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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Of penannular form with expanded sections at the centre and to both shoulders.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Composed of a gently carinated hoop, the interior inscribed in cursive script 'Love is the bond of pease'.

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'.

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.

Composed of assorted small round banded agate and carnelian beads with small cylinders between, featuring a gold solidus coin pendant of Emperor Justin II; modern screw clasp. 17.6 grams, 41 cm long



From an important North London collection formed before 1980.

The openwork filigree domed cap set with a deep blue glass bead, a carinated polished garnet bead and granulated gold bead below, gold granulated bead and turquoise-coloured glass bead above, together with a free-running suspension loop. 2.06 grams, 24 mm



Acquired 1970-2010. Collection of a late Japanese gentleman.

One with incised lines and punched crescent; one with seriffed Chi Rho symbol. 7.32 grams total, 18-24 mm



From the collection of an EU gentleman formed in the 1990s. Acquired on the UK market.

Tear-shaped, carved with Chi Rho monogram within a central dimpled roundel, Greek letters 'Λ - ώ' in left and right field; pierced for suspension. 24.7 grams, 70 mm



From the collection of an EU gentleman formed in the 1990s. Acquired on the UK market.

Of piriform shape, with raised inverted tear-shaped bulbs over the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 932 grams, 15.2 cm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.

Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.

Bearing a central hand motif and surrounding inscription in Greek letters 'K E R A Y I O I T H I M (?)' probably the mark of the producer. 239 grams, 10.2 cm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.

Museum collections hold many stamps or seals of different forms, materials and shapes, some bearing inscriptions or images. These could have been used on bread, dough or on fresh clay to stamp amphoras, bricks, lamps and other clay objects.

Discoid bezel with incuse rampant griffin. 3.54 grams, 21.36 mm overall, 16.49 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)



Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman.

Composed of irregular coral and glass beads, featuring a gold Solidus coin pendant of Emperor Heraclius; modern screw clasp. 29.17 grams, 38 cm long



From an important North London collection formed before 1980.

Sub-rectangular plaque with integral pierced lug suspender; incuse figure of a horseman to one face with enigmatic Greek legend, winged figure to the other face with four lines of Greek text. 8.02 grams, 55 mm



English collection, 1990s. Ex North London gallery.

A flat-section expanding-arm cross pendant with integral loop; incised cross flory to the centre with a band of herringbone ornament to the end of each arm. 6.08 grams, 39 mm



From a UK collection, formed 1970s. The Kusmirek Collection, UK.

Composed of a facetted bulb adorned with granulated pyramids; one hoop absent. 19.1 grams total, 26-31 mm



From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.

Composed of later restrung ceramic beads together with a central cruciform pendant displaying punched ring-and-dot motifs to one face, possibly representing the Five Wounds of Christ. 6.1 grams, 50 cm long



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.