that it had a cosmopolitan distribution. Scientists suggest that in life it looked like a stockier version of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
402
WOOLLY RHINOCEROS LOWER RIGHT JAW TOOTH SET ICE AGE, 50,000-20,000 YEARS B.P.
2¼ - 4⅜ in. (703 grams total, 5.7-11 cm)
Group of six teeth from the jaw of a woolly rhinoceros, rare as from the same animal. [6, No Reserve]
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
From Yakutsk, Perma Frost Region, Siberia. Acquired from an old Dutch collection. From the collection of a Norfolk, UK, lady collector.
403
LARGE FOSSIL DIPLOMYSTUS FISH PLATE EOCENE PERIOD, 58-36 MILLION YEARS B.P.
23¼ in. (8.95 kg, 59 cm)
A large Diplomystus sp. fossil fish on a matrix slab. £400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
404
FOSSIL WOLF SKULL IN MATRIX LATE PLIOCENE-EARLY PLEISTOCENE PERIOD, CIRCA 5.3 MILLION60,000 YEARS B.P.
7½ in. (1.28 kg, 19 cm)
The majority of Canis teilhardi skull in matrix with some other bone fragments.
£700 - 900
PROVENANCE:
From the private collection of a London gentleman formed since 2003.
405
BRITISH SIGALOCERAS FOSSIL AMMONITE DISPLAY
JURASSIC PERIOD, CALLOVIAN STAGE, CIRCA 165-160 MILLION YEARS B.P.
6½ in. (1.17 kg, 16.5 cm)
Comprising a number of Sigaloceras sp. fossil ammonites, together with a partial belemnite; in a freestanding bowl-shaped matrix. [No Reserve]
£400 - 600
PROVENANCE:
From exhausted South Cave Quarry, Yorkshire, UK.
406
SPECTACULAR IMILAC PALLASITE METEORITE DISCOVERED IN 2010 A.D.
1 in. (10.4 grams, 23 mm)
Meteorite classified as a stony-iron pallasite, in collector’s lidded box with documentation.
£300 - 400
PROVENANCE:
Found in Chile’s Atacama desert while filming an episode of the TV series Meteorite Men, the find was caught on camera and is shown in the Meteorite Men ‘Chile’ episode, at about the 14th minute. Acquired from Steve Arnold, co-star of ‘Meteorite Men’. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity card from Steve Arnold, a copy of the sales listing, and an aluminium identification plaque.
FOOTNOTES:
Imilac specimens are highly prized by meteorite collectors; the finding of this specimen was caught on camera and formed part of an episode of the TV show ‘Meteorite Men’.
Bidder/Buyer Terms and Conditions
1.Interpretations and Definitions: the following terms generally apply within these Terms and Conditions; other terms are defined within specific sections following:
Auctioneer – the firm TimeLine Auctions Ltd (“TimeLine” hereafter) or its authorised auctioneer, acting as Agent for the Seller.
TimeLine is a company registered in England and Wales (company no: 06873501) with registered office at 40 Kilmarnock Drive, Luton, LU2 7YP, UK. The website and telephone number are https://timelineauctions.com and ++44 (0) 1277 815121.
Agent – a person or body acting on behalf of another.
ALR – Art Loss Register - All lots with an upper estimate value of £1,500 and above and all ancient Western Asiatic lots are searched against the Art Loss Register database.
Auction – a sale event whether taking place live in real-time or of extended duration (Timed Auction).
Bid – a sum offered by a Bidder to purchase the Lot.
Bidder – the person offering a Bid.
Buyer – the Bidder who the Lot is Knocked Down to.
Buyer’s Premium – the percentage of the Hammer Price payable by the Buyer to TimeLine in accordance with clause 19.
CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Data Protection Legislation –all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK including the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (83) (GDPR); the Data Protection Act 2018; the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive 2002/58/EC (as updated by Directive 2009/136/EC) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) as amended, and any and all applicable national data protection laws made under or pursuant to the GDPR, as may be amended or superseded from time to time.
Date of Sale – the date on which the Auctioneer Knocks Down the Lot. Group – any Lot comprising more than one item.
Hammer Price – the amount of the winning bid when Knocked Down by the Auctioneer to a Bidder.
Knock(ed/ing) Down – the act of the Auctioneer in bringing the Hammer down to complete the contract for the sale of the Lot to the Bidder submitting the highest bid.
Lot – the goods for sale.
Purchase Price – the total sum due for any Lot, including the Hammer Price, the Buyer’s Premium, any internet bidding fees, any shipping charges, taxes, duties or any other costs payable to TimeLine.
Registered Bidder –a Bidder who has registered with TimeLine for the purpose of taking part in any Auction. Reserve Price –the minimum Hammer Price at which a Lot may be Knocked Down.
Seller – the person offering the Lot for sale. Title – legal rights of ownership of the Lot.
2.Application: the singular includes the plural and vice versa and any reference to ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ applies to all of them.
3.Basis of Contract:
a.These Terms and Conditions apply to the exclusion of any other terms that the Bidder/Buyer seeks to impose or incorporate, or which are implied by trade, custom, practice or course of dealing.
b.Each Buyer is required to carefully read the Terms and Conditions before offering a bid. When a Buyer makes a bid he/she acknowledges that he/she has read, understood and accepted these terms.
c.TimeLine does not act for or give advice to Bidders/Buyers.
4.Dimensions, weights and colour: all dimensions and weights (including ring sizes) are approximate and are for general guidance only; a single dimension given is normally the greatest dimension for the
piece(s). Although TimeLine have made every effort to precisely display the colours and condition of a Lot, TimeLine does not guarantee that a device displays them accurately. The Lot may vary slightly from those images.
5.Condition: A condition statement for lots is not given in the catalogue, printed or on-line. This does not infer that any lot is free from faults and prospective bidders must satisfy themselves entirely as to the fullcondition of each piece before placing bids. Condition Reports may be requested for any lot but are given only for general guidance and are inevitably subjective in character. Requests for Condition Reports should be made as early as possible; requests received at a late time may not be available before the lot is offered.
Bidders are encouraged to carefully examine in person any Lot(s) for which they intend or do Bid for. It is not possible to note all marks or defects and neither TimeLine or the Auctioneer make any guarantee as to the physical quality or condition of any Lot(s).
6.Dating: dates may be given in several forms, as examples below:
527 AD - an item that bears a date upon it or that can otherwise be dated with precision; 6th century AD - an item that can be dated with considerable confidence to a specific period; Circa 6th century AD - an item that can be approximately dated by comparison with other pieces; Probably 6th century AD - an item that is likely to be of this period in the light of similar pieces; Possibly 6th century AD - an item that might be of this period by comparison with items of a broadly similar character; and Undated - no date is known or suggested for the piece.
6th Century AD or later – an item is dated to a specific period but may also be a revival of style of a later date.
7.Attributions: works of art attributions may be given in several forms, as examples below: Signed – a work bearing the signature of the named artist; Attributed to – a work of the period of the artist which may be in whole or in part the work of the artist named; Circle of – a work of the period of the artist and showing his influence; Follower of – a contemporary or nearly so work executed in the style of the artist; Manner of – a work executed in the style of the artist but of a later date; and After – a copy of any date of a work of the artist.
8.Other Descriptive Matters: some other words or phrases are used descriptively, as examples below: Style - an item made in the style of an earlier age but thought to be probably of later date.
Archaistic - an item made in the style of a much earlier age; Grand Tour - an item usually of some age but in the style of an earlier age; After the Antique - an item made as a reproduction, usually of quite modern date; and Faux - used descriptively when the material used is probably imitative in character.
9.Lots including Archaeological or Cultural Property: a UK export licence from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is required for Lots originating from UK soil or territory leaving the UK and for such Lots of non-UK origin when leaving the EU. TimeLine will make applications for the necessary Cultural Property Export Licence as a ‘free of charge’ service to Buyers, where the Export Licence is legally required. If a Buyer requests for TimeLine to apply for an Export Licence where this is not legally required, an additional fee of £24 (VAT inclusive) will be invoiced to the Buyer. Buyers are advised to check concerning any Regulations applicable in
their country of residence regarding importation and to enquire prior to bidding. The deferment of any Export Licence shall not be reason to cancel any bid nor to delay payment.
10.Lots including materials from Endangered Species: Buyers are responsible for obtaining a CITES licence when required for the export from the UK of any item(s) made of or containing materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, rhinoceros horn, whalebone, etc.
11.Import Licences: Buyers are responsible for checking and ensuring compliance with any regulations applicable in their country of residence regarding importation.
12.Copyright: all cataloguing text, images and other material published by TimeLine whether physically or electronically is the property of TimeLine and may not be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or otherwise transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of TimeLine.
13.General Conduct of Auction: TimeLine shall have absolute discretion as to lots offered for sale, lots withdrawn and the conduct of any Auction. TimeLine shall have absolute discretion to refuse entry, decline bids and expel any person from the Auction whether present in person or by agent or proxy or attending by way of any electronic media or telecommunications.
14.Viewing: all Lots are available to view. All prospective Bidders are advised to view any Lot(s) prior to bidding and the Bidder must form their own opinion before bidding. Public viewing arrangements will be advised in advance of the Date of Sale and private viewing can be arranged at the TimeLine premises by appointment.
15.Lot Descriptions: all Lots are offered ‘as seen’ and ‘as is’ and are available for inspection. The Buyer is obligated to make all and any enquiries he wishes as to the accuracy and authenticity of any sale description (including Condition, Dating and Attributions, as set out in clauses 57).The principle of caveat emptor applies except where expressly excluded by operation of law. While materials (such as catalogues) are vetted by an external committee of experts, TimeLine do not make or give any guarantee, warranty or representation or undertake any duty of care in relation to the description, illustrations or photographs of any Lot, including condition, quality, provenance, authenticity, background, style, period, age, origin, value and estimated selling price. TimeLine undertakes no obligation to examine, investigate or carry out any tests either in sufficient depth or at all to establish the accuracy or otherwise of any description or opinions given by TimeLine whether in the catalogue or elsewhere. Lots comprising Groups are sold strictly subject to them not being returnable for any reason whatsoever; the provisions set out under clause 43 are specifically excluded in respect of such Lots. For coins that have been authenticated, graded and encapsulated ('slabbed') by an independent grading company, no guarantee of any kind is offered by TimeLine. Buyers should note that removal or attempted removal from any slab will immediately void any independent guarantee that might have been offered by that grading company.
16.Condition Reports: All Lots are available for inspection. TimeLine will provide a report on the physical condition of any Lot on request. Bidders should note that reports are provided as a free service to interested Bidders. Descriptions therein are not warranties and all Lots are offered ‘as seen’ and ‘as is’.
17.Estimates: estimates are for general guidance only and Lots may sell outside
their indicated range(s). Bidders must make their own assessment as to the value of any Lot and conduct their bidding accordingly.
18.Reserves: Lots may be subject to a Reserve Price set by the Seller, at a level not exceeding the low estimate, below which bids cannot be accepted; TimeLine reserves the right to bid on behalf of a Seller, up to the amount of any Reserve Price.
19.Buyer’s Premium: the Buyer’s Premium is 30% of the Hammer Price [inclusive of VAT] for all successful Bidders. Use of the TimeLine Auctions online inhouse bidding service is free of additional charge. For those using any other internet bidding platforms, the provider’s normal charges at up to 6% (inclusive of VAT) will be payable by the Buyer in addition to the Buyer’s Premium.
20.Registration and Bidding: all prospective Bidders must register their personal details with TimeLine before bidding and a Bidder Number will be allocated for their use in relation to a specific sale; prospective Bidders will be asked to provide proof of identity and address. TimeLine reserves its right to refuse any Bidder or any Bid at its discretion. A deposit in accordance with clause 27 may be required before accepting any Bid(s). The Bidder Number must be shown by Bidders to the Auctioneer when placing a bid and by the successful Bidder when the Lot is Knocked Down. The auctioneer shall conduct the Auction at his sole discretion for all matters, accept Bids from any source and may exercise bids on behalf of absent Bidders or on behalf of Sellers up to any Reserve Price. Bidding shall be in pounds sterling only and generally in accordance with the increments set out below:
a.
£0 to £99 – in increments of £5
b.
£100 to £199 – in increments of £10
c.
£200 to £499 – in increments of £20
d.
£500 to £999 – in increments of £50
e.
£1000 to £1999 – in increments of £100 f.
£2000 to £4,999 – in increments of £200
g.
£5000 to £9,999 – in increments of £500 h.
£10000 to £19,999 – in increments of £1,000
i.
£20000 to £49,999 – in increments of £2,000
j.
£50000 to £99,999 – in increments of £5,000 k.
£100,000 to £249,999 – in increments of £10,000 l.
£250,000 and up – in minimum increments of £20,000
21.Absentee Bidding/Auto Bidding: Registered Bidders may leave absentee/auto Bids in advance of a live Auction directly through the TimeLine website or in writing by mail, email, fax or other delivery means and will be automatically exercised at the Reserve Price or at one bid increment above any competing Bid up to the submitted maximum Bid amount.
22.Commission Bidding: while Bidders are advised to attend the Auction and to bid in person, TimeLine will accept written instructions in advance of a live Auction from a Registered Bidder to personally execute bids on behalf of the Bidder up to a stated maximum. Unlimited bids or bids to ‘buy’ will not be accepted. In the event of identical bids being received from more than one Bidder, the earliest received will have priority. TimeLine offers this as a free service for live Auctions but] no liability is
accepted for any errors in bidding or in the event that a Bid is not placed. A deposit may be required In accordance with clause 27.
23.Internet Bidding: live, real-time bidding is available to Bidders through the TimeLine website for all live Auctions. Bidders intending to use any other internet bidding service must Register in advance with that service and the provider’s normal charges at up to 6% (VAT inclusive) will be payable in addition to the Buyer’s Premium. It is entirely the responsibility of the Bidder using any bidding service to ensure that Bids are made accurately; Bids cannot be retracted once made and are binding on the Bidder in all circumstances. TimeLine are not responsible for any technical or other failure which results in Bids not being received.
24.Telephone Bidding: facilities for telephone bidding are available at live Auctions at the discretion of TimeLine for Bidders on Lots with a low estimate in excess of £250 and must be booked and confirmed in advance. It is a condition for acceptance by TimeLine of any telephone bidding request that the Bidder undertakes to execute a minimum Bid at the low estimate sum. TimeLine offers telephone bidding as a free service but no liability is accepted for any errors or in the event that a connection cannot be made or is interrupted before the Lot is Knocked Down.
25.Agents: all Bidders making Bids through any means shall be deemed to be acting as principal in their bidding and shall be directly and fully liable for all Bid amounts, Buyer’s Premium and any other charges or costs. If any prospective Bidder wishes to appoint a person to bid on their behalf, then this must be agreed and authorised in writing by TimeLine in advance of the Auction. A deposit may be required in accordance with clause 27.
26.Value Added Tax: VAT is charged on an inclusive basis, under the Auctioneer’s Margin Scheme on all Buyer's Premiums and other charges and is not claimable as Input VAT. For some items, such as investment gold, modern jewellery and gemstones, where marked with a ‘dagger’ (†) symbol, VAT on the Hammer Price will be payable in addition. Where import duties are payable, these lots are marked with symbols ‡ or Ω and are payable by all buyers at the corresponding rates; for overseas buyers, a refund of import duty will be payable or credited, provided that the item(s) have left the UK within 30 days of date of payment.
27.Deposits: Timeline reserves the right to request a deposit in certain circumstances. The amount of the deposit will be set by Timeline. If a Bid is not placed the deposit will be paid back within a reasonable timeframe after the close of the auction. In case of a successful bid, the deposit will be reduced from the Purchase Price payable by the Buyer.
28.Payment: the Purchase Price becomes due and payable when the Lot is Knocked Down by the Auctioneer. Requests and Statements detailing the purchase information will be sent out by email or post; Bidders may be telephoned or otherwise contacted when payment is not received promptly or where there are queries in any respect.
a.The full Purchase Price must be paid in Pounds Sterling and can be made by bank transfer (for transfers from outside the UK, subject to payment of an additional £10 overseas bank transaction fee), by cash up to the value of £7,000, by cheque from a UK bank (subject to clearance) or by bank debit card or credit card (up to a maximum of £500). It is the responsibility of the Buyer to ensure that TimeLine receives the correct amount payable.
b. Unless agreed by TimeLine in writing in advance of the Auction, the Buyer must pay the Purchase Price in full in cleared
funds to TimeLine by no later than 4.30pm on the third working day following the Date of Sale. In case of delayed payment, clause 32 applies.
29.Title, Risk and Insurance: Title to any Lot is retained by the Seller until the Purchase Price and all other sums payable by the Buyer have been paid in full in cleared funds to TimeLine; at this point, Title will transfer from the Seller to the Buyer. Risk for the Lot passes to the Buyer at the time the Lot is Knocked Down to the Bidder. TimeLine does not hold property insured after the Lot has been Knocked Down.
30.Collection of Lots and Storage: Once the Buyer has paid the Purchase Price in full, TimeLine will release the Lot to the Buyer for collection. The Buyer must collect, or arrange the collection of, all purchases from the location advised by TimeLine by 4.30pm on the seventh working day following the Date of Sale.
TimeLine may provide the Buyer with a quotation and contact details for the services of Mail Boxes Etc on TimeLine documentation (any storage/shipping contract is between the Buyer and Mail Boxes Etc). The Buyer may arrange a service of their choice for collection, packing and shipping services. Lots not collected by the seventh working day following the Date of Sale will be moved to storage at a transfer cost of £20 plus VAT per Lot and storage charges will thereafter be applied at the rate of £1.90 plus VAT per Lot per day until collected; no Lots may be removed/released to the Buyer until all storage and transfer costs have been paid in full. In the event that the accrual of storage charges reaches 50% of the Hammer Price paid or after the expiration of three months from the transfer date, whichever occurs first, Timeline reserve the right to re-sell any and all Lots stored without notice and in any manner at their sole discretion and to apply any proceeds in defrayment of such costs. The Buyer will be entitled to receive any credit balance above the amount of the costs on request but will remain liable for any deficit.
31.Delivery by TimeLine: at the absolute discretion of TimeLine, TimeLine may, on request, directly arrange delivery of certain Lots to the address registered to the Buyer, on payment by the Buyer to TimeLine of any advised handling and delivery charge.
32.Remedies for Buyer’s Failure to Make Payment and/or Remove Lots: if the Purchase Price and/or all sums payable are not paid in full when they fall due and/or the Lot is not removed in accordance with these terms, TimeLine may without further notice to the Buyer be entitled to exercise one or more of the following rights:
a.To terminate the agreement immediately for breach of contract;
b.To retain possession of the Lot;
c.To remove and/or store the Lot at the Buyer’s expense, as detailed at clause 30at a cost to the Buyer of £20 + VAT for the transfer per Lot plus a daily cost of £1.90 plus VAT per Lot for the storage;
d.To take legal proceedings against the Buyer for payment of any sums due to TimeLine by the Buyer;
e.To be paid interest on any monies due to TimeLine at the annual rate of 8% per annum from time to time to be calculated on a daily basis from the date upon which such monies became payable until the date of actual payment;
f.To sell the Lot without a Reserve Price at Auction or by any other means and apply any proceeds against the amount owing by the Buyer to TimeLine;
g.To apply any monies received from the Buyer in payment or part payment of any sums due from the Buyer to TimeLine under these terms;
h.To refuse to allow the Buyer to register for a future Auction or to reject a bid from the Buyer at a future Auction.
33.Limitation of Liability: The Auctioneer has obtained insurance cover in respect of
its own legal liability for individual claims. The limits and exclusions in this clause reflect the insurance cover the Auctioneer has been able to arrange and the Buyer is responsible for making his own arrangements for the insurance of any excess loss.
Timeline will under no circumstances be liable to the Buyer, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, arising under or in connection with the contract for: a.any loss of profits, sales, business or revenue b.loss of business opportunity c.an indirect or consequential loss.
Our total liability to you for all losses arising under or in connection to the contract, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, will in no circumstances exceed £500.
Nothing in the Contract limits any liability which cannot legally be limited, including but not limited to liability for: a.death or personal injury caused by negligence; b. fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and c. breach of the terms implied by section 12 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1979 (title and quiet possession).
This clause 33 shall survive termination of the Contract.
34.Buyer’s Indemnity: the Buyer agrees to indemnify TimeLine on a full indemnity basis against all legal and other costs, all losses and expenses incurred as a result of TimeLine taking steps under clause 33.
35.Use of your personal information: TimeLine will only use the Seller’s personal information as set out in their privacy policy. TimeLine may amend this policy from time to time. Where Timeline processes any personal data, it will comply with the requirements and obligations under the Data Protection Legislation.
36.Anti-Money Laundering: TimeLine’s Anti-Money Laundering Policy sets out TimeLine’s policy for ensuring compliance anti-money laundering legislation that applies to some of TimeLine’s activities. TimeLine may amend this policy from time to time.
37.Sale of Goods Act: The terms implied by sections 13 to 15 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 are, to the fullest extent permitted by law, excluded.
38.Severance: If any provision or partprovision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be deemed modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal and enforceable. If such modification is not possible, the relevant provision or part-provision shall be deemed deleted. Any modification to or deletion of a provision or part-provision under this clause shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of the terms and conditions.
39.Amendments: TimeLine may amend these Terms and Conditions from time to time. Please check our website for our latest terms and conditions.
40.No waiver: No failure or delay by TimeLine to exercise any right or remedy provided under the these Terms and Conditions or by law shall constitute a waiver of that or any other right or remedy, nor shall it prevent or restrict the further exercise of that or any other right or remedy.
41.Third-Party rights: These Terms & Conditions are between Timeline and a Seller. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of these terms.
42.Governing Law: these terms and conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including noncontractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of England and Wales.
43.Jurisdiction: the Bidder irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these terms and conditions or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims). At the sole discretion of TimeLine, the auctioneer may instigate any proceedings within the jurisdiction of the bidder's country of residence.
44.Disputes: in the event that the Buyer has any dispute in relation to any Lot, not being a Lot described as a Group, Collection or other term indicating that the lot comprises more than one object, (such lots being sold cannot be returned in accordance with clause 15), which has been sold, that dispute must be notified to TimeLine in writing within 14 days following the Date of the Sale in order that TimeLine can hold the proceeds pending resolution of the dispute.
In the event of deliberate forgery being claimed for any Lot, the Buyer shall submit two opinions in writing from recognised experts for consideration; the inability of different experts to agree shall not be sufficient grounds. No liability is accepted by TimeLine for any costs/losses of the Buyer, including but not limited to fees, shipping, loss of profit, consequential costs or any other matters beyond the Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium. In all cases, any item must be returned to TimeLine, strictly in the condition it was in at the date of the sale being held; Buyers are advised that any form of destructive examination or testing undertaken will result in claims being rejected; claims resulting from results of tests under a scientific process not generally accepted for use at the Date of the Sale or which were unreasonably expensive in relation to the estimates for the lot or impractical or likely to have caused damage to the Lot at the Date of the Sale will not be allowed.
TimeLine will have no liability to the Buyer after a period of 14 days as then TimeLine will release monies and make payments to Sellers.
45. Import restrictions: Auction lots (or individual item/s within any given lot) of either Persian or Iranian origin are subject to United States trade restrictions which currently prohibit their import into the US, without exception. Buyers should be aware that similar (or other) restrictions may apply to other categories of items offered for sale. It is the sole responsibility of the buyer to satisfy themselves that any lot/s purchased at auction can be legally imported into the desired shipping destination prior to bidding.
Seller’s Terms and Conditions
1.Interpretations and Definitions: the following terms generally apply within these Terms and Conditions; other terms are defined within specific sections following: Auctioneer – the firm TimeLine Auctions Ltd (“TimeLine” hereafter) or its authorised auctioneer, acting as Agent for the Seller. TimeLine is a company registered in England and Wales (company no: 06873501) with registered office at 40 Kilmarnock Drive, Luton, LU2 7YP, UK. The website and telephone number are https://timelineauctions.com and +44 (0) 1277 815121.
Agent – a person or body acting on behalf of another.
ALR – Art Loss Register - All lots with an upper Estimate value of £1,500 and above and all ancient Western Asiatic lots are searched against the Art Loss Register database.
Auction – a sale event whether taking place live in real-time or of extended duration (Timed Auction).
Bid – a sum offered by a Bidder to purchase the Lot.
Bidder – the person offering a Bid.
Buyer – the person who the Lot is Knocked Down to.
Date of Sale – the date on which the Auctioneer Knocks Down the Lot.
Data Protection Legislation –all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK including the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (83) (GDPR); the Data Protection Act 2018; the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive 2002/58/EC (as updated by Directive 2009/136/EC) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) as amended, and any and all applicable national data protection laws made under or pursuant to the GDPR, as may be amended or superseded from time to time.
Estimate – the estimate for any Lots as set out in the Property Receipt.
Group – any Lot comprising more than one item.
Hammer Price – the amount of the winning bid when Knocked Down by the Auctioneer to a Bidder.
Knock(ed/ing) Down – the act of the Auctioneer in bringing the Hammer down to complete the contract for the sale of the Lot to the Bidder submitting the highest bid.
Lot – the goods for sale.
Net Proceeds-the Hammer Price less the Selling Commission and any charges or expenses levied at Timeline’s discretion in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
Purchase Price – the total sum due for any Lot, including the Hammer Price, the Buyer’s Premium, any internet bidding fees, any shipping charges, taxes, duties or any other costs payable to TimeLine.
Reserve Price – the minimum Hammer Price at which a Lot may be Knocked Down Seller – the person offering the Lot for sale.
Selling Commission – the sum due to TimeLine from the Seller in accordance with clause 10.
Timed Sale –in relation to an unsold Lot, a 28 day timeframe to allow a sale post Auction in accordance with clause 15.
Title – legal rights of ownership of the Lot. Unsold Fee – 6% (VAT inclusive) of the Reserve Price.
Withdrawal Fee – the fee payable to TimeLine in the event the Seller withdraws a Lot in accordance with clause 14, which shall be 6% (VAT inclusive) of the low Estimate or Reserve Price, whichever is higher.
2.Application: the singular includes the plural and vice versa and any reference to ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ applies to all of them.
3.Basis of Contract:
a.These terms and conditions apply to the exclusion of any other terms that the Seller seeks to impose or incorporate, or which are implied by trade, custom, practice or course of dealing.
b.Each Seller is required to read the terms and conditions attached to the Property Acceptance/Receipt and acknowledges that he/she has read, accepted and acknowledged the terms of such attachment, in advance of signing the same.
c.As auctioneer, TimeLine acts solely for, and in the interest of, the Seller.
4.Copyright: all cataloguing text, images and other material published by TimeLine (including in relation to any Lot) whether physically or electronically is the property of TimeLine and may not be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or otherwise transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of TimeLine. Timeline does not guarantee that a device accurately displays the colours and condition of a Lot.
5.Rights to Photographs, Illustrations and Documents: the Seller grants to Timeline full and absolute right to photograph or illustrate any Lot and to use such photographs or illustrations, and any photographs, illustrations or documents provided by the Seller, at any time and at TimeLine’s absolute discretion (whether or not in connection with any Auction).
6.Title, Risk and Insurance: Title to any Lot is retained by the Seller until the Purchase Price and all other sums payable by the Buyer have been paid in full in cleared funds to TimeLine; at this point, Title will transfer from the Seller to the Buyer. Risk for the Lot passes to the Buyer at the time the Lot is Knocked Down to the Bidder. TimeLine does not hold any Lot insured after the Lot has been Knocked Down.
7.Seller’s Representations and Warranties: in submitting any Lot for sale, the Seller warrants and represents to TimeLine the matters set out in the Property Acceptance/Receipt and Seller’s statement of provenance. The Seller will be asked to provide proof of identity and address.
8.Limitation of Liability: The Auctioneer has obtained insurance cover in respect of its own legal liability for individual claims. The limits and exclusions in this clause reflect the insurance cover the Auctioneer has been able to arrange and the Seller is responsible for making his own arrangements for the insurance of any excess loss.
Timeline will under no circumstances be liable to the Seller, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, arising under or in connection with the Contract for:
a.any loss of profits, sales, business or revenue;
b.loss of business opportunity; and
c.an indirect or consequential loss.
TimeLine’s total liability to the Seller for all losses arising under or in connection to the Contract, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, will in no circumstances exceed £500.
Nothing in these terms and conditions limits any liability which cannot legally be limited, including but not limited to liability for:
a.death or personal injury caused by negligence;
b. fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and
c. breach of the terms implied by section 12 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1979 (title and quiet possession).
This clause 8 shall survive termination of the Contract.
9.Seller’s Indemnity: the Seller shall indemnify and hold TimeLine harmless from all claims and all direct, indirect or consequential losses (including loss of profits, loss of business, depletion of goodwill and similar losses), costs, proceedings, damages and expenses (including legal and other professional fees and expenses) awarded against or incurred or paid by TimeLine as a result or in connection with:
a.any breach of the warranties referred to in clause 7; b.any claim made against TimeLine concerning the authenticity of any Lot; c.any alleged or actual infringement, whether or not under English law, of any third party’s Intellectual Property Rights or other rights arising out of the Auction or sale of the Lot.
10.Selling Commission: The standard rate of selling commission payable to TimeLine shall be 18% of the Hammer Price (VAT inclusive).
11.Additional Charges: TimeLine may levy additional charges regarding:
a.Collection of goods from Seller’s premises, storage of goods submitted for sale by a Seller and storage of Lots unsold in accordance with clause 15; b.Further charges at the discretion of TimeLine on advance warning to the Seller for any unusual research, special or additional imaging, testing, consultation with external specialists, conservation, cleaning or other services concerned with presenting the Lot, including VAT or other taxes or duties as applicable.
c.All items submitted for sale in the 'Western Asiatic' category (other than items designated as 'style') and all lots over £1000 will incur an administration charge of £6.00 (VAT inclusive) per item for additional checking, including searches against the ALR.
12.Lots: all goods submitted to TimeLine will be lotted, catalogued and offered by live auction sale, limited timed auction sale, 'buy it now' direct sale or other method at the sole discretion of TimeLine; antiquities, antiques and collectables Lots with a low Estimate of £200 or less and coin Lots with a low Estimate of £100 or less will not normally be illustrated in any printed catalogue and printed text entries may be minimised (images and full text will always be shown on the TimeLine website); Estimates are provided for information only and Hammer Prices may differ from the estimated range.
13.Reserve Price: The Seller may set a Reserve Price on any Lot where the low Estimate exceeds £120 subject to agreeing that an Unsold Fee will become payable to Timeline for any such Reserved Lot which fails to sell; in addition the Seller agrees that the auctioneer may accept a bid received at one bid increment or 10% of the Reserve Price (whichever is higher) below the Reserve Price sum if necessary to sell the Lot.
14.Withdrawal of Lots: Once entered for sale, Lots may be withdrawn by the Seller only upon the agreement of TimeLine and payment to TimeLine of the Withdrawal Fee; a Withdrawal Fee will also be payable should any post-Sale offer be received in accordance with clause 14 but not accepted by the Seller. TimeLine reserves the absolute right to withdraw any Lot from sale for any reason in which circumstance no Withdrawal Fee will be payable. The Seller is thereafter responsible for collection of any Lot which has been withdrawn and clause 15 applies.
15.Unsold Lots and Storage: in the event that a Lot is not sold no Selling Commission is payable unless the Lot was subject to a Reserve Price in which case a sum of 6% (VAT inclusive)of the Reserve Price is payable by the Seller to TimeLine. TimeLine shall retain possession of unsold Lots for a period of twenty-eight days from the date of any Auction for entry into any Timed Sale or against the possibility of receiving postSale offers for such Lots. The Seller is thereafter responsible for collection of any unsold goods immediately after this period and Lots will be released after any charges due have been paid in full. Lots not removed by 4.30pm on the seventh working day after the due date will be moved to storage at a transfer cost of £20 plus VAT per Lot and storage charges will thereafter be applied at the rate of £1.90 plus VAT per Lot per day until collected; no Lots may be removed until any storage or other amounts due to TimeLine have been paid in full. In the event that the accrual of storage charges reaches 50% of the Reserve Price or after the expiration of three months from the transfer date, whichever occurs first, Timeline reserve the right to re-sell any and all Lots stored without notice and in any manner at their sole discretion and to apply any proceeds in defrayment of such costs. The Seller will be entitled to receive any credit balance above the amount of the costs on request but will remain liable for any deficit.
16.Payment to Sellers: the Net Proceeds of the Auction will become due and
payable to the Seller 30 days following the Date of Sale provided that TimeLine have received cleared payment of the Purchase Price in full from the Buyer.
17.Use of your personal information: TimeLine will only use the Seller’s personal information as set out in their privacy policy. TimeLine may amend this policy from time to time. Where Timeline processes any personal data, Timeline will comply with the requirements and obligations under the Data Protection Legislation.
18.Anti-Money Laundering: TimeLine’s Anti-Money Laundering Policy sets out TimeLine’s policy for ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering legislation that applies to some of TimeLine’s activities. TimeLine may amend this policy from time to time.
19.Sale of Goods Act: The terms implied by sections 13 to 15 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 are, to the fullest extent permitted by law, excluded.
20.Severance: If any provision or partprovision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be deemed modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal and enforceable. If such modification is not possible, the relevant provision or part-provision shall be deemed deleted. Any modification to or deletion of a provision or part-provision under this clause shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of the terms and conditions.
21.Amendments: TimeLine may amend these Terms and Conditions from time to time. Please check our website for our latest terms and conditions.
22.No waiver: No failure or delay by TimeLine to exercise any right or remedy provided under the these Terms and Conditions or by law shall constitute a waiver of that or any other right or remedy, nor shall it prevent or restrict the further exercise of that or any other right or remedy.
23.Third-Party rights: These Terms & Conditions are between Timeline and a Seller. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of these terms.
24.Governing Law: these terms and conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including noncontractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of England and Wales.
25.Jurisdiction: each party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these terms and conditions or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims).