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LOT 0174
Byzantine Ceramic Pilgrim's Flask with St Menas and Inscription
CIRCA 6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/2 in. (101 grams, 89 mm).
Hollow body discoid in profile and lentoid in section with thick loop handles to the shoulders, low-relief scene of a nimbate man between beasts to obverse, Greek text to reverse 'AΓΙΟΥ / MHNA/EYΛO[ΓΙ]A' (the blessing of Saint Menas).
ProvenanceEx Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 2000s.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0174
Byzantine Ceramic Pilgrim's Flask with St Menas and Inscription
Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
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Byzantine Ceramic Oil Lamp Collection
6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £180 - 240 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £90
Comprising: a discoid lamp with low-relief branch motif surrounding the filler hole; a piriform lamp with a channel connecting the filler hole and nozzle, a low relief scene of a hound chasing a hare on both side of the filler hole, the base with a spoked wheel motif. 180 grams total, 84-88 mm
with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. -
Byzantine Bronze Oil Lamp
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Comprising: a squat body, large circular nozzle with shallow socket, hinged domed lid with regardant hare, the handle formed from his pricked ears, two long tendril handles with perching bird detailing, splayed foot; square-section socket to base for mounting on a lamp stand. 693 grams, 19 cm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Bulbous body with short neck and biconvex filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 454 grams, 10.4 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'.
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.
