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_900x900.jpg "Byzantine Inscribed Silver Bowl with Chi Rho")
_200x200.jpg "Byzantine Inscribed Silver Bowl with Chi Rho")
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LOT 0179
Byzantine Inscribed Silver Bowl with Chi Rho
CIRCA 11TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
9 1/4 in. (395 grams, 23.5 cm wide).
With rounded underside and flange rim; tondo with incised symmetrical vinescroll with bunches of grapes enclosing central disc with niello-filled Chi Rho flanked by alpha and omega; legend to the rim in capitals: '+++ ΥΠΕΡ ΑΝΑΠΑΥϹΕΩϹ ΕΥΧΗϹ ΟΝ ΟΙΔΕΝ ΟΘϹ ΤΑ ΟΝΟΜΑΤΑ' (For the eternal rest of him who had knowledge in the name of the Lord).
ProvenanceFrom a European family collection formed in the 1990s; thence by descent to a UK gentleman.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Accompanied by professional drawings of the object.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11963-210867.
Cf. similar item of an earlier date in the British Museum, London, under accession no. 1899,0425.1; Aimone, M., The Wyvnern collection, Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, London, 2020, figs.43a-b-c.
FootnotesThe decorative apparatus of this plate could be associated with Eastern Roman art of the 11-12th century A.D., although we cannot exclude an earlier dating.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0179
Byzantine Inscribed Silver Bowl with Chi Rho
Estimate £10,000 - 14,000€11,600 - 16,240 (for guidance only)$13,500 - 18,900 (for guidance only)
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Byzantine Bronze Ecclesiastical Finial Support for a Cross
10th-12th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Openwork finial formed as a miniature church comprising a square base with four stub feet, sidewalls each with a keyhole-shaped arch, upper storey cruciform in plan with radiating porticus ending in a tongue-shaped facade and loophole aperture; above, a tubular tower with loophole windows; flanged upper face with slot. 368 grams, 11.2 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s.
This object reproduces a building of three levels: it belongs to a processional pole which supported a Byzantine bronze cross, the lower end of which fitted into the slot visible on the top of the drum. This object, which remains above all a decorative element, recalls by its structure a Byzantine church with its cross-shaped plan: architectural models reproducing religious buildings were very appreciated by Byzantine craftsmen (especially in the capital Constantinople), who used these structures to produce not only the cross holders but also the reliquaries, host boxes, or censers. Originally, this construction was supported by four columns of which only the capitals and a few fragments of the shaft remain. The presentation and demonstration of a cross to the faithful could take place during different celebrations of the Christian liturgical calendar, or even during certain civil ceremonies, or taking place in a princely court. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Piriform body with gusset to the equator, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 431 grams, 10.6 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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Piriform body with band of impressed scrolls and rings to the shoulder, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 399 grams, 11.5 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.
