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LOT 0189
Byzantine Geometric Floor Mosaic
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY A.D.
45 in. (36.3 kg, 114.5 cm including frame).
Comprising a triple geometric rhomboidal figure, where three rhombuses are drawn one inside the other and distinguished by different shades of yellow, white and light red, the latter figure marked in the centre by a white space; the three figures are vertically arranged in a perfect geometric axis on a light background.
ProvenanceAcquired 1970s-1996.
Property of a North American collector.
London collection, 2016.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11823-207411.
Cf. Miller, S., The Mosaics of Tiberias and Hammat Tiberias during the Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic Periods, Jerusalem, II Vol., 2011, pl.11 nos.3,4,5; pl.17 no.3, pl.26, no.8.
FootnotesThe tendency to use abstract and geometric motifs characterises the mosaic art of the Levant under the domination of Byzantium. Close ties can be identified between these rhomboidal figures and those of some of the famous Lebanese mosaics of Beit el Dine, or the mosaics of Tiberias and Hammat, which represent the last expression of Roman art in that area before the Islamic conquest.
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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Byzantine Bronze Cross with Bead Necklace
Circa 5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Cross pattée pendant with ring-and-dot ornament; necklace of later restrung unglazed ceramic beads. 7.2 grams, 76 cm long
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant Plate
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
The frontal section of an enkolpion, with the representation of crucified Jesus among Saint Mary and Saint John; Christ dressed in a long tunic (colobium) decorated with parallel stripes (clavi) and patterned hatches, his head turned to the right; his wounds on the cross are marked by nails; the cross standing upon a small hill, identified by rare inscription 'Ο ΤΟΠΟС КРАΝΙΟΥ' (a place of a skull, Matthew 27:33), indicating Golgota; the titulum with inscription 'Ι(ΗСΟΥ)С X(ΡΙ СΤΟ)C' (Jesus Christ), and the sun (left) with the moon (right); the central inscription corresponds to the words of the Gospel of John 19:26: 'here is your son, (ΙΔΕ Ο Υ {ΙΟ} С {C}ΟΥ ) here is your Mother (ΙΔΟΥ Η ΜΗΤ{Η}Ρ CΟΥ)'. 56.5 grams, 86 mm
Formerly in a 1980s collection. Acquired on the UK art market. Previously the property of an Essex gentleman.
Usually the reliquary crosses or enkolpia, were composed of two separate halves, inside of which a relic of a saint was contained; this could have been a piece of cloth or a bone. This extraordinary piece is very rare due to containing part of the Gospel of John about the Crucifixion. -
Byzantine Bronze Horse Harness Boss Pendant
15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Large domed centre with low-relief sun wheel design, pellets to the rim and suspension loop above. 28.6 grams, 75 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
In the late period of Byzantium, round-shaped buckles and horse harness mounts were often decorated with beaded edges and with floral embossed ornaments, under the influence of the Ottoman Turks. They have the shape of a small shield and impressed decoration of a rose. If belt appliques, they have an extra boss for attachment, instead of the loop usually attached to the horse harness pendants.
