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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Iron Age Celtic Bronze Mirror
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,460
Of tripartite form, comprising: the handle, the main mirror plate and tubular binding edge; the reverse of the mirror plate with traces of volute and spiral decoration, once covering the entire surface, thick applied border; separate handle comprising three fastening lobes and three openwork rings forming the grip, possibly a marriage. 355 grams, 27 cm
Private collection since the late 1990s. Property of an English collector. 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 search certificate number no.10603-174116.
Such mirrors were a unique product of the Celts in Britain, during a period between 300 B.C. and 100 A.D., when they were buried in the graves of queens, high-born princesses and other noblewomen, or in treasure hoards. The majority of these graves are dated between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D. Most of the specimens come from Britain (Desborough, Oxfordshire, Old Warden, Shillington, Trelan Bahow, Mayer mirrors), and a few were found in the nearby regions of France or the Low Countries (e.g. the Dordrecht mirror). -
Iron Age Celtic Bronze Bust of a Bound Captive
Circa 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
The facial features carefully moulded with oversized, almond-shaped eyes and a rope around the neck; hollow to the reverse with a central iron mounting peg, the void filled with lead. 54 grams, 45 mm high
Found East Anglia, UK. -
Bronze Age Gold Bracelet with Torc-Shaped Terminals
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,440
Of penannular form with expanded sections at the centre and to both shoulders. 138 grams, 79 mm wide
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. Ex old English collection, formed in the 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.200277. -
Iron Age Celtic Bronze Figure of a Man
Circa 1st century B.C.-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Formed with right hand raised and left hand on the hip, standing nude, ovate face with impressed eyes and slit mouth; mounted on a custom-made stand. 22.5 grams, 60 mm high (45.6 grams total, 71 mm including stand)
with the Prehistoric Museum, Dingle, Country Kerry, Republic of Ireland, until November 2018. Ex K. Schmidt collection, Cologne, Germany. Accompanied by an Irish export licence, no. 6570. -
Saxon Gold Disc Pendant with Expanding Cross
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Featuring a central boss and ribbed suspension loop; flat-section strips forming an expanding-arm cross, beaded wire collar to the boss, series of triangular punch marks to the outer border. 7.83 grams, 44 mm
By descent from a Russian noble family. From the collection of a North American gentleman. -
'The Oving' Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
6th century A.D.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. 75 grams, 13.4 cm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector in Oving, near Chichester, West Sussex, UK, in 2001. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no. 200279.
The various elements of the brooch find similar counterparts on others in the series, such as the form of the bow which corresponds to those on brooches from Herpes (Pas-de-Calais, France) and Sarre (Kent) (Hines's plates 10, 11) and the outer band of masks on the headplate which can be found on a brooch from Tuddenham (Hines's plate 15). -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Florid Cruciform Brooch
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Displaying Style I detailing, bird heads to the three headplate lobes, geometric ornament and facing human head; deep bow with central stud; footplate with horse-head detailing and lateral lappets; trace remains of gilding; pin lug and catchplate to reverse. 88 grams, 13.2 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by searcher certificate no. 201091. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Saucer Brooch
Later 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Featuring a dished face displaying a chased cross with Style I Tiermensch motifs in each quarter, all framed by concentric rings, broad eccentric flange rim; central pellet in red enamel; remains of pin lug and catchplate to reverse. 40 grams, 49 mm
Cambridgeshire collection, 1990s.
Enamel detailing is exceedingly rare on early Anglo-Saxon metalwork, and is almost confined to items produced in the south Midlands to the west of the Fenland. -
Anglo-Saxon Gilt Bronze Great Square-Headed Brooch
5th-6th century A.D.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. 80 grams, 82 mm
Cambridgeshire collection, 1990s.
The fractured lower edge shows signs of an ancient repair using a separate panel of sheet bronze pinned to the reverse. -
Merovingian Gold Ring with Garnet Gemstone
Later 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Comprising scrolled foliage to the shoulders, tiered disc bezel with beaded wire collar, inset garnet cabochon. 3.85 grams, 23.20 mm overall, 17.69 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)
Acquired on the German art market around 2000. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Merovingian Gold Ring with Cabochon Garnet
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
The hoop sub-circular in cross-section with collars and crescents at the shoulders, oval bezel set with a polished cabochon cut garnet. 2.79 grams, 21.85 mm overall, 16.88 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)
From an old London collection, formed in the late 1990s. -
Frankish Silver-Gilt Hippocampus Brooch
6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Composed of an s-shaped body, central band of chip-carved zigzags, triangular ear and chevron mouth, crescentic leg beneath the body; discoid cell to the eye with inset garnet cloison; pin-lug and catchplate to the reverse. 11.7 grams, 35 mm
Acquired in the early 1970s. Ex property of a Surrey, UK, collector.