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.

Comprising a Colt .41 calibre single action rimfire single-shot derringer pocket pistol, the barrel top marked 'COLT' and the left frame '41 CAL'; with nickel-plated brass frame and steel rifled barrel (swivel to load) and bird's beak butt with plain wood grips; the pistol contained in an original case formed from a hollowed out leather-bound book Pratique du Sacrament de Penitence ou Methode pour L'Administrer Utilement, published Paris, 1714, the compartment lined with marbled paper with section for spare bullets; action in working order. 450 grams total, book 17 x 10 cm



Acquired from Holts Auction, 2020, lot 899. Formerly with a Kent collector. With TimeLine Auctions, lot 1086. Property of an Australian collector. Accompanied by Holts lot ticket.

Sold as an exempt item under Section 58 (2) of the Firearms Act, 1968, to be held as a curiosity or ornament. No license required but buyer must be over 18 years of age. Overseas bidders should note that, due to UK regulations governing export of all firearms, overseas buyers will need to make arrangements for shipping this lot out of the UK directly, by air freight, with a specialist company or agent.

With 11cm (4½") side-by-side double barrel hinged for loading/extraction, fitted with hinged bayonet to top, folding triggers, with wood butt and steel but cap with lanyard ring; action working. 505 grams, 22.5 cm



Acquired on the UK market. Property of a Kent collector.

Sold as an exempt item under Section 58 (2) of the Firearms Act, 1968, to be held as a curiosity or ornament. No license required but buyer must be over 18 years of age. Overseas bidders should note that, due to UK regulations governing export of all firearms, overseas buyers will need to make arrangements for shipping this lot out of the UK directly, by air freight, with a specialist company or agent.

Four tanged arrowheads of mainly leaf-shaped types, three with pronounced midribs. 74 grams total, 10.7 - 15 cm



Ex G. White collection, 1990s.

Suitable for use with an onager or other catapult-type siege weapon; with roughened, abrasive surface. 1.5 kg, 97 mm



Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector.

The operation of the onager (Latin for 'wild ass') is first mentioned in 353 A.D. by Ammianus Marcellinus in his Res Gestae and more fully in Vegetius's Epitoma Rei Militaris probably written in the reign of Emperor Theodosius I (378-395 A.D.).

With central barbed spike positioned under the pierced central hole, fitted on both sides with arms having circular shaped eyelet-like protuberances. 29.6 grams total, 54-62 mm



Acquired on the German art market around 2000. From the collection of a South African gentleman.

The prick spur was the first type of spur to be invented, and it consists of a goad or prick, more or less pointed, connected to side arms or a heel plate. They went around the rider’s heel and had a straight post on the back that was used to cue the horse. Often this was sharp, obviously intended to prick the horse, The type here represented seems to be a provincial variant of Roman Imperial prick spur fitted with three eyelets.

From the right side of the face mask, the upper edge with a band of embossed diagonal lines, probably intending to represent stylised hair, embossed spiral to the centre, a symbol clearly connected with the worship of the sun; a hole for the fastening thongs at ear-level which originally linked the face-guard to the bowl. 75 grams, 13 cm high



Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

The spiral decoration of the face-guard is connected with the solar cult. The spiral represents the rotary movement of the sun, and the spiral is probably the oldest known spiritual symbol connected with the sun, together with the swastika or tetragammadion. The connection can also be seen in Celtic art, where the representation of the spiral also follows the path of the sun, describing the movements of the heavenly body over the course of a solar year. The third century was characterised by diffusion of the solar cult, the Sol Invictus, among the Roman soldiers, with its symbols often represented on arms and weapons as an apotropaic element of protection.

Pear-shaped ceramic vessel with domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 594 grams, 12 cm



Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. 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.

From the right side of the face mask, the upper edge with an embossed band of diagonal lines, Jupiter’s eagle embossed to the centre, looking back and holding a laurel crown in its beak; a hole for the fastening thongs at ear-level. 87 grams, 19.7 cm



Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.

The decoration of Roman weaponry contained themes that were directly associated with state propaganda, as well as with the Imperial cult. As the god-protector of the state and the army, Jupiter was the most esteemed. The combination of an eagle (helmet), Minerva and bust of Mars (armour) can also be understood as an image of dii militares.

Formed as leaves or a flower bud with volutes emerging from a rectangular frame at the upper end, also with volutes, integral loop above; two mounting lugs to the reverse. 6.03 grams, 27 mm

Fine condition.

Acquired in the 1980s-1990s. Ex an important central London gallery, London W1.

In the development of the Seversky Donets basin, together with the Alans and other bearers of the cremation rite, archaeology confirms the presence of tribes who practiced inhumation funeral rite with the eastern orientation of the dead (Netailovsky ground burial). Elements of belt sets, typical for this period, were found in these graves. Elements of the belt set similar to those found in the burials of the Netailovsky burial ground mainly come from the so-called ‘under-barrow burials with ditches’ of the 7th - first half of the 8th centuries, identified with the Khazars proper. Floral decoration of the belt elements, like this one, can be regarded as evidence of intensive contacts between the Khazars and Byzantium.

Cast in one piece, with narrow blade having almost parallel edges, flanged hilt with narrow grip widening slightly towards the ricasso, decorated from five parallel grooves, and running smoothly into the blade. 188 grams, 33 cm



Ex German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.

The dirk belongs to the type III in the Medvedskaya classification, but with a smallest hand guard at the base. The dating of type III to the 12th century B.C., suggested by Medvedskaya and confirmed by Khorasani, was based on the series of dirks with an inscription of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar I and of the name of Marduk Nadin Ahhe on similar types of daggers.

Mainly composed of tanged arrowheads of barbed and leaf-shaped types, many with midribs. 178 grams total, 3.8-10.2 cm



Acquired 1990s. From the collection of a late Japanese weaponry collector.

Finno-Ugrian with scooped socket, broad blade with extension to the lower edge, hole to the blade, possibly of Baltic workmanship. 498 grams, 16.2 cm



Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector.

During their struggles against Germans and Teutonic Knights, deceased pagans were often cremated along with damaged or ceremonially sacrificed weaponry. If swords were generally reserved for the military elite, the side axe was one of the most commonly used weapons.