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_900x900.jpg "Byzantine Gilt Bronze Bowl with Religious Scenes")
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LOT 0174
Byzantine Gilt Bronze Bowl with Religious Scenes
CIRCA 5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
9 in. (1.02 kg, 23 cm wide).
Of squat profile with flared base and drop handle; running tendril bands to the shoulder and base, gilt-inlaid frieze depicting the seated robed figure of Christ holding a staff between two palm trees in a landscape inhabited by a bear, leaping goat, frog, cockerel, hen, eagle, horse, hounds, sheep, lioness, snake, rabbit, duck, boar cow; trees in the background with birds perching on the branches; central roundel with Chi Rho, alpha and omega; handle with vine tendrils flanked by pellet clusters, saltire to the centre.
ProvenanceFrom the family collection of Mr E.L. (1915-1991), who collected antiquities from the 1940s, thence by descent.
Ex J.L. collection, Surrey, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12059-213551.
Cf. comparable examples in the Vrap treasure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. 17.190.1707; Aimone, M., The Wyvern collection, Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, London, 2020, cat.no.28, pp.112-113.
FootnotesThe frieze is full of Christian symbolism, mainly concentrated on the image of the good shepherd (Christ) depicted according to the model visible in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna and shown on the opposite side of the central roundel. Jesus is represented in a landscape suffused with peace, full of plants and flowers; he has a serene expression and is depicted beardless and surrounded by six sheep. Its clear allusive meaning is that only through Christ can eternal peace be achieved. Another part probably represents the Tree of Life with an array of animals. The vessel probably had a liturgical use, perhaps for the ritual washing of feet during the Easter celebrations or for the blessing of the faithful.
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 0174
Byzantine Gilt Bronze Bowl with Religious Scenes
Estimate £8,000 - 10,000€9,280 - 11,600 (for guidance only)$10,800 - 13,500 (for guidance only)
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Byzantine Bronze Artefact Collection
6th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £104
Mainly comprising ornamental buckles and mounts, including openwork and zoomorphic examples. 115 grams total, 28-71 mm
Acquired in London in 1982. Property of a central London gentleman. -
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Byzantine Porphyry Relief with Cross Surrounded by Two Birds
Southern Italy or Constantinople, 11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £28,600
An imposing panel divided to four sections by a central cross on a stepped pedestal, the lower and upper arm with branch-like extensions; the upper quadrants with a circlet surrounding a palm tree-shaped motif; each lower quadrant with a bird in profile facing back; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 16 kg total, 44.5 cm including stand
Private collection, London, UK. 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 number no.12179-221676.
The cross, symbol of resurrection and salvation, carried the meaning of Paradise, and a cross on a stepped base derived from that on Golgotha. The birds represented here are probably a symbol of joy of the afterlife, of paradise conceived as the locus refrigerii or refrigerium of the soul. The panel could have been part of a marble iconostasis of a Church of the Eastern Roman Empire, in Southern Italy, although the use of porphyry can suggest a Constantinopolitan provenance. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Bird
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Slender hoop expanding to an oval bezel with hatched border, intaglio motif of a stylised water bird facing right. 2.00 grams, 19.48 mm overall, 16.73 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)
Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
