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LOT 0393
Articulated Skeleton in Gold Closet Memento Mori Pendant Charm
EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (5.39 grams, 40 mm (legs extended)).
Formed as a cupboard with hinged door, decorative openwork backplate and an applied large question mark to the door; inside the cupboard a white enamelled skeleton with articulated fold-out legs and articulated jaw operated by lever from the rear.
ProvenanceProperty of a County Durham collector; acquired on the UK art market.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0393
Articulated Skeleton in Gold Closet Memento Mori Pendant Charm
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
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Western Asiatic Style Core-Formed Glass Bird
20th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Formed as a black glass bird on a green base, the body with dragged trails to provide the feathered effect. 116 grams, 69 mm
Acquired in London, 1992. Private collection, London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Victorian 'Freaks Fair' Model of a Shrunken Head
19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
A tribal head modelled from leather with applied hair, moustache, eyebrows and eyelashes; pierced through the lips and ears; set in a later glass dome with base. 810 grams total, 20.5 cm including stand
Acquired Mellors & Kirk, circa 2019. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The freak show was the archetypal expression of popular culture, enjoyed by everyone regardless of their class. The freak show was presented to the public as entertaining and educational, offering the opportunity to learn about anatomy and the ‘realities’ of people from foreign lands. The real 'shrunken heads' known as tsantsas were severed human heads that were used by tribal cultures as war trophies or for ceremonial purposes. They were also used to scare off an enemy, using the heads as a threat, or also in religious rituals. -
Post Medieval Bronze Fire Strikers
17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £360
Both with two large arched loops for fingers; one with a triangular, the other with a rectangular striking peen; profile formed as a ship with pointed stern and the bow ending in a volute, engraved wave pattern along the hull; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 190 grams total, 18.5 cm wide including stand
German art market, before 2008. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00014409. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
These fire strikers represent one of the typical shape during the 17th and 18th centuries. They were shaped with two bows, and were often decorated with a series of ornamental strokes on the side.