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LOT 1408
Byzantine Bronze Four-Sided Stamp Seal
CIRCA 12TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (6.99 grams, 21 mm).
Pyramidal in form with gusseted bulb and pierced lug finial; three faces with fleur-de-lys motif, fourth with 'K / NΠ / HCXC'; underside with pelleted border and legend 'VE / A'.
ProvenancePrivate collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
LiteratureCf. Delaporte, L., Musée du Louvre. Catalogue des cylinders, cachets et pierres gravées de style oriental, vols.1-2, Paris, 1920, 1923, Vol.I, D.284, pls.56-60, for type.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1408
Byzantine Bronze Four-Sided Stamp Seal
Estimate £120 - 170€140 - 200 (for guidance only)$160 - 230 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£60 (EUR 70; USD 81) ‡+BP*
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Large Veneto-Byzantine Gold Signet Ring with 'I Save from Danger' Inscription
Circa 14th-15th century A.D.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (‡+bp*)
Bids: 5 | Current Bid: £5,000
With broad carinated hoop, low-relief monogram to each shoulder ('K' and 'A'); discoid bezel with central lion rampant and two concentric bands of text: outer (retrograde) - '+ΔA COCO AΠO KVNAINOHTOYA' (I save from danger); inner (sinistrograde) -'+XPICOC KOCMH ΔAKTHO KAI ΨIKI ΛΟΓH' (Gold adorns the finger and soul and mind). 16.55 grams, 25.91 mm overall, 20.50 x 18.21 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/4, Europe 20.63, Japan 19)
Acquired from Derek Content, 9 March 1983. Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent. Accompanied by an original invoice from Derek Content, 9 March 1983. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13406- 259827.
This massive ring is a good example of how inscriptions in jewellery became more prominent during Late Byzantium. Here, the inscription is particularly developed and combines various functions, partially expressed in the concentric arrangement of the decoration. The Frankish style is reflected by the heraldic lion at the centre of the bezel, while the Eastern Roman component is strongly visible in the decoration of the shoulders. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole, the shoulder with an impressed band of rosettes and two circumferential bands above; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 681 grams, 12 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Winged Figures
Circa 10th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With scaphoid bezel, two low-relief standing nimbate figures with wings and floor-length robes. 3.40 grams, 21.90 mm overall, 18.23 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
