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LOT 1483
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Saint
14TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (2.43 grams, 24.06 mm overall, 21.62 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V, USA 10 1/2, Europe 23.77, Japan 22)).
Octagonal bezel with pelleted border enclosing facing bust of Mary Theotokos and infant Jesus with equal-arm cross in the field. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Teicu, D., Arta Minoră Medievală din Banat (Minor Medieval Art in Banat), Timisoara, 2009, pls.16,4, 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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LOT 1483
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Saint
Estimate £50 - 70€58 - 81 (for guidance only)$68 - 95 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 619 grams, 12.8 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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 Bronze Ring with Saint
14th century A.D.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Octagonal bezel with pelleted border enclosing facing bust of Mary Theotokos and infant Jesus with equal-arm cross in the field. 2.43 grams, 24.06 mm overall, 21.62 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V, USA 10 1/2, Europe 23.77, Japan 22)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Large Veneto-Byzantine Gold Signet Ring with 'I Save from Danger' Inscription
Circa 14th-15th century A.D.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (‡+bp*)
Bids: 5 | Current Bid: £5,000
With broad carinated hoop, low-relief monogram to each shoulder ('K' and 'A'); discoid bezel with central lion rampant and two concentric bands of text: outer (retrograde) - '+ΔA COCO AΠO KVNAINOHTOYA' (I save from danger); inner (sinistrograde) -'+XPICOC KOCMH ΔAKTHO KAI ΨIKI ΛΟΓH' (Gold adorns the finger and soul and mind). 16.55 grams, 25.91 mm overall, 20.50 x 18.21 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/4, Europe 20.63, Japan 19)
Acquired from Derek Content, 9 March 1983. Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent. Accompanied by an original invoice from Derek Content, 9 March 1983. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13406- 259827.
This massive ring is a good example of how inscriptions in jewellery became more prominent during Late Byzantium. Here, the inscription is particularly developed and combines various functions, partially expressed in the concentric arrangement of the decoration. The Frankish style is reflected by the heraldic lion at the centre of the bezel, while the Eastern Roman component is strongly visible in the decoration of the shoulders.
