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LOT 0933
Byzantine Inscribed Lead Spindle Whorl
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.66 grams, 18 mm).
Discoid with central void and portion of the shank embedded; inscribed with Greek characters '+AEB Φ BEPETEAI'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s.
From a gentleman's private collection.
Cf. Tal, O., Piasetzky-David, M., ‘Inscribed Spindle Whorls from a Byzantine Burial Cave at Yavne-Yam, Israel’ in Israel Exploration Journal, vol.70, no.1 (2020), pp.106-113, for similar example in stone (basalt).
FootnotesSimilar objects could have been manufactured to look like spindle whorls, while they were in fact used as beads and/or amulets. The current evidence may suggest that these items were burial goods for females. They are sometimes seen incised with Greek letters and symbols
that seem to suggest a cryptic onomata barbara formula. In this context, they can be viewed as mystical objects with the function of transmitting a message to the Other World, and the sheer mass of letters intended to convey the idea of an authoritative communication inaccessible to ordinary human being.
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Piriform body with vertical ribs to the body, interstitial panels of impressed foliage ornament, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 573 grams, 14 cm
From 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'.
This piece was a sort of a ceramic fire grenade, similar to the ones used by the Eastern Romans but of Turco-Mongol type. Apart from the use of manual flame-throwers, special corps of soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations, even in Burma. -
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Byzantine Fresco Panel of Crowned Women
14th century A.D.Estimate: £30,000 - 40,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £12,500
Fragment of a fresco panel depicting a group of young women wearing crowns, possibly depicting queens or wise virgins, three in the foreground with suggestion of others behind them; a vertical line to the left marking the border of the painting; two outer women's eyes turning towards a point high on the right, and the middle one lowering her eyes; wearing clothes richly decorated with precious stones and pearls, and crowns consisting of a band encrusted with gems and bordered with pearls, topped with points adorned with coloured stones in the style of Western European crowns. 5.08 kg, 40 x 40 cm
Acquired in the early 1980s. Ex old German private collection. From the private collection of Mr S.A., before 1992. Thence by descent. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.PHO00064. 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 a search certificate number no.12115-218166.
This painting possibly comes from a representation of the Last Judgment including the representation of the crowned men and women mentioned in the Apocalypse (chapter IV, verse 4). The crowned women present the signs of adoration specific to this type of representation, their eyes turned or lowered as a sign of respect towards a point where Christ seated on a throne was painted in glory. Perhaps attributable to the Balkans in the 14th century, a region divided among the realms of Hungary, Venice, Greater Serbia and others. Another possibility is that the panel represents the five wise virgins of the parable of Matthew 25, who are crowned brides by Christ. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Piriform body with ribs to the shoulder and impressed ovoids to the upper face, recessed filler-hole to the shoulder, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 520 grams, 10.7 cm
From 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'.
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.
