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LOT 0772
Byzantine Bronze Inscribed Ring
CIRCA 7TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (4.30 grams, 21.70 mm overall, 19.70 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)).
With flat-section expanding hoop, scrolls and leaf motifs to shoulders; oval bezel with three lines of Greek inscription reciting Κ[ΥΡI]Ε ΒΟΗΘΗI ΑΗΑ (= Lord helps A...A). [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1980s-1990s.
Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman.
Cf. Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, item 668, for type.
FootnotesThe inscription on the ring is the typical invocatory formula Kyrie boethei N., which calls directly upon the Lord for help; this form, beside the one calling the Virgin for help as well (Theotokos boethei), is common in the inscriptions of the Eastern Roman Empire.
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:
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Byzantine Gold Buckle with Heart-Shaped Plate
Later 6th-early 7th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
With loop formed as a disc with two circular piercings and inlaid niello detailing. flared sidewall, hinged tongue with ridge to the forward end, plate with reserved foliage in a cell with knop to the rear edge; three attachment lops to the underside. 15 grams, 32 mm
From a private collection formed in the 1990s. Ex London, UK, gallery. -
Byzantine Gemstone with the Personification of Constantinople
5th century A.D.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5,000
Carnelian cabochon in gold cell with ropework border, ribbed loop and chain sections; intaglio figure of Constantinople standing wearing full panoply of armour with crested helmet, holding an oval shield, a spear and supporting a globus cruciger; supplied with an impression of the seal and housed in a custom-made display case. 2.86 grams, 59 mm
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection. 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.11933-210475.
The oval gem shows the personification of the new capital of the Roman Empire: Νέα Ρώμη, Constantinople, founded by Constantine the Great on the shores of the Bosphorus, on the site of the ancient Greek Megarese colony of Byzantium, on 11 May 330 A.D. The city was the new centre of the Roman Empire for the next 1123 years. -
Byzantine Lead Pilgrim's Holy Water Ampulla
Circa 8th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Conical with tubular neck and two thin lateral handles. 21.2 grams, 55 mm
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. Property of a Stowmarket, UK, gentleman.
