Loading, please wait...
LOT 0979
Byzantine Bronze 'in favour for health' Inscribed Ring
6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.66 grams, 21.53 mm overall, 19.44 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)).
Slender hoop and disc bezel with Greek text ΥΠΕΡ ΥΓΙΕΙΑΣ (in favour / for health' written retrograde for use as a seal. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection before 2000.
Acquired on the UK art market.
Property of a London gentleman.
TimeLine 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 Bronze Steelyard Weight of an Empress
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
Filled with lead and formed as the upper body of an empress wearing a pleated palla, her hair arranged in loose curls around the face, suspension loop to the head. 630 grams, 94 mm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired by the current owner in 1999. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00038155.
The choice of the image of the empress for an official weight may have been to display fairness and equality before the law in commercial matters, as well as to bolster the authority of the imperial family. -
Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Busts
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,420
With hoop formed as a band of quatrefoils, applied discoid bezel with facing busts flanking a cross potent, legend 'OMO / NOIA' (harmony). 6.47 grams, 21.52 mm overall, 19.27 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12350-222584
The marriage ring is one of the typologies on which figural decorations are frequently found. Generally marriage rings are engraved with a representation of the husband and wife, sometimes accompanied by Christ, and usually engraved with wishes for 'harmony, health and the grace of God'. Rings of this type had been used since the late 4th century A.D. and remained extremely popular in Byzantium in the 6th and 7th century. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Comprising two hinged plates and articulated suspension loop with hatched decoration; the obverse with Corpus Christi and four busts of the evangelists; the reverse blank flat-section plate, two rivets through the cross. 47.6 grams, 80 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman.
