Byzantine Decorated Bone Spindle Whorl Collection

Corner piece with polished face; an old handwritten label to the side reading 'Stone from "Ananiani's" house Damascus May 1861'. 182 grams, 82 mm



Found Damascus, Syria, in May 1861. UK private collection. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. With a late 19th century handwritten identification label attached.

The Chapel of San Anania is a religious building located in a two-room crypt in Damascus, approximately four meters below the current street level, reachable by descending a staircase of twenty-three steps from the courtyard of a house that traditionally is attributed to Ananias, the Christian martyr who helped Saul (who became Paul the Apostle), baptised him and helped him hide and leave Damascus, after he had attracted the hatred of the Jews who had organised his killing. It is an apse of an Eastern Roman basilica from the 5th-6th century, cited several times by Arab historical sources such as al-Mussalabeh (of the Holy Cross), brought to light by the excavations carried out by the count Eustache de Lorey.

Comprising tongue-shaped plaque with three low-relief busts within scrollwork; two pierced lugs on the reverse. 13.5 grams, 40 mm



From a 1990s collection. Property of an Essex gentleman.

The type belongs to the group of buckles with internal clipeus, according to Baldini-Lippolis. The ‘clipei’ of the belt buckles with figurative motifs show a rather summary rendering of the subjects, which were mainly created by impressing and engraving. Our buckle has a notable parallel with a similar specimen from Baltimore, with a bust of Christ on the clipeus.

With ellipsoid plaque, incuse border and text 'KERO / HOHAN / A'. 5.55 grams, 22.52 mm overall, 17.80 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)



From the collection of a High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman, circa 2000.