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LOT 0757
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Bird in Profile
6TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (5.52 grams, 21.45 mm overall, 16.15 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)).
With an expanding D-section hoop, oval bezel with a stylised stocky bird. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed since the 1940s.
UK art market.
Property of an Essex gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Gold Strap End with Facing Figure
Circa 9th-10th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £320
The hollow-formed, tongue-shaped body adorned with a filigree border, repoussé figure with pellets on the torso and serpents framing the head. 7.40 grams, 39 mm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Monumental Byzantine Limestone Chi Rho Roundel
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £36,400
Divided into six sections by Christogram letters chi and rho, two of the segments with Greek letters alpha and omega, the other four segments with floral ornaments; a laurel wreath to the edge; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 84 kg total, 77 cm high including stand
From a German collection. Acquired from Germany in 2010. Ex London, UK, 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 search certificate number no.11928-209561.
This monumental sculpture was probably affixed at the top of a church façade, a type of decoration also used in the Western Romanesque art during the Middle Ages (see the sculpted Chi Rho monogram at the Monastery of San Juan de la Pena, Spain). The presence of letters alpha and omega shows a powerful link with the Christian cult, especially as the two letters are incised beside the Chi Rho. These letters are symbols of eternity of Jesus: in the final verses of the Bible, Jesus describes himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation, 22.13). -
Byzantine Terracotta Slipper Lamp Collection
6th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
Comprising five oil lamps including slipper and discoid types with shaped ledge handles, each decorated with raised geometric motifs composed largely of pellets and plain lines. 337 grams total, 8.9-10.1 cm
Ex Y.M. collection, Tiberias, Israel. Private Swiss collection.
Some authors suggest that these 'candlestick' lamps were produced in or around Jerusalem: this has been confirmed by the discovery of a lamp workshop at Zuba, in which large candlestick lamps with a radiating pattern and their moulds were found. Based on evidence from the City of David and the Jewish Quarter, these lamps begin to appear in the mid-6th century and continue throughout the 7th century A.D.
