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LOT 0779
Byzantine Gold Floral Pendant with Bead Drop
6TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/8 in. (3.1 grams, 53 mm).
Comprising a discoid plaque with filigree rosette to the rim, applied foil leaves and central filigree rosette; wire loop below with carnelian dangle; suspension loop with lapis lazuli, glass and gold-granule collars.
ProvenanceUK private collection formed before 2000.
Ex North London, UK, gallery.
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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. -
Byzantine Red Marble Fragment from the House of Ananias in Damascus
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
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. -
Byzantine Bronze Inscribed Ring
Circa 6th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
With flat-section expanding hoop, starbursts within scrolls to the shoulders; oval bezel with two line reversed Greek inscription 'KE[ ] / OHΘH'. 6.75 grams, 22.48 mm overall, 19.26 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/4, Europe 20.63, Japan 19)
Acquired in the 1980s-1990s. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman.
