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LOT 1101
Byzantine Bronze Architectural Ring
CIRCA 6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (9.31 grams, 30.06 mm overall, 18.90 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R 1/2, USA 8 3/4, Europe 19.38, Japan 18)).
Grooved hoop with raised rosettes on the shoulders, tall conical bezel with incised concentric circles. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Bronze Oil Lamp
6th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
Comprising: a squat body and large nozzle with shallow socketed rim, hinged lid to filler-hole with striped pattern, handle formed with lobed cross and loop to rear, annular foot. 376 grams, 13.7 cm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
Circa 9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Enkolpion with hinge and large suspension loop; obverse with nimbate robed figure in orans pose with cross beneath each wrist, inscription 'IOANIC' ('John'); reverse with similar nimbate robed figure in orans pose with inscription 'MPXC' (Mary mother of Christ). 25.2 grams, 76 mm
Ex C.J. Martin, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s. Accompanied by a handwritten ticket. -
Byzantine Nephrite Icon Fragment with Christ Blessing
11th century A.D.Estimate: £12,000 - 17,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £6,000
Fragment of a figure carved in the half-round, with pleated garment, holding a book with a cross in the left hand and touching its edge with the right hand; to the reverse, a low-relief cross with knops to the angles, abbreviated legends 'IC / XC / NI / KA' for 'Jesus Christ is Victorious' in seriffed capitals in the spandrels of the cross, each with a superscript macron. 38 grams, 40 mm
New Forest, UK, collection, 1950s. Alexander Cotton collection, UK, 1970-1980s. London gallery 1990s, latterly a London gentleman's collection, 2000s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12912-244440.
This magnificent, if fragmentary, icon belongs to the most florid period of Byzantium’s renaissance, when, under the aegis of the Macedonian Dynasty, the political, military, cultural and economic power of the Roman Empire reached the last apex of its glory. The figure detailed in bloodstone here represents Christ, as is clear not only from the cross engraved on the back, but also from the garments he is wearing. It is likely that it is Christ as Pantocrator who is represented, maybe originally forming part of a more complex icon representing the Deesis. While this subject in Eastern Roman art is usually reserved for monumental decoration, it is sometimes found on smaller-scale objects as well, such as cameos and steatite icons.