Loading, please wait...
LOT 0813
Byzantine Bronze Cross Collection
10TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 - 1 1/2 in. (17.2 grams total, 29-37 mm).
Including one miniature enkolpion with articulated suspension loop, four of various types with integral loop. [5]
ProvenanceEnglish collection, early 2000s.
Ex central London gallery.
Cf. Pitarakis, B., Les Croix-Reliquaires Pectorales Byzantines en Bronze, Paris, 2006, item 277, for type.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Byzantine Polished Black Stone Dish with Bust of an Emperor
5th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £260
Featuring a pedestal foot; the bust carved to one face, holding a globus cruciger in one hand, crosses and annulets in left and right fields, a horizontal register of concentric roundels to the opposite face. 49.7 grams, 59 mm
From a Paris gallery, French collection pre 1978. -
Byzantine Inscribed Ceramic 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Of piriform shape with raised inscription around the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 307 grams, 11.2 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. 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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Byzantine Terracotta Shipwreck Bowl
Circa 12th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Featuring a tapering sidewall, vertical convex rim and foot; stylised vegetal design to interior base; chipped rim. 1.1 kg, 27.5 cm wide
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
