Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History & Coins

An orange agate came depicting a lioness on a baseline with its head lowered, the cameo drilled longitudinally and set in gold ring. 8.19 grams, 24.60 mm overall, 17.03 x 17.62 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13395-257958.

Ellipsoid plaque with carved high-relief scene depicting Psyche crouching with left leg extended, her right arm raised to support a veil, head turned towards Eros, left arm passing between the legs of Eros, standing nude with wings spread to kiss Psyche, his bow and quiver cast aside in the field. 33.5 kg total including stand, 63 cm wide



Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13396-259009.

Standing on an angular base resting his left knee on the open jaws of a fish, his left arm holding the jaws open, the body and tail held upright be the raised right hand (partly absent); with heavy sulphured patina. 20.75 kg, 48 cm



Acquired prior to 1970. From the estate of a Swiss gentleman, Ticino. Private collection, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12790-240308.

In ancient Roman art and architecture, fountains were often decorated with sculptures of young boys or putti holding fish. These sculptures were known as 'putti with fish' or 'boy with fish' and were a popular motif in the decoration of fountains. The young boy or putto was shown holding a fish or a shell, which would spout water into the fountain basin below. The fish was a particularly popular motif because it symbolised abundance, fertility, and prosperity, which were all important values in ancient Roman society. Overall, the putti with fish sculptures are a notable example of the art and architecture of ancient Rome and have continued to be an enduring symbol of beauty, abundance, and prosperity throughout the centuries. Archaeological excavations in Pompeii have revealed many examples of sculptures of putti with fish. The putti with fish sculptures from Pompeii were usually made of bronze, marble, or terracotta. They were often placed in the centre of the fountain, surrounded by other decorative elements such as flowers, plants, and other sculptures. Many of these putti with fish sculptures are now on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The museum also houses a famous mosaic of a putto with a fish, which was discovered in the House of the Faun in Pompeii. The putti with fish sculptures from Pompeii and those in the Naples Museum provide valuable insights into the art and culture of ancient Rome. They demonstrate the importance of beauty and abundance in ancient Roman society and offer a glimpse into the everyday life of the people who lived in Pompeii over two thousand years ago. In the 17th and 18th centuries these sculptures were imitated and used to decorate the fountains of royal palaces and palaces.

Rectangular in plan, the lime green silk field with two large roundels of red silk tied by a tassel in the rococo style, signature of Sultan Mahmud II contained within a mosque lamp, ten smaller roundels of alternating cream, orange and cream silk; large central rectangular panel and two bands above incorporating inscriptions in Thuluth, tughra of the Sultan framed by swags in lower part of field, ground richly decorated with floral swags and vegetal motifs, backed. 17.8 kg, 294 x 179 cm



Acquired before 2000. Private collection, UK. with Bonhams, London, 6 October 2008, no.216 (est. £80,000 - £120,000). This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12741-235157.

The inscriptions comprise: in two horizontal cartouches: Qur'an, surah al-Ahzab (XXXIII, verses 45-46) inscription contained in mosque lamp; the signature of Sultan Mahmud Il in the two large roundels: the Shahadah in the six roundels above central rectangular panel; the names of the four Orthodox Caliphs, and the Imams Hasan and Husain in the central panel; Quran, surah al-Baqarah (Il), verse 255, ayat al-Kursi in the six side panels; the names of the companions of the Prophet in the lower part; the tughra of Sultan Mahmud.

Finely engraved intaglio portraying a left-facing bust of Henry IV (1553–1610), King of France, in armour, with a decorated gorget and distinctive curled beard, set in a high-carat gold bezel and later fitted with a modern plain shank; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 5.24 grams, 21.83 mm overall, 19.35 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)



Acquired on the European art market.

The engraving is directly after a medallic portrait by Guillaume Dupré, Henry IV’s official medallist, which was widely circulated during the king’s reign and thereafter. The king’s profile is clearly drawn from a familiar medallic type, often used in the 17th and 18th centuries as a symbol of royal authority and dynastic legitimacy.

Composed of a D-section large hoop and an oval collet set with an intaglio intricately carved with a composite head composed of at least fourteen distinct faces, based on an image engraved after Jean Berain c.1675; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.66 grams, 22.60 mm overall, 20.70 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)



Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13397-257946.

Comprising a fluted band with openwork shoulders set with facetted rock crystals, rub-over setting engraved with floral motifs on the reverse and set with a red carnelian intaglio carved with the coat of arms of the owner; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 5.64 grams, 24.89 mm overall, 21.56 x 17.76 mm internal diameter (approximate size British U, USA 10, Europe 22.52, Japan 21)



Acquired on the European art market.

Featuring a slender hoop with black-enamelled shoulders, a hexagonal collet setting with point-cut quartz with foil backing, and black-enamelled decoration beneath the setting. 2.91 grams, 26.70 mm overall, 18.36 x 17.64 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)



Acquired on the European art market.

The ring with a U-shaped hoop and lentoid bezel with ropetwist border, set with a polished banded agate resembling the all-seeing eye. 3.57 grams, 24.17 mm overall, 19.26 x 17.26 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)



Acquired on the European art market.

Eye beads, often crafted with concentric circle motifs resembling an eye, served as powerful amulets thought to offer protection against the evil eye and malevolent forces.

Featuring a round-section large hoop expanding towards the shoulders, a large circular bezel with a Greek key motif encircling the outer rim and set with a brown 'toadstone'. 13.01 grams, 32.42 mm overall, 23.12 x 19.25 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)



Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13398-257996.

William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, circa 1599: 'Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.' Toadstones are mythical stones that were thought to be found inside the head of a toad. They were believed to sweat, change colour or even heat up in the presence of poison. It was thought that a toadstone placed on bites from snakes, insects, spiders and shrews would extract poison from the wound. They were thought to bring good luck and ward off evil, whether in the present life or in the afterlife. The Book of Secrets from the 13th century recommends swallowing the stone to 'cleanse the bowels of filth and excrements'. The stone could then be retrieved and used again. They were often set as amulets and talismans, a practice that continued in Europe until the 18th century. Toadstones are actually the button-like fossilised teeth of Lepidotes, an extinct genus of fish common in the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, 200 to 100 million years ago.

Comprising a D-section hoop expanding towards the open-backed setting set with a large brown agate intaglio modelled as two conjoined standing owls, the one at the front facing, and the other looking to the right, intricate feather and facial details, the cameo with a loss on the right-hand side, with the ring incorporating a fine gold repair. 12.74 grams, 24.90 mm overall, 17.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)



Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13318-257961.

Even in Italian Renaissance, the owl, ancient symbol of the goddess Athena, symbolises wisdom. The owl was also a symbol of the night time and death, as is so eloquently illustrated in the 17th Century painting Vanité à la chouette in The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, which depicts an owl sitting on a human skull next to an extinguished candle.

Brown oval cameo depicting a profile bust of a veiled young woman with large eyes and a small button nose, set in a ring with a closed-back setting. 10.26 grams, 24.74 mm overall, 18.91 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13399-257955.