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LOT 1339
Byzantine Bronze Fish Pendant
6TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (6.11 grams, 52 mm).
Bifacial pendant with crosshatching on the body, large ring-and-dot eyes and small raised fins, integral suspension loop above. [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 Ring with Inscription
5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With raised disc to the bezel, incised enigmatic legend 'COΛON / ΠΝΛΕΜ / YΛA'. 6.23 grams, 21.12 mm overall, 16.62 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I, USA 4 1/4, Europe 7.44, Japan 7)
Private collection, USA and Switzerland, before 1992; thence by descent. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Hatched Design
12th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
D-section hoop with a raised boss at the base, large oval bezel with hatched decoration. 10.88 grams, 23.12 mm overall, 19.20 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)
Acquired Town Hall Antiques, Market Place, Woburn, Bedfordshire, UK, on 5th June 1998. Property of a West Northamptonshire, UK, gentleman. Accompanied by the original Town Hall Antiques invoice. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Piriform in profile with linear decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 530 grams, 13.2 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.
