Auction Highlights
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Egyptian Turquoise Glass Face Inlay
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,000
A turquoise glass inlay of a profile head with raised eyebrow and eye-line, neat facial detailing with curved slot beside the ear; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Roman Dedicatory Plaque from Rapada Athenodoros for the Preservation of Emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla
Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,750
A substantial bronze plaque (tabula ansata), decorated with two human ears and carrying eight lines of engraved inscription with a dedication to Good Fortune (‘Agathe Tuche’) for the preservation of ‘the emperors Septimius Severus (193-211 AD) and his son Caracalla (198-217 AD)’: reading: *ΑΓΑΘΗΙ ΤΥΧΗ[Ι] ΥΠΕΡ ϹΩΤΗΡΙΑϹ ΤΩΝ ΚΥΡΙΩΝ ΗΜΩΝ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ ΤΟΡΩΝ *ΔΙΙ ΕΠΗΚΟΩ[Ι] ΡΑΠΑΔΑ ΑΘΗΝΟΔΩΡΟϹ ΕΥΞΑΜΕΝ[ΟΙ] to ΕΥΞΑΜΕΝΟϹ ΑΝΕΘΗΚΕΝ ΕΤΟΥϹ ΖΞϹ ΠΑΝΗΜΟΥ ΚΒ Translating to: ‘To Good Fortune. For the welfare of our lords the emperors: to Zeus who Listens to Prayer, Rapada Athenodoros, son of Demetrios, having prayed and vowed, dedicated (this) in the year 267, the 22nd of (the month) Panemos.’ (i.e. 22 Panemos (around 17 June), AD 204)' -
Roman Mosaic Panel with Tiger Attacking Stag
Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,813
A rectangular panel of mosaic tesserae depicting a tiger attacking a stag within a tangle of tendrils and fruit; mounted in a custom-made display frame to allow vertical display. -
Roman Inscribed Wax Tablet Group
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,500
Two wooden wax tablet sections, both probably legal contracts comprising: one rectangular with broken lower edge, recessed surface with wax fill and part of eight lines of cursive Greek text, remains of further text to the reverse; one rectangular with recessed surface and two pairs of mounting holes to the border, fourteen lines of cursive Greek text and similar recess, the contract mentioning ‘Silver money’ in the last line, on the reserve the signatures of various witnesses (in the typical form: name, son of [ ], father's name in the genitive case; difficult to read due to the remains of words of at least one previous writer the tablet having been reused as was normal practice; both from North Africa or Egypt. -
Roman Marble Head of Antoninus Pius
Sold for (Inc. bp): £73,750
The head of Emperor Antoninus Pius captured in marble; the stern features framed by a full head of curly tousled hair covering the ears and a neat beard and moustache; the brow slightly furrowed with arched eyebrows and small lentoid eyes, short nose with broad nostrils, small mouth; the rear of the head with drilled sockets and lateral ledge to accept fixing pegs or clamps; possibly from North Africa; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Large Roman Head of Asclepius, God of Medicine
Sold for (Inc. bp): £22,500
A monumental head of Asclepius or Jupiter (Greek Zeus), carved much larger than life-size in high quality marble, with a full head of curls in tiers with deep undercutting around the brow; the beard similar well defined with tiered curls; the face stern with furrowed brow and high cheek-bones, lentoid eyes with heavy lids and restored nose; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Roman Marble Torso of a Goddess
Sold for (Inc. bp): £17,500
A carved marble goddess or noble lady, standing with palla draped over the left shoulder and arm; the folds and hang of the cloth simply captured; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Roman Gilt Silver Lidded Pyxis
Sold for (Inc. bp): £25,000
A parcel-gilt silver pyxis with band of gilt discs to the sidewall depicting deities and their symbols (Dionysus, Apollo, Venus, Abundantia(?) with baskets of fruit and amphorae) between bands of niello-inlaid scrolled tendrils; the pyxis drum-shaped with flared rims, the lid with central knop handle and similar niello-inlaid decorative band. -
Western Asiatic Kassite Cylinder Seal with a Worshipping King in Front of an Enthroned God
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,250
A substantial granite cylinder seal with bearded king in a long robe, both hands raised to prayer, stands facing a god who is seated on a stool, raising his right hand in greeting; due to the rank perspective the figure of the king is much smaller; both figures wear a circlet or round headdress with a narrow edge, their hair in a bun on the shoulder and long robes with broad lower edging; at the top of the heads there is a 'Kassite cross' between the two figures, and above it, on a baseline, two antithetically grouped lying caprids with heads turned backwards and a tree of life between them; line borders round bottom and top of the seal; with an untranslated seven-line inscription. -
Gandharan Multi-Tier Stele
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,250
A carved schist stele with figural ornament in five tiers; lower row with facing cross-legged figures, profile and facing animals; second row with frieze depicting a nursing mother with infant and a female in animated pose among a group of standing figures; third row with facing robed figure on a horse supported by a crouching man, flanked by tiered ranks of robed attendants; fourth row a seated facing figure of Buddha on lotus-flower dais with attendants; top row with Buddha, reclining attendant and nude male; birds and other details to the rim; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Roman Sports Mask of an Numidian Prince
Sold for (Inc. bp): £32,500
A bronze 'Kostol Type' sports helmet mask with strong realism, 'Type A' of the Robinson classification of cavalry sport helmets (Robinson, 1975, pl.309, p.112), showing the portrait of a youthful African male, possibly that of the Mauri Prince, Lusius Quietus; with broad forehead, high cheekbones, short, wide nose with wide mouth and small, pierced almond-shaped eyes; locks of hair on the head in a series of semi-circular bands; rear edge of mask pierced for attachment of the leather lining; the wide eye-holes terminate with flanges representing the eye-lids; traces of burning are visible on the forehead, nose, around left eye and right cheek. -
Merovingian Sword with Garnet Inlaid Hilt
Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,750
A two-edged sword comprising a lentoid-section iron parallel-sided blade with broad pointed tip; bronze rectangular lower guard with gilding to reverse and garnet cloisonné to the obverse, tubular bronze grip with rectangular cell and inset garnet cloison, biconvex agate disc with washer and retaining pin through the tang; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Viking Sword with Inlaid Silver Decorated Hilt
Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,500
A two-edged iron sword of Type X comprising a broad, flat blade with rounded point, gently curved lower guard with inlaid silver interlace pattern to one face and traces of similar to the reverse, broad tang tapering towards the pommel; tea-cosy pommel with traces of linear silver inlay. -
Iron Age Celtic Sword in Decorated Scabbard
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,500
An iron sword within its iron scabbard with fittings; the sword of standard La Tène type, two-edged with leaf-shaped blade, short shoulder and broad tang with button finial; the scabbard formed from iron plates with clamped edges held by clips, prominent midrib to the obverse and scooped upper edge; suspension loop of Stead's Type 2b with D-shaped attachment plates; chape of Stead's southern type a1 with clamps to the reverse and bridge to the obverse; obverse with low-relief repoussé decoration comprising La Tène triskeles and comma-leaf motifs within circular frame with opposed beast-heads above. -
Large Anglo-Saxon Enamelled Hanging Bowl Mount Pair
Sold for (Inc. bp): £40,000
A matched pair of bronze disc appliqués, each a plaque with trilinear border surrounding a pattern of La Tène whirls and tendrils reserved against a red enamel field. -
Migration Period Gold Ring with Triple Bezel
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,500
A gold finger formed as three curved serpents on a field with beaded wire borders, the heads conjoined at each end into an openwork panel extending to the tapering hoop. -
Tudor Earl of Macclesfield Gold 'Memento Mori' Heraldic Swivel Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,875
A substantial gold ring with swivelling bezel; the hoop D-shaped in section with high-relief foliage to the shoulders and discoid bezel frame; swivelling bifacial central panel comprising: Side A - central white enamel-filled skull surrounded by legend in seriffed capitals '+ KNOWE · THY · SELF'; Side B - armorial bearings including a heater shield with a chevron between three leopards' faces and a mullet to the centre, helmet with crest of a ram in profile, possibly the arms of the Parker family, Earls of Macclesfield. -
Elizabethan Gold Ring with Pyramid Diamond
Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,500
A slender gold finger ring with scrolled detailing to the shoulders, pyramidal bezel with crescent detailing and inset diamond to the centre. -
English Medieval Coins - Edward IIII - London - Gold Treaty Half Noble
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,938
Obv: King standing facing in ship holding sword and shield with +xEDWARD DEI G REX ANGL D HIB Z AQT legend with saltire before king's name. Rev: floriate cross with E at centre and crowns/lions in angles with DOMINE NE IN FVRORE TVO ARGVAS ME lergend. -
English Tudor Coins - Edward VI - 1552 - Crown
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,750
Fine coinage. Obv: king riding with date below and EDWARD VI D G AGL FRANCI Z HIB REX legend and 'tun' mintmark. Rev: long cross over arms dividing POSVII DEVM ADIVTORE MEV legend.
2nd century AD
Lot No. 0117
Sold for (Inc. premium): £625
2nd century AD
Lot No. 0120
Sold for (Inc. premium): £875
2nd-3rd century AD
Lot No. 0122
Sold for (Inc. premium): £4,000
3rd-4th century AD
Lot No. 0123
Sold for (Inc. premium): £688
2nd-3rd century AD
Lot No. 0126
Sold for (Inc. premium): £1,063
2nd-4th century AD
Lot No. 0127
Sold for (Inc. premium): £1,125
2nd century AD
Lot No. 0129
Sold for (Inc. premium): £2,125
1st-2nd century AD
Lot No. 0131
Sold for (Inc. premium): £625
2nd-3rd century AD
Lot No. 0135
Sold for (Inc. premium): £69
2nd century AD
Lot No. 0139
Sold for (Inc. premium): £200
4th century AD
Lot No. 0140
Sold for (Inc. premium): £238
4th century AD
Lot No. 0141
Sold for (Inc. premium): £325