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LOT 0209
Byzantine Cameo with Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel
6TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (2.3 grams, 25 mm).
Ellipsoid in plan with reserved image of the Annunciation and a frond.
ProvenanceFormerly in the collection of Michael Dennis O'Hara, 1970.
From the private collection of the late Alison Barker, a retired barrister, formed 1970-1990.
Ex North American collection.
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 search certificate no.12401-226381.
Cf. Darkevich, V.P., Secular Art of Byzantium, Moscow, 1975, p.42, for a comparable style of female bust of a similar date.
FootnotesThe cameo represents the well known episode of the Gospel of Saint Luke (1.26.38), where the Archangel Gabriel brings Virgin Mary the news of her pregnancy.
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 0209
Byzantine Cameo with Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
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Byzantine Lead Cross
5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Flat-section cruciform mount with stub arms and attachment point at one end; high-relief saltires, hoops and other detailing. 357 grams, 21.5 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s. -
Byzantine Bronze Inscribed Weight
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Tabular in form, obverse with eight-rayed starburst in a frame, reverse with incised text. 25.8 grams, 25 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Piriform body with vertical ribs and impressed roundels across the whole surface, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 662 grams, 15.5 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.
