Auction Highlights
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Egyptian Red Glass Face Inlay
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
A red glass insert of a profile face with remains of a pharaonic crown to the forehead. -
Egyptian Thoth as an Ibis with Maat
Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,500
A blue-glazed composition amulet in the form of an ibis (representing the god Thoth) seated on a wedge-shaped base, facing a figure of Maat appearing as a diminutive stooping female with an ostrich feather; some details to both figures rendered in a darker blue glaze; suspension loop to the rear of the bird's neck. -
Egyptian Bust of Ptah
Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
A white limestone figure of the god Ptah with false beard, wearing an enveloping cloak and a broad wesekh-collar, holding the shaft of a was sceptre; serene, oval face with almond-shaped eyes and fleshy lips; remnants of dorsal pillar to reverse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. -
Large Greek Hydria with Egg-and-Dart Motifs
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,525
A spectacular bronze hydria composed of a tapering body, broad shoulder and waisted neck, the everted rim decorated with egg-and-dart motifs, three round-section handles and tiered, ogival foot; professionally restored. -
Large Greek Apulian Red-Figure Bell-Krater
Sold for (Inc. bp): £28,600
A red-figure terracotta bell-krater displaying polychrome figural panels between a laurel wreath and a band of Greek key motifs; side a) two robed male figures holding staffs, wearing a taenia or a band around the head, standing facing a central altar; side b) a woman wearing a chiton and holding a casket and olive sprig in her outstretched hands, advancing right towards a nude man standing right, his head turned towards her, holding a bucket and olive sprig, a cloak draped over his arm, elaborate volute palmettes beneath both handles; restored. -
Roman Military Eagle Staff Terminal
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,050
A free-standing bronze imperial or military eagle terminal from a staff or a sceptre, modelled in the round in a dynamic pose standing on a globe, wings spread, head turned to the right, semi-naturalistic anatomical and feather detailing; the globe bearing an incised eight-armed stylised Macedonian star; sub-triangular lug to back of the neck; collar to globe with hollow underside. -
'The Castleford Military Garrison' Romano-British 'Regio Lagitiensis' Inscribed Brooch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,940
The best example of only three examples of this type known, a copper-alloy knee brooch composed of a rectangular-section body, spring pin within bow plate and remains of catchplate to reverse; both sides of the body with two panels of Latin lettering moulded in relief: 'FIBUL[A] EX REG LAGITIENSE', translating to 'Brooch from the Regio Lagitiensis' (Roman Castleford); remains of blue glass enamelling to the recessed fields. -
Large 'King Nebuchadnezzar the Great' Brick from the Wall of Babylon
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,980
A large fired clay brick from the Wall of Babylon bearing six lines of stamped Babylonian cuneiform inscription to one face which reads: 'AG - ku -dur-ri-URU' / 'LUGAL ba-bi-lu' / 'za-ni-nu é-sag-ila' / 'u e-zi-da IBILA' / 'SAG.KAL. sa AG-IBILA-URU' / 'LUGAL ba-bi-lu ana-ku', which translates: 'Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who provides for Esagila and Ezida, the eldest son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, am I'; traces of bitumen on the blank side; accompanied by an old label which reads: 'Brick from the Wall of Babylon / Presented by W.Bro. Gentle-Cackett Secretary Bible Lands Mission / The impression records the fact that it was built by King Nebuchadnezzar [II]'. -
Roman Legionary Helmet with Wings of Jupiter
Sold for (Inc. bp): £52,000
A tinned sheet-bronze legionary helmet of Imperial Gallic Type A with deep rounded bowl, simple C-shaped cut-outs for the ears, integral flared neck-guard extending some way along the sides, corrugated ribs to the occipital area at the rear and corrugated 'wings' or eyebrows (Russel-Robinson's Type E) above the brow; small stud the rear of the neck-guard attaching suspension loops to the underside; hinged bracket at each temple for a deeply curved cheek-guard with gently flared rim, bearing a loop to the inner face to accept an vinculum fastening strap; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Chip-Carved Mount with Interlaced Panels
Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,240
A gilt copper-alloy mount composed of a broad annular body with slightly domed profile, the body quartered with each cell displaying a chip-carved interlace motif configured A:B:A:B; rim, edges and central cell with raised rim; rivet and flat-section mounting bar to reverse. -
'The Pershore' Anglo-Saxon Hanging Bowl Mount with Horse-Head
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
A bronze bowl mount or escutcheon comprising a discoid panel with gently curved profile and zoomorphic hook; the panel with reserved La Tène comma-leaf decoration on a pounced field (intended to receive enamel fill); the hook with median gusset to the outer face, horse-head finial, bulbous La Tène ornament at the base. -
'The Siddington' Impressive Anglo-Saxon Chip-Carved Saucer Brooch Pair
Sold for (Inc. bp): £24,700
A pair of large Early Anglo-Saxon gilt copper-alloy saucer brooches each comprising a broad (13mm+) angled flange surrounding a central disc with carinated border; outer zone comprising four arches subdivided by hatching to the inner edge and four C-shaped panels with triangular separators, inner zone separated by a carinated border, central disc with four radiating bilinear crescents; pin-lugs and catch to the reverse with traces of mineralised fabric. -
English Medieval Silver Chessman Type Seal Matrix for Stephen of Ale Lane
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,510
A silver chessman-type seal matrix with pierced trefoil head and knop above; central motif of a leopard statant gardant before a tree, pelletted border and blackletter legend '* sigillum [lozenge] steffani [cinquefoil cinquefoil] ale [cinquefoil lozenge] lane' (for 'seal of Stephen [at?] ale lane'). -
'The Bettiscombe' Medieval Gold 'Loyalty is Everything' Posy Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
An annular gold band with everted upper and lower lip, filigree ropework above and below each rim, with circumferential inscription to the recessed exterior face; of the five separate bands, the central one accommodating an applied strip of paler gold bearing a Medieval French blackletter inscription in relief, reading: '+loiautet (5 five cinquefoils) pas tout (5 five cinquefoils)', or 'Loyalty Passes All'; the inscription band may once have been enamelled; plain interior; the outer rim and twisted band on one edge are slightly bent; cleaned and repaired. -
Stuart Period Gold Renaissance Memento Mori Signet Ring with C.L. and Skull
Sold for (Inc. bp): £19,500
A substantial gold signet ring composed of a lentoid-section hoop, expanding capital style shaped shoulders and irregular octagonal bezel engraved with a skull, two flowers below separating the reversed initials in capitals: 'CL', framed by a beaded border. -
Marble Statue of Kneeling Venus
Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,950
A marble copy of the kneeling Venus (original in the Vatican Museums), crouching on an octagonal base; the arms raised in expressive pose, head tilted, hair drawn up in a chignon; lettering to base 'KNEELING VENUS' and 'ROME'.
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Natural History - Baryte Crystal Specimen
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5
Baryte crystal specimens in a matrix. 270 grams, 98 mm
Essex gallery, early 2000s. -
Natural History - English Fossil Crab Group
Eocene Period, 56-33 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
A pair of fossilised Zanthopsis leachi (Desmarest) crabs. 89 grams total, 46 mm wide
From the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, UK. Acquired 1950s-1960s. From an old Bristol, UK, paleontological collection. -
Natural History - Plesiosaur Bone Beads
Jurassic Period, circa 155 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
A string of Plesiosaur bone beads. 74 grams, 42.5 cm long
From the Kimmeridge Clay, the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, UK. From an old Lincoln, UK, collection. -
Natural History - 'Spartan Basalt' Polished Green Porphyry Section
Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
A large cut section of green porphyry mined in Greece, possibly in ancient Roman times. 1.22 kg, 18.1 cm
From Greece. Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's).
Also known as Lapis Lacedaemonius and Porfido Verde Antico, a type of green porphyry quarried in Greece. Spartan basalt is a form of andesite or volcanic rock known today only from a single source in the village of Krokees on the Peloponnese in Greece. In addition, ancient sources mention a quarry of Lapis Lacedaemonius in Taygetus. -
Natural History - Coelacanth Fossil Fish
Triassic Period, circa 247 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
A fossil coelacanth Whiteia woodwardia fish showing good details, including fins, tail and bony skull structure; supplied in a glazed display case. 118 grams, 15.8 cm (280 grams total, 16 x 13.5 cm including case)
Fine condition, professionally repaired and conserved.
From the Karoo formation of Madagascar. Private Shropshire, UK, collection.
The primitive-looking coelacanth was thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Its discovery in 1938, by a South African museum curator on a local fishing trawler, fascinated the world and ignited a debate about how this bizarre lobe-finned fish fits into the evolution of land animals. It is often referred to as a ‘living fossil’, referencing its anomalous form in the fossil record. -
Natural History - A Large Quantity of Blue Sodalite Mineral Chips
Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A large quantity of blue sodalite mineral chips of various sizes, shapes and shades of blue. 575 grams total, 1-15 mm
Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's). -
Natural History - Fossil Bird Bone Group
Pleistocene Period, circa 2 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
A group of five fossil bird bones. 25 grams total, 26-39 mm
From Rancho La Brea Formation, Maricopa Co., California, U.S.A. Acquired in the 1980s. From an old Bristol, UK, paleontological collection. -
Natural History - Cut and Polished Fossil Ammonite
Jurassic Period, 199-145 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A pair of cut and polished fossil ammonite halves, each displaying the gas chambers; possibly Cleoniceras sp. 405 grams total, 11.9 cm wide each
From Madagascar. Collected between 1930 and 1960. From the collection of the palaeontologist R Gledhill. -
Natural History - Fossil Fly Group
Eocene Period, circa 50 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
A group of three fossil flies in matrix. 216 grams total, 73-82 mm
From the Green River Formation, South Western Wyoming, U.S.A. Collected between 1930 and 1960. From the collection of the palaeontologist R. Gledhill. -
Natural History - 'Whitby' Fossil Ammonites in Matrix
Jurassic Period, circa 180 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A group of Gagaticeras sp. fossil ammonites in an oval-shaped pebble. 770 grams, 14.2 cm
Fine condition.
From Lower Jurassic, Lower Lias, Yorkshire. From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection. -
Natural History - Fossil Otodus Shark Teeth on Matrix Group
Eocene Period, 56-33 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
A group of five matrices, each set with an Otodus obliquus fossil shark's tooth with cusplet teeth and remains of enamelling. 479 grams total, 60-64 mm
From Morocco, North Africa. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. -
Natural History - Fossil Shrimps in Matrix
Cretaceous Period, circa 110 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A pair of fossil Carpopenaeus callirostris shrimps in a matrix. 165 grams, 93 x 95 mm
Fine condition.
Lincolnshire, UK, collection.