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LOT 0790
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Griffin
12TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (3.54 grams, 21.36 mm overall, 16.49 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)).
Discoid bezel with incuse rampant griffin. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed since the 1940s.
UK art market.
Property of an Essex gentleman.
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 583.
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 Gold Coin Bead Necklace
Coin dated 527-565 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Composed of carnelian and perhaps glass rounded oval beads, featuring a gold Solidus coin pendant of Emperor Justinian I; modern screw clasp. 14.3 grams, 37 cm long
Acquired in the 1970s. Ex property of a North London collector. -
Byzantine Terracotta Shipwreck Bowl
Circa 12th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Featuring a tapering sidewall, vertical convex rim and foot; stylised vegetal design to interior base; chipped rim. 1.1 kg, 27.5 cm wide
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Byzantine Inscribed Ceramic 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Of piriform shape with raised inscription around the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 307 grams, 11.2 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. 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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
