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LOT 0197
Byzantine Gold Ring with Niello Portrait of Empress Eirene and Her Son Constantine VI
CIRCA 8TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (4.81 grams, 22.31 mm overall, 18.87 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)).
Flat-section hoop supporting a disc bezel with two niello-inlaid portrait busts: the male with cruciform upstand to his crown fitted with chain pendants, cloak (chlamys) pinned at right shoulder, and ornamented brooch with pendant of pearls, globe with cross beside his shoulder, in his right hand; the empress with similar crown, braided hair, slanted lines of pellets to her embroidered robe.
ProvenanceAcquired from Derek Content, 8 May 1976.
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of the original handwritten invoice from Derek Content, 8 May 1976.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13407- 259829.
Cf. Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, item 649, for type; Henig, M., A Corpus of Roman Engraved Gemstones from British sites, Oxford, 1978, no.790, for a ring with similar style of niello; Parkhurst, C., ‘Melvin Gutman Collection of Ancient and Medieval Gold', in Allen Memorial Art Museum Bulletin, vol. XVIII, 1961, for similar.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0197
Byzantine Gold Ring with Niello Portrait of Empress Eirene and Her Son Constantine VI
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,000 (EUR 1,160; USD 1,350) ‡+BP*
-
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole, impressed circumferential bands on the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 790 grams, 11.9 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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 Engraved Bone Spindle Whorl with Birds Below Canopy
Circa 8th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Barrel-shaped with incised ring-and-dot ornament forming an arcade. 7.78 grams, 17.78 mm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Christ
Circa 7th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
With faceted hoop and flared bezel, incuse nimbate bust flanked by crosses. 7.18 grams, 27.54 mm overall, 19.24 x 19.86 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/4, Europe 20.63, Japan 19)
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
