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LOT 0388
Bezoar with Silver-Gilt Suspension Mount
CIRCA 17TH-18TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 in. (74 grams, 80 mm).
Dark brown, rounded bezoar with a granular surface, fitted with a domed silver-gilt cap and circular suspension loop, the cap decorated with pointed leaves, their outlines and central veins defined against textured grounds.
ProvenanceAcquired on the European art market.
UK, private collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13478-263372.
Cf. similar items in Do Sameiro Barroso, M., ‘Bezoar stones, magic, science and art’ in Geological Society, London, Special publications, 2013, February 26, pp.1-16 figs.8,15,16-17.
FootnotesBezoars were valued in European and Asian medicinal traditions for their supposed ability to counteract poison. Natural examples are concretions formed around indigestible material within the digestive systems of animals. Their historical reputation is reflected in the name, derived from the Persian p ādzahr, meaning “antidote”. During the early modern period, bezoars were furnished with precious-metal caps, cages and containers. Mounted examples could be worn as protective pendants, suspended for medicinal use, or preserved among the natural specimens and costly objects assembled in cabinets of curiosities. The present leaf-decorated cap belongs to this tradition of combining a valued specimen with ornamental metalwork. Surviving comparisons include a 17th-century brown bezoar pendant in a silver mount at the London Museum and an 18th-century silver-mounted example in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. These documents the continued use of silver mounts for bezoars across both centuries and provide the historical setting for the present example.
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LOT 0388
Bezoar with Silver-Gilt Suspension Mount
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,000 (EUR 1,160; USD 1,350) +BP*
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Post Medieval Stained Glass with Armorial
20th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Lozengiform plaque with central heraldic heater shield flanked by initials 'RR'. 380 grams, 28.2 cm high
From a Devon family estate on the edge of Dartmoor, from the 1930s to the present day. Several pieces formerly from the Collection of 'Ralegh Radford' (Courtenay Arthur Ralegh Radford, 7 November 1900-27 December 1998) and reputedly sections of glass from Salisbury Cathedral matched to sections in Lydford Parish Church, Devon. -
Antique Icon of Saint John Chrysostomos the Evangelist and Saint Mary of Magdala
Greece, late 19th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Rectangular wooden block with gesso-covered obverse; painted image of a standing figure in colourful robes on a dais, staff in one hand and the other resting on an open book on a shelf with other books upright; to one edge, a standing female clutching the edges of a shapeless cloak or shawl around her shoulders; to the other edge, a scribe in loose tunic and sandals with a draped mantle, holding a quill in his left hand and a book in his right; one corner damaged and repaired. 1.06 kg, 32.3 x 25.3 cm
Acquired on the UK art market since the 1990s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman; thence by descent. -
Post Medieval Carved Fruit Stone Group
19th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Two miniature carvings worked from fruit stones, one extensively carved with scrolling foliage and floral ornament, creating an openwork pattern across its surface, an integral bridge behind forming a loop; the other carved in relief with a bird among foliage. 1.41 grams total, 20-22 mm
Acquired on the European art market. UK, private collection.
