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Byzantine Gold Ring with Saint
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
D-section hoop with domed square bezel, incuse bust with mantle draped from the right shoulder, cross to one side, lateral bands of punched pellets. 2.28 grams, 22.27 mm overall, 18.19 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 15.61, Japan 15)
Ex collection of a late Christian gentleman, 1970s -
Eastern Byzantine Amethyst Gemstone of a Male Bust with Cross in Gold Ring
4th-5th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
Intaglio with bearded profile bust facing left with a small cross to the shoulder; set into a later hollow-formed gold ring. 9.56 grams, 32.00 mm overall, 20.72 x 16.55 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
Acquired on the European art market. Private collection, England. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13137-249543. -
Byzantine Gold Cross Pendant
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Sheet-gold with integral suspension loop, five large bosses, each within an encircling ring and four smaller bosses in the spandrels assembled into a cross; a marriage. 3.73 grams, 36 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. -
Byzantine Gilt Bronze Horse Harness Decoration Set
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,495
Comprising: a large octofoil harness frontal plate with beaded rim and granulation; studs with quatrefoil plates; bell-shaped dangles. 556 grams total, 11-92 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12687-234699. -
Byzantine Green Glazed Sgraffito Footed Bowl
13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Carinated in profile with narrow flared base, green-glazed upper body; to the inner face a central roundel with zigzag fill and a zigzag band above the gallery, to the outer face horizontal zigzag band to the shoulder; old Christie's label with '144/2 5540'. 372 grams, 13 cm
Ex Charles Gillot (1853-1903). with Christie's, Paris, 2008. European private collection. -
Achaemenid Silver Phiale with Central Rosette
5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,705
Squat lotiform bowl with wide everted rim, central domed mesomphalos with rosette detailing, some restoration to the rim; with custom-made box. 240 grams, 13.7 cm wide
Ex London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13067-248447.
This bowl is possibly part of a set of nearly identical vessels, probably used at the table of a high-status household, potentially that of a satrap. Persian governors (satrapes) used banquets to display their wealth and power by imitating royal banquets. It was a great honour for them to receive a drinking vessel such as this as a gift from the King of the Kings, thereby establishing their status as royal dinner guests. No doubt it took practice to drink adeptly from a vessel like this, yet the omphalos in the base would have made it easier to hold with one hand, with the middle finger hooked inside the indentation and the thumb stretched out to grip the vessel at or near the rim. -
Achaemenid Silver Lion Brooch Pair
6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,625
Each a bow with balustered arms ending in a knop finial and curved catchplate; round-section pin with coiled wire collar; apex of each bow with the addorsed forequarters of two felines with stylised markings and facial features. 22.3 grams total, 30 mm each
Acquired before 1983. Ex London gallery, 1990s. Private collection, London, UK. -
Judaean Gold Pendant with Menorah
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Foil disc with integral suspension loop, repoussé menorah motif in pointillé technique. 1.19 grams, 17 mm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
Luristan Bronze Finial with Master of Animals
8th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
A bifacial sceptre head formed as a 'Master of Animals' atop a collared tubular stem, comprising two slender crescentic arms representing slender beasts with ridged backs and roaring mouths, each in the grip of the Master standing crowned between them; the Master with tubular body, animal-like ears, prominent nose above a small mouth and wearing a neck ring and domed headdress; mounted on a display stand. 213 grams total, 19.7 cm including stand
Ex Captaine Patrick Pakenham, Geneva, Switzerland, acquired in the 1960s-1970s, thence by succession. Private collection. -
Marlik Bronze Maternity Figure
9th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Openwork body with integral horned head, loops to the shoulders and breasts; separate arms mounted in the shoulder-rings, applied pellets and braid detailing. 40 grams, 77 mm
Acquired in the 1980s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12698-234680. -
Bactrian Stone Coiled Snake Amulet
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Carved steatite pendant of a coiled serpent with central hole; lozenge and angled detailing to obverse. 5.68 grams, 26 mm
Private collection, 1999. -
Urartu Copper Figure of a Goddess
8th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,200
Columnar in form with bulbous hairstyle descending to a tapering tail; stub arms to the sides and small right-angled feet; impressed herringbone texture to the hair; robe with hatched detailing to the collar, belt and hem, rosette and other detailing; supplied with a custom-made display stand. 115 grams, 76 mm (130 grams, 95 mm including stand)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired in 2003. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12894-241695.