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_900x900.jpg "Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Busts")
_200x200.jpg "Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Busts")
.jpg "Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Busts")
LOT 0208
Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Busts
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (13.76 grams, 25.37 mm overall, 18.77 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)).
D-section hoop with carination, flat chamfered shoulders each with an engraved cross moline within a wreath; trumpet-shaped bezel with two facing busts and processional cross between, the bodies with inset carnelian studs; legend 'OMONOIA' (harmony) below.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a late English gentleman, 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13047-248619.
Cf. similar subject in a ring from Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no.63.1555; see also The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Romans and Barbarians, Boston, 1976, p.179, no.202; Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 489, for type.
FootnotesThe marriage ring is one of the typologies in which figural decorations are frequently found. Generally speaking, marriage rings are engraved with a representation of a husband and wife, sometimes accompanied by Christ, and usually engraved with wishes for 'harmony, health and the grace of God'. Rings of this type had been used since the late 4th century A.D. and remained extremely popular in Byzantium in the 6th and 7th centuries.
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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Discoid in plan and biconvex in section with spike handle, rosette to the lower sidewall and concentric quatrefoil panels to the base; shoulder with Greek inscription invoking the blessing of Mary Theotokos. 82 grams, 74 mm
From the collection of Dame Joan Evans (1893-1977), thence gifted during her lifetime to a gentleman collector friend from South East England.
Dame Joan Evans, DBE, FSA, FRHistS, enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an author and historian. She was appointed the president of the Society of Antiquaries in 1959, the first woman to hold this position, serving until 1964. From 1948 to 1951, Joan Evans served as President of the Royal Archaeological Institute. She received the Society’s gold medal in 1973. Joan Evans was honoured with a host of honorary degrees and fellowships, as well as fellowships of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Literature. She was a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur, and was appointed a Dame of the British Empire in 1976. She served as a trustee of both the London and the British museums, and as a member of the advisory council of the Victoria and Albert Museum. -
Byzantine Steatite Mount with Saint John the Theologian
12th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Showing a bust of a man dressed in a cloak and with his head turned to look over his right shoulder, possibly depicting St John; rectangular in plan with rounded corners. 2.52 grams, 19 mm
Acquired from Artemis Gallery, 2003. Private collection, Europe. -
Byzantine Green Glazed Sgraffito Footed Bowl
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