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LOT 0738
Byzantine Gold Earring
CIRCA 8TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (2.71 grams, 17 mm).
Substantial D-section hoop with applied ropework borders, loops for fastening clasp, six radiating garnet cabochons in claw settings with interstitial granules, ribbed loop to the apex.
ProvenanceEx European collection formed in the 1990s.
Acquired from a North London gallery.
Property of an Essex gentleman.
See Entwistle, C. & Adams, N., Intelligible Beauty, Recent Research into Byzantine Jewellery, London, 2010, for discussion.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Bronze Trade Weight Collection
Circa 8th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Mixed group of barrel-shaped, biconvex and other trade weights, some with punched markings. 244 grams total, 18-25 mm
Ex Simmons Gallery, London E11, UK, in the 1990s. From a North London collection. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, decorated with floral pattern on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 145 grams, 77 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. -
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.
