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LOT 1022
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Bird
6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.00 grams, 19.48 mm overall, 16.73 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)).
Slender hoop expanding to an oval bezel with hatched border, intaglio motif of a stylised water bird facing right. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed since the 1940s.
UK art market.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Silver Magical Plaque with St. Sisinnius
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Ovoid plaque with incised amuletic ornament; obverse with nimbate horseman bearing a cross potent spearing a supine stylised female figure, Greek legend above 'oΑΓΟC CICINIC' (St. Sisinnius); reverse with advancing lion and Syrian and Greek legend relating to Μαρία η Αιγυπτία (St. Mary of Egypt). 4.13 grams, 31 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
In Byzantine folklore, St Sisinnius was the supernatural horseman and opponent of the Gelloudes, a class of female witches. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, radiating lines surrounding the filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 416 grams, 10.8 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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. -
Byzantine Stone Jewellery Mould
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Fitted with two channels running to a central circlet with the image of a saint cavalryman in the centre, surrounded by Greek letters A, O, O, E, C, OS, E, O; small holes to three of the corners for insertion of pegs. 136 grams, 79 mm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.
Plates from mid-period jewellery moulds (10th-12th centuries) with the imprint of the jewellery to be made carved into one or both of the surfaces (earrings, buckles, clasps, beads of necklaces, etc.) were usually made of graphite schist, or other rocks. The plates were bound together in twos or threes by lead pins and the liquid metal was injected via conical openings. Similar tools were found in the 10th-12th levels of Thessaloniki.
