Auction Highlights
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Etruscan Painted Terracotta Architectural Cornice
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
A fragment of amorphous form, decorated in relief with scrolling tendrils and anthemion, painted egg-and-dart ornament above, surmounted by moulded bands and a frieze of meander and chequerboard panels; remains of red and black painted pigment. -
Roman Bronze Eros Cradling Goose Applique
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Formed as the bust of Eros looking upwards, stub wings to his shoulders, holding a goose to his chest; conical socket above each wing; eyes with silver inserts; old collector's label '1994 51.75' to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand; likely a socket base. -
Roman Silver-Gilt Military Buckle for an Elite Imperial Officer
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,800
Comprising a rectangular plate, richly decorated with embossed laurel leaves in a grid, framed with raised bosses, the buckle loop comprising opposing dragons with open mouths, holding a spherical tongue-rest, another pair of smaller dragon heads to base, the tongue with a smaller pair of punch-decorated dragon heads. -
South Arabian Bronze Bowl with Mythical Animals
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,850
Hemispherical in form, repoussé interior displaying graduated concentric registers of stylised and mythical animals within tessellating cartouches; a low relief mesomphalos decorated with rosette at centre; geometric ornament around the rim. -
Assyrian Bronze Relief Fragment
Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,900
Displaying a corrugated rim above and below; two advancing soldiers, each striding forwards over the headless body of a dead enemy, carrying a severed head in each hand; the soldiers shown bearded and each wearing a pointed and segmented helmet with a recess to accommodate the ears, a cuirass and thigh-length tunic, with a bow over one shoulder and a sword slung from a waist belt; mounted on a custom-made display stand. -
Bronze Age Gold Bracelet with Torc-Shaped Terminals
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,440
Of penannular form with expanded sections at the centre and to both shoulders. -
'The Oving' Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Comprising a rectangular headplate with two panels of chip-carved Style I ornament, flanking a beast-head with triangular muzzle and two pellet eyes, raised three-sided frame and outer band of pellets above beast-heads with lentoid eyes; the shallow bow with raised median rib, flanges to the edges and punched pellet detailing; footplate with beast-head between curved pellet lines, pierced horse-head lappets, lozengiform central panel with knot of Style I limbs; two lateral discs, one pierced to accept a stud and the other with a domed stud in place; the finial a disc with human mask inverted; pin-lug and part of catch to the reverse. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Displaying chased panels populated with Style I zoomorphs and geometric forms, borders of annulets, raised masks to the upper corners of the headplate; applied discoid boss to bow decorated with a rosette, addorsed beast heads below; extensive remains of gilding; pin lug and catchplate to reverse and remains of ancient repair, lower part absent. -
'The Tenby' Hiberno-Norse Viking Penannular Brooch
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
Comprising a round-section crescent with flared ends terminating in two curved spatulate flat panels, each with a ropework border surrounding a two-band knotwork motif; cleaned and conserved. -
Medieval Oil Painting of Sorrowful Virgin
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
The weeping Virgin with her head bowed to the left and hands raised to her chest on a dotted gilt background, an expression of pain on her delicately formed face; wearing a white veil and a black long-sleeved robe, the veil arranged as a headdress and covering her hair; on wood and mounted in a later carved wooden architectural frame. -
Medieval Stained Glass Panel With Saint Martin on Horseback
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Shown beneath an arcade, offering his cloak on the end of his sword to the beggar at his feet; polychrome detailing; repaired with lead cames and held in a wooden frame. -
Medieval Stained Glass Panel with The Virgin and Child
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
Composed from irregular painted panels bearing mainly foliage designs and figural elements; Mary crowned and enthroned with infant Jesus on her knee, in a lobed vesica-shaped panel held with lead cames; mounted in a wooden frame with modern replacements. -
Medieval Stone Column Capital with Lion and Human Face
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Carved in the half-round with a frieze composed of interlaced foliage with two rows of acanthus leaves and foliage scrolls, framing a lion's head on one side and a human head on the other, remains of lion's mane to the third; drilled holes to the raised surfaces and sockets for the insertion of decorative stones. -
'The Kirkleavington' Medieval Bronze Inscribed Purse Frame
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
The bar with central D-shaped block pierced vertically by a stud surmounted by the suspension loop, with four pierced flanges to the underside; the frame in two sections, the larger a U-shaped rod with pivot for the bar, the smaller pivoting within the inner face, both pierced on the inner face; the block inscribed to one face with capital S and to the other with intersecting Vs; the bar inscribed to one face in capitals 'A DOMINI TECVM' and to the other in coarsely incised capitals 'AVEMARIA G[R]ACIAPLE[NA]'; the smaller rod inscribed in capitals 'CREATOREN CELI ET TERRE ET IN [IES]VN'; the larger inscribed with a band of scrolled decoration and the text in Lombardic capitals 'SOLI DEO HONOR ET GLORIA'; the accompanying letter discusses the texts (1) Ave Maria G[r]acia ple[n]a Dominus Tecum 'Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord [is] with thee'; (2) Soli Deo Honor et Gloria 'Honour and glory to God alone'; (3) Creatorem celi et terrae et inferum 'creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus'. The intersecting Vs may form a monogram for A[ve] M[aria]; the 1847 letter describes the findspot as 'found at Kirkleavington near Yarm in the sill of a brook' in the North Riding of Yorkshire. -
'The Roxwell' Medieval Gold Signet Ring of 'King's Serjeant William Skrene'
Sold for (Inc. bp): £23,400
Gold hoop and discoid bezel with incuse ropework border; incuse image of a bird of prey perching with wings spread and head turned; blackletter incuse and reversed inscription in an arc above the bird's head and pinions '·al : for : ye : best ·' (all for the best); repair to hoop. -
Medieval Silver 'Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Rutland' Royal Hawking Vervel
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,750
Or a leg ring inscribed '+Earle of Rutland' in derivative black letter script, for a female merlin or sparrow hawk (due to the youth of Edmund Plantagenet who died aged 17); the ring with a convex interior face. -
Post Medieval Gold Memento Mori Ring with Inscribed Posy 'In God Alone Wee Two Are One'
Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Displaying large flower heads, foliage and a skull to the outer face, enhanced with black enamelling; interior inscribed in a cursive script 'In god alone wee two are one', together with possible maker's stamps 'D' and 'F' in two rectangular cartouches. -
Heavy Post Medieval Gold 'Love Is The Bond Of Pease' Posy Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
Composed of a gently carinated hoop, the interior inscribed in cursive script 'Love is the bond of pease'. -
Post Medieval Gold 'Live Life to the Full' Decorated Posy Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
Composed of a decoratively notched hoop divided into chased rhomboidal panels displaying foliate tendrils and horizontal hatching alternately; the interior inscribed in Roman capitals with the Latin phrase: 'x x x x VIVE x VT x VIVAS'. -
English Milled Coins - George VI - 1937 - Cased RM Proof Coronation Gold Set [4]
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,700
Set comprising gold five pounds, two pounds, sovereign and half sovereign. Obvs: profile bust with GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP legends. Revs: St George and dragon; date in exergue; with original Royal Mint hinged red leatherette case of issue.
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Wooden Sporting Discus
Circa 1900 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
The wooden core set into a steel rim; stamped 'AAA PATT[ERN?]' for Amateur Athletic Association and 'LILLYWHITE-FROWD-LONDON'. 1.5 kg, 20 cm wide
Acquired from Manfred Schotten Antiques. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the Manfred Schotten listing.
Possibly used in the 1948 London Olympics and Manufactured by Jas. Lillywhite, Frowd & Co., Boro, London. -
Gilt Painted Wooden Icon of Saint George
Circa 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £172
Dressed in armour and holding a spear, carrying a shield on his back, quiver of arrows on his hip with bow over arm, and one hand on a sword at his side, against a gilt background; text across left and right field reading 'Свети Георги' (Saint George). 667 grams, 33.2 cm
Ex French gallery, Paris.
Saint George, a Roman soldier of the 4th century, martyred under Diocletian, soon became the emblem of the military saint par excellence, defender of the faith and protector of armies. In the east, his icons and images were often carried into battle or placed on standards of Christian armies; in the West, he became a patron of chivalry. Here he is represented in late Roman armour, according to the style in use in Byzantium between the 14th and 15th centuries. -
Embroidery Sampler
Dated 1834 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Framed and glazed; embroidered by Phoebe Chisholm aged 12 years 1834. 1.7 kg, 49 x 40 cm
Acquired on the UK art market. East Anglian private collection.
The verse is quoted from the poem 'The Growing Boy'. -
Mixed Finds Group
20th century A.D. and earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £52
Comprising metallic and organic artefacts including: a figural cross pendant; purse bar; toy tea pot; decorative furniture and other fittings; coins and other miscellaneous items. 1.4 kg total, 1-12 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Post Medieval Bronze Ring with Date
Late 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Scroll detailing to the shoulders, shield-shaped bezel with stamped date '1899' in lower panel. 4.63 grams, 25.33 mm overall, 23.29 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z+1, USA 12 3/4 , Europe 29.99, Japan 28)
Acquired on the London art market, 1980s-1990s. -
Ethiopian Bone Cross Collection
20th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £169
Each with a loop or piercing for suspension and decorated with punched and incised geometric motifs. 74 grams total, 61-65 mm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Post Medieval Glazed Ceramic Chamber Pot
Circa 18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Composed of a gently rounded body, tapering handle and discoid foot. 1.18 kg, 18 cm wide
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Post Medieval Silver Signet Ring
17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
With slightly plano-convex hoop and ribbed underside to the discoid bezel, face with raised rim and incuse motif of a heater shield surmounted by a crown with ivy-leaves; shield depicting a tower attacked by two assailants on scaling-ladders; possibly German workmanship. 14.43 grams, 25.09 mm overall, 19.19 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister. -
Post Medieval Dutch Glazed Ceramic Tile Group
Circa 17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Comprising glazes of different colours and designs, including geometric motifs, wild animals, flowering plants, figural scenes and buildings in landscapes. 5.8 kg total, 13 x 13 - 13 x 13.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Post Medieval Silver Penannular Brooch Group
19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Comprising: one with an openwork D-shaped plaque, tendril and leaf detail with inset cloisons of ruby, sapphire, tourmaline and glass, penannular hoop with disc terminals, stamped 'ɅΦɅ' and other marks to the ring and shank; one with openwork triangular plaque with scrolled tendrils and central ropework star, pierced lobe finial, penannular hoop with lobe terminals, stamped lozenge to the lobe finial and others to the hoop. 20.8 grams total, 57-80 mm
Acquired 1970s. Ex property of an Essex, UK, collector.
The stones set in the D-shaped plaque are a mixture of gem cuts from several time periods, the earliest being Tudor. It is likely that they are the silversmith's accumulation from several pieces of older jewellery broken down for their metal and stones. -
British Sharon Davies Signed Swimming Cap
21st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
A Speedo 'Team Great Britain' rubber swimming cap, signed in ink by Sharon Davies. 57 grams, 22.5 cm
Acquired from Spirit of Sport, UK, 2014. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by a certificate and two photographs.
Sharon Davies (born 1 November 1962) was one of the UK's most successful swimmers, competing and winning medals in twelve Olympic Games and many other events for the British team during the 1970's to 1990's period; she has been a presenter and a prominent voice in UK swimming. -
Post Medieval Glazed Ceramic Caged Canary Tile Set
Circa 18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Formed using mauve-coloured glaze for the cage and yellow for the bird; chipped. 1.4 kg total, 13 x 13 cm each
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.