Loading, please wait...
LOT 0226
Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Inscription
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (7.81 grams, 21.81 mm overall, 18.33 x 17.78 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)).
Round-section hoop with discoid bezel incuse image of two front-facing busts wearing beaded headdresses between a cross, legend 'ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ' (harmony, unity) below; supplied with an impression.
ProvenanceMayfair gallery, London, UK, 1990s.
From a Surrey, UK, gentleman’s Christian collection.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13542-263292.
Cf. The Dumbarton Oaks Collection, item no. BZ.1959.60; Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, item no.649.
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 dressed as an Imperial couple, sometimes accompanied by Christ or by a cross, 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0226
Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring with Inscription
Estimate £5,000 - 7,000€5,800 - 8,120 (for guidance only)$6,750 - 9,450 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£2,500 (EUR 2,900; USD 3,375) +BP*
-
Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Expanding arms and an integral suspension loop, the obverse with punched ring-and-dot decoration. 6.02 grams, 42 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Religious Scene
Circa 7th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Narrow hoop with facets to outer face, disc bezel with twelve robed figures (apostles?) below swept wings, two flanking nimbate angels and median vesica with Mary Theotokos. 8.94 grams, 26.29 mm overall, 21.17 x 19.92 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent. -
Byzantine Gold Ring with Square Bezel and Inscription
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Flat rectangular bezel flanked at each shoulder by a cluster of granules, border of punched triangles enclosing Greek legend 'ΘEOΔΟPA K C'. 4.92 grams, 21.72 mm overall, 18.23 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
The ring belongs to an unconventional category of 6th-century A.D. Eastern Roman rings, featuring a rectangular bezel and the junction of the bezel and hoop with six gold pellets at each shoulder. The inscription could be interpreted as 'ΘEOΔΟPAK[I]C' (of Theodorakis).
