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LOT 1053
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Warrior Saint
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (3.23 grams, 20.48 mm overall, 18.01 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14..35, Japan 13)).
Comprising a slender hoop with gently expanding shoulders, an oval bezel with a stylised standing figure holding a spear. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000.
From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Цуњак, М., Марковић-Николић, Љ., Античке и средњовековне некрополе Смедерева (Ancient and Medieval Necropolises of Smederevo, in Serbian), Смедерево, 1997, p.94, for the type of ring.
FootnotesThese kind of rings, possibly signet rings, find their parallels with artefacts from Eastern Europe, especially in the area of Smederevo. Comparison elements allow us to propose a 14th-15th A.D. date. In the Orthodox world, military saints were common representations, although engraved simplistically.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Steatite Mount with Saint John the Theologian
12th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Showing a bust of a man dressed in a cloak and with his head turned to look over his right shoulder, possibly depicting St John; rectangular in plan with rounded corners. 2.52 grams, 19 mm
Acquired from Artemis Gallery, 2003. Private collection, Europe. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Ovoid in profile with a rounded base, impressed annulets above the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 760 grams, 11.9 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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 Lead Pilgrim's Head Holy Water Ampulla
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Moulded ampulla formed as a head with a short pointed beard, aquiline nose, scalplock; open to the underside of the neck. 26.18 grams, 37 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
