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LOT 1146
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (15.3 grams, 67 mm).
Hollow-formed cross pendant with filigree decoration to both faces, five circular cells to obverse, two with nacre inlays.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Silver Stamp Seal with Bird
6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £115
Conical body with integral loop above, underside with a standing bird with hooked beak, pelletted field. 11.7 grams, 24 mm
Private collection, UK. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
Circa 9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Enkolpion reliquary cross with hinge and suspension ring above; obverse with low-relief Jesus in stavrosis pose, nimbate and dressed in a robe; reverse with robed Mother of God in orans pose. 21.7 grams, 62 mm
Ex Den of Antiquity, Cambridge, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s. Accompanied by a handwritten dealer's ticket. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Piriform in profile with domed mouth, impressed line and dot decoration on the upper body, raised bosses and impressed lattice to the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 567 grams, 14 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.
