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LOT 0988
Byzantine Bronze Openwork Key
CIRCA 8TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 in. (59 grams, 87 mm).
Formed with a hollow bow open to the sides and with lateral struts, each plate pierced with seven equal-arm crosses; pierced lug above for suspension; barrel-type shank with rectangular bit pierced with two similar crosses. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Pall, M., Schlüssel und Schlösser, Graz, 2012, items 4267, 7399, for type.
FootnotesThe repeated use of the cross symbol may indicate an ecclesiastical use.
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 Bronze Trade Weight Collection
Circa 6th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Mixed group of square trade weights with punched-point and impressed detailing. 32 grams total, 9-17 mm
Acquired since the 1970s. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Gold Ring with Foliate Motifs
Circa 11th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £800
Comprising a flat-section hoop with a starburst motif to the base; openwork shoulders and a square bezel with a pellet to each corner, the bezel engraved with foliate motifs. 3.65 grams, 19.99 mm overall, 18.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)
Acquired from London galleries during the 1990s. From the jewellery collection of a London, UK, gentleman.
Some rings from the Balkan territories of the Eastern Empire (for example the ring from Dobrača) bear a square thickened bezel engraved with schematic representations. What sets them apart are the widened shoulders emphasised by a plastic rib and the raised and flattened head, which places them in the group of rings which dates mainly to the 11th century (from the end of the 10th to the first decades of the 12th century). -
Byzantine Gold Filigree Pendant
6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Capsule pendant with domed ends and openwork filigree bands between, ribbed suspension tube, granule finials. 0.91 grams, 15 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s.
