Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History, Stamps & Coins

Obverse with low-relief bust wearing conical headgear, with trefoil sceptre and hatched robe; reverse with legend 'ΚΕΒΟΗΙΤΟ' ('T' inverted). 3.12 grams, 38 mm



Ex Essex gentleman's collection, 2000s.

Large oil lamp with stub handle to the rear, wide rim with concentric rings and lozenges, the discus with concentric triangles and volutes, a low basal ring. 213 grams, 14 cm



From an important collection of lamps, Germany, 1970s.

Comprising a slightly domed disc with raised border and triangular flange to the lower edge; suspension loop above and remains of slider bar to reverse; incuse foliage design. 10.4 grams, 45 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Heavy equal-armed cross with raised borders and a raised central cross motif, integral loop. 27.8 grams, 40 mm



From the private coin collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the mid 1980s.

Small lamp with linear decoration on the shoulder, tapering handle to the rear and low basal ring. 73 grams, 84 mm



From the collection of a Cambridge, UK, gentleman, by direct descent from his father, who acquired the items in London in circa 1960.

Bulbous body with pointed base and domed mouth, two circumferential bands on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 378 grams, 10.3 cm



From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια, where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.

D-section hoop with keeled shoulders, polygonal bezel with a stylised nimbate figure. 6.65 grams, 23.80 mm overall, 18.91 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)



Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

This category of rings had a hexagonal-rounded chaton raised above the link. Conforming to the iconography of the Orthodox countries under the influence of Byzantium, the possible decoration was related to military saints.

Comprising: two strap ends with openwork decoration of bifurcated scrolls and volutes; a buckle with an arched loop and cast tongue mounted on a shield-shaped plate decorated in a similarly abstract vegetal scheme. 51.5 grams total, 47-89 mm



Acquired on the European art market.

The high quality of execution, formal consistency, and use of silver suggest these fittings once adorned the belt of a military or aristocratic figure within a frontier or provincial context. Their design is representative of the transitional material culture of the early Byzantine world, in which classical motifs were abstracted and reinterpreted through regional aesthetic idioms. This ensemble belongs to the broader category of Early Byzantine personal dress fittings, and is closely related to the Martynivka Hoard—a group of silver artefacts discovered near Kanev (modern Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine) before 1909. Now divided between the British Museum and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, the hoard includes strap ends and buckles of closely comparable design and manufacture. While their precise cultural attribution remains debated, the prevailing scholarly consensus situates them within the orbit of Byzantine provincial production, possibly influenced by or intended for Slavic, nomadic, or client populations in the Pontic steppe region. Similar artefacts have been recovered from Kerch in Crimea, further supporting the view that such belt fittings were widely disseminated in Byzantine-controlled or influenced regions along the northern Black Sea during the 6th and 7th centuries. Their function was not merely practical; richly decorated belts of this kind were important signifiers of rank, allegiance, and imperial favour.

Circular lamp with raised flange on the rim, short conical neck and a low basal ring. 181 grams, 95 mm



From an important collection of lamps, Germany, 1970s.

Featuring a slender hoop and circular bezel inscribed with 'CAP / ΓOV'. 1.59 grams, 21.30 mm overall, 17.50 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Comprising a D-section hoop and a hexagonal bezel with three crosses on a baseline. 4.23 grams, 23.24 mm overall, 19.00 x 17.01 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Slender hoop with decorated shoulders, an oval bezel with a facing nimbate bust holding a shield and a spear. 5.59 grams, 23.22 mm overall, 18.80 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)



Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.