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LOT 1147
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant Plate
CIRCA 10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (7.72 grams, 50 mm).
Enkolpion reliquary pendant panel with hinge knuckles; obverse with low-relief nimbate figure in orans pose flanked by busts. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired from Chris Martin-Zakheim, Iconastas, 5 Piccadilly Arcade, London SW1.
From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s.
Cf. Pitarakis, B., Les Croix-Reliquaires Pectorales Byzantines en Bronze, Paris, 2006, item 170, for type.
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 Reliquary Cross Pendant
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Enkolpion with hinged and ribbed loop; low-relief nimbate figure in orans pose to obverse; robed figure to reverse. 16.8 grams, 56 mm
Ex DRG Coins and Antiquities, Bishops Stortford, Essex, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s. Accompanied by a handwritten dealer's ticket. -
Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Featuring a low-relief corpus christi and integral suspension loop. 6.72 grams, 47 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
A piriform missile with domed filler-hole (chipped), segmented flanges to the sidewall and impressed texture; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 844 grams, 13 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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.
