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LOT 0933
Byzantine Ceramic Oil Lamp Collection
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/4 - 4 in. (194 grams total, 9.5-10 cm).
Comprising: a piriform oil lamp with short nozzle and ring handle, low discus with three filler holes and a Chi Rho motif, base fragmentary; a round lamp with a low-relief expanding cross on the discus, a palm branch to the top left quadrant, and the other three quadrants with different symbols, a cross beneath the nozzle with wavy lines circulating the low basal ring. [2]
Provenancewith Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Piriform in profile with narrow point and domed mouth; the body decorated with annulets and concentric circles; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 795 grams, 14.5 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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 Cross Pendant
9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Cross pommée with punched ring-and-dot motifs, possibly representing the 'Five Wounds of Christ'. 3.99 grams, 32 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine Terracotta Oil Lamp with Dolphin
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Central figure of a stylised dolphin in low-relief with two filling holes on each side, horseshoe-shaped decorative band of flowers and lozenges on the rim; low basal ring and rounded nozzle. 175 grams, 14.3 cm
Private collection, Switzerland. Acquired by Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, from the above in 2011. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
