Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0180
Byzantine Limestone Mortar with Faces and Later Dedication
CIRCA 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
8 5/8 in. (11.15 kg, 22 cm wide).
Drum-shaped body with narrow base, two vertical flanges running from the rim and between them two D-shaped male masks with low discoid caps; later inscribed: '1812 [ΕΤ]ΟΥ IΟΥ[ΛIΟΥ] 27 ІωÁΝΙΣ ΚΟΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥ ΠΕΤΡΙΚΙ' (July the 27, year 1812 of Iohannes Konstantinos Petrikos). [No Reserve]
Provenance
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
VETTING:
TimeLine 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 0180
Byzantine Limestone Mortar with Faces and Later Dedication
Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
RELATED LOTS
-
Silver 'L' Plate Brooch
Roman, 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
In the form of the letter 'L' with scrolled wire within the angle and punched triangle detailing to the plate; pin-lug and catchplate to the reverse. 4.25 grams, 24 mm
Previously acquired on the London art market in the 1980s. Property of a Kent lady collector. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Piriform body with band of impressed rosettes to the equator, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 563 grams, 11 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 Inscribed Lead Spindle Whorl
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Discoid with central void and portion of the shank embedded; inscribed with Greek characters '+AEB Φ BEPETEAI'. 2.66 grams, 18 mm
Acquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. From a gentleman's private collection.
Similar 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.
