Loading, please wait...
LOT 1106
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Warrior Saint
11TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (5.15 grams, 22.16 mm overall, 19.05 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)).
With an expanding D-section hoop and a raised discoid bezel with a stylised nimbate figure holding a spear and a shield. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000.
From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Đurović, I., Средњовековни накит из збирки Народног музеја Крагујевац (Medieval jewelry from the collections of the National Museum Kragujevac, in Serbian), Крагујевац, 2012, fig.58, for the type.
FootnotesThese banded rings, made of bronze sheet with a flattened ellipsoidal head, could be decorated with geometric or animal ornaments executed by shallow carving. In this circumstance, the bezel is decorated with the stylised image, most probably of a military saint, who was asked for protection and blessing.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Western Asiatic Calligraphic Gemstone Group
19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Each with chamfered edges and dense panel of calligraphic text. 9.3 grams total, 19-25 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Bronze Pendant Cross
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Expanding-arm type with integral loop. 2.82 grams, 32 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Silver Bracelet Sections with Warrior Saint and Crucifixion
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £936
Two fragments from a military bracelet (brachiolion) comprising: a disc with double border of pellets, at the centre two standing figures of the two robbers flanking a stylised Stavrosis (crucifixion), composed of a stylised cross surmounted by the nimbate head of Christ; the other an ellipsoid panel and portion of the shank with pelta-shaped motifs flanking 'ICT' (IesouC Theou = Jesus son of God) legend, the panel with double border of pellets enclosing image of nimbate Saint George on horseback with scale armour and spearing the dragon with a long spear (doru). 9.67 grams total, 26 mm each
Ex private Dorset, UK, collection circa 1980s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian. 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 a search certificate number no.13042-248494.
The importance of the depicted subject, the Stavrosis or Crucifixion, lies in its rarity. We know of very few representations of this subject in the early period of Christian art. Since the 6th-7th centuries, the iconographic type of military saints on horseback, Saint George, Saint Demetrios, Saint Theodore and Saint Sisinnios appear in the artistic milieu of the Middle East at the end of the 5th century-early 6th century AD. Among this iconography, the figure of Saint George, killer of the Dragon, stood out. The warrior saint was represented armed like a true Christian warrior of the Roman Empire, and the style of his armament here, also for comparison with similar images, points to a 6th-7th century dating, a period when the Eastern Roman Empire was still at the height of its power and exerted its influence over Eastern and Western Europe.
