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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Tudor Period Glass Onion Bottle with Wine
16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Contained within the bottle with a cork and wax seal. 1.24 kg, 17 cm high
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Chinese Tang Horse with Rider
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
Modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic anatomical detailing, the horse standing on a rectangular base, its stocky neck and head slightly turned to the right, ears pricked forwards, cropped mane and short, dressed tail; the separate rider seated in saddle wearing a knee-length robe, hood and riding boots, one arm held in front of his body, the other raised above his head, detailing to his face; remains of polychrome pigmentation; the upper half of the rider's body modelled separately. 1.75 kg, 32 cm high
From the R.M.Hicks OBE private collection, UK. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.C106u29 from Oxford Authentication.
A symbol of military strength and social status, the horse was ever a potent mythological and symbolic animal in China. During the Tang Dynasty, both polo and hunting from horseback became fashionable for men and women. It was also during the Tang Dynasty period that female court attendants on horses appeared in art and in tomb sculpture. The fruits of China's relationship with the horse include three of the most important innovations in equestrian history: the horse collar, the stirrup and harnesses based on the breast strap. The failure of China's domestic horse breeding programmes forced them to artificially inflate the price of tea (the production of which was controlled by China), so that tea could be traded for horses from their neighbours. -
Chinese Northern Qi Ceramic Caparisoned Horse
Northern Qi Dynasty, 550-577 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,250
The animal's head raised, mouth open and ears pricked, integrally modelled saddle, caparison, bridle and plume; tail absent. 2.85 kg, 39 cm high
Tail absent.
Acquired 1980s-1990s. Ex West Country collection. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.C122g65 from Oxford Authentication. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11701-199226. -
Very Large Chinese Tang Ceramic Saddled Horse
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
Modelled in the round with naturalistic anatomical detailing, standing on a rectangular base, with ears pricked forwards, dressed tail; the saddle and saddle cloth decorated with elaborate polychrome stylised flowers, detailing to the eyes and eyelashes. 14.1 kg, 62.5 cm high
Fine condition.
Acquired 1990s. West Country, UK, collection. Accompanied by a thermoluminescence report no.CJ162522022, issued by Laboratory Kotalla. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate no.11362-192817. -
Chinese Han Terracotta Male Figure
Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.-220 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,404
Modelled standing, wearing a floor-length courtly robe, arms folded within sleeves at the waist, stylised facial features; remains of polychrome pigmentation. 6.1 kg, 56 cm high
Acquired 1990s. West Country, UK, collection. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.C122e80 from Oxford Authentication. -
Chinese Tang Terracotta Dragon
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,510
Elongated piriform body with fluted panels to the chest and flanks, white and red pigment, square socket between the shoulders; restored with earlier elements. 5.85 kg, 41.5 cm wide
Ex Cotswold, UK, collection, 1970-1990. Accompanied by thermoluminescence analysis report no.C118j1 from Oxford Authentication. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.203477. -
Chinese Xiajiadian Painted Terracotta Tripod Li Vessel
Neolithic, circa 23rd-15th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
Composed of three hollow conical feet, elongated body and everted rim, polychrome painted geometric motifs to body and neck. 1.4 kg, 26 cm high
Ex E. Bourke, MD, Yonkers, New York, U.S.A. Acquired on the U.S. art market. Ex property of a London gallery. Accompanied by thermoluminescence analysis report no.26AG08042022 by Laboratory Kotalla. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.201948. -
Chinese Erotic Glass Snuff Bottle, Signed Sun Ing Wu
Dated June 1948 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Painted with a nude reclining female in domestic surrounds to the interior, characters painted to side and reverse; orange cabochon to lid. 66 grams, 96 mm high
Property of a lady, from her grandfather's collection, 1960s-1970s; thence by descent. -
Sultanate Red Sandstone Frieze Fragment
North India, probably Delhi, circa 1220-1225 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Displaying a reserved high-relief Qur'an inscription fragment, Chapter (43) sūrat l-zukh'ruf (The Gold Adornment) OL438. 17.3 kg, 41.5 cm
Ex Frederick Elghanayan collection. Acquired from Sotheby’s, London, UK, 19 April, 1993, lot 148 (part). Ex central London gallery. -
Thai Bronze Buddha Head
Sukhothai, 15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic features, the oval face with delicate features showing a serene expression, elongated earlobes and hair dressed in tiers of tightly-wound spiralling curls; top and most of back of the head absent, exposing a ceramic interior; some remains of lacquer and gilding, particularly to the ears, temples and neck; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 6.8 kg total, 44 cm high including stand
with Nagel Auction, Stuttgart, Germany, 2006. Acquired from Galerie Arabesque, 2014. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.202173.
Possibly Buddha bhūmisparśamudrā, the facial expression signifying the attainment of enlightenment. -
Romano-Egyptian Light Blue Faience Bead Group
Circa 1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Composed of five collared beads with decorative piercing and hatching, possibly from further east. 54 grams total, 34-36 mm
London private collection, 1979-1983. -
Egyptian Black Hardstone Scarab with Ankh
Late New Kingdom, circa 1070 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Carved with stylised features and the base carved with a scarab beetle flanked by two ankh symbols and a ra sign beneath; drilled for suspension. 2.71 grams, 18 mm
Acquired 1969-1999. From the private collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK, thence by descent.