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LOT 0223
Byzantine Gemstone with the Personification of Constantinople
5TH CENTURY A.D.
2 3/8 in. (2.86 grams, 59 mm).
Carnelian cabochon in gold cell with ropework border, ribbed loop and chain sections; intaglio figure of Constantinople standing wearing full panoply of armour with crested helmet, holding an oval shield, a spear and supporting a globus cruciger; supplied with an impression of the seal and housed in a custom-made display case.
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Important North West London 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 a search certificate number no.11933-210475.
Cf. similar specimens in Spier, J.B., Late Antique and Early Christian Gems, Wiesbaden, 2007, pl.69, nos.561-562; for similar iconography see Zalesskaya, V.N., Early Byzantine Glyptic Art in the Hermitage Collection, Saint Petersburg, 2001, pp.175-176, fig.13; Demandt, A., Engemann, J., Imperator Caesar Flavius Constantinus - Konstantin der Grosse, Mainz, 2007, p.172, on various iconographies of personification of Constantinople.
FootnotesThe oval gem shows the personification of the new capital of the Roman Empire: Νέα Ρώμη, Constantinople, founded by Constantine the Great on the shores of the Bosphorus, on the site of the ancient Greek Megarese colony of Byzantium, on 11 May 330 A.D. The city was the new centre of the Roman Empire for the next 1123 years.
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 0223
Byzantine Gemstone with the Personification of Constantinople
Estimate £10,000 - 14,000€11,600 - 16,240 (for guidance only)$13,500 - 18,900 (for guidance only)
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Late Byzantine Tinned Bronze Signet Ring with Inscription and Dove in Centre
Circa 14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With facetted shoulders, octagonal bezel with incuse border, central dove motif and surrounding Greek legend 'ΗΠΔΟΗΜαΡ'. 10.05 grams, 23.91 mm overall, 19.86 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman. -
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Byzantine Liturgical Bronze Bowl with Figures
11th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5,000
With sloping walls and a thin everted rim, the interior of the vessel engraved with a scene comprising four nimbate Evangelists around a central figure of beardless Christ, each holding a gospel in the right hand, the left hand raised to make the sign of blessing; the four Evangelists each depicted beneath an arch with a Corinthian column flanking, the body of the column decorated with fish-scale motifs. 418 grams, 29.2 cm
Fine condition.
Private German collection since the 1980s. Acquired on the German art market in 2001. Property of a gentleman. 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.10940-181731.
This vessel belongs to a well-known type of rich liturgical objects, likely produced in the workshops of the Imperial capital, Constantinople, although the style used to present Christ and the Evangelists in this artwork points to an important provincial craftsman, certainly influenced by Islamic and Persian iconography. Patens and chalices were the essential containers for the bread and wine of the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist) in Byzantium. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, decorated with two circumferential bands of circlets; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 351 grams, 96 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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.
