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LOT 1020
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/8 in. (449 grams, 10.5 cm).
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, the upper body decorated with vertical herringbone patterns separated by linear motifs; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards.
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'.
Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16.
FootnotesApart 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.
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LOT 1020
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
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Byzantine Porphyry Relief with Cross Surrounded by Two Birds
Southern Italy or Constantinople, 11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £28,600
An imposing panel divided to four sections by a central cross on a stepped pedestal, the lower and upper arm with branch-like extensions; the upper quadrants with a circlet surrounding a palm tree-shaped motif; each lower quadrant with a bird in profile facing back; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 16 kg total, 44.5 cm including stand
Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12179-221676.
The cross, symbol of resurrection and salvation, carried the meaning of Paradise, and a cross on a stepped base derived from that on Golgotha. The birds represented here are probably a symbol of joy of the afterlife, of paradise conceived as the locus refrigerii or refrigerium of the soul. The panel could have been part of a marble iconostasis of a Church of the Eastern Roman Empire, in Southern Italy, although the use of porphyry can suggest a Constantinopolitan provenance. -
Byzantine Glazed Sgraffito Vessel
13th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Carinated in profile with narrow flared base, green-glazed upper body; to the inner face a central roundel with zigzag fill and a zigzag band above the gallery, to the outer face horizontal zigzag band to the shoulder; old Christie's label with '144/2 5540'. 372 grams, 13 cm
Ex Charles Gillot (1853-1903). with Christie's Paris, 2008. European private collection. with previous Christie's item sticker to inside. -
Byzantine Bronze Plaque with Bird Inlay
Circa 10th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Sub-rectangular in form with raised rectangular panel to centre, cells forming X-motif inlaid with red glass(?) against a blue field, central nacre(?) roundel engraved with a perched bird with polychrome enamelled detailing; trace remains of gilding to upper and side edges; piercing to each corner. 20.6 grams, 38 mm
Acquired in London, early 1980s. Purchased in Europe before 1992. Private collection, Europe. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11811-206495.
The small square plaque was possibly part of the decoration of an Evangeliary, such as the enamels covering the binding of Henry II's Perikopenbuch, or the Siena Evangeliary (11th-13th century). Byzantium brought the enamel and cloisonné technique to its most perfect, refined and skilful expression. Between the 10th and 11th centuries it spreads its forms in the East and West and after some infiltration in the Romanesque-Lombard sphere, precious Eastern Roman cloisonnes were found in Russian art, reaching their apex in the Roman Empire during the 10th-12th centuries, in the decoration of icons and other artworks.
