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LOT 0781
Byzantine Oil Lamp Group
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
4 - 5 3/4 in. (748 grams total, 10-14.5 cm).
Group of two bronze lamps comprising: one with heart-shaped body, squat nozzle with recessed disc finial, hinged lid shaped as a scallop, basal disc with square hole to accept a stand, two curled arms at the rear forming the handle with thumb-pad formed as a perching bird; one slipper-shaped with ovoid nozzle, scooped conical lid with regular piercings, piriform basal ring, curved arm to the rear developing to a leaf-shaped reflector. [2]
ProvenanceCollected from the 1950s-1980s by a distinguished university professor who served as Department Head, Dean and Vice President for a major university.
Ex Emeritus collection, North America.
Accompanied by a copy of a Spanish export licence.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Red Marble Fragment from the House of Ananias in Damascus
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
Corner piece with polished face; an old handwritten label to the side reading 'Stone from "Ananiani's" house Damascus May 1861'. 182 grams, 82 mm
Found Damascus, Syria, in May 1861. UK private collection. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. With a late 19th century handwritten identification label attached.
The Chapel of San Anania is a religious building located in a two-room crypt in Damascus, approximately four meters below the current street level, reachable by descending a staircase of twenty-three steps from the courtyard of a house that traditionally is attributed to Ananias, the Christian martyr who helped Saul (who became Paul the Apostle), baptised him and helped him hide and leave Damascus, after he had attracted the hatred of the Jews who had organised his killing. It is an apse of an Eastern Roman basilica from the 5th-6th century, cited several times by Arab historical sources such as al-Mussalabeh (of the Holy Cross), brought to light by the excavations carried out by the count Eustache de Lorey. -
Byzantine Terracotta Oil Lamp Filler
5th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Of boot-type with rounded body and short cylindrical neck; lug handle to the rear. 200 grams, 10.2 cm
Acquired before 1990s/early 2000s. From the family collection of Jack Lyttle (1944-2023), Kilmacolm, Scotland; thence by descent to his granddaughter. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Ribbed Bronze Bowl
Circa 12th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Of hemispherical form with broad everted rim, shallow fluting to the lower body. 603 grams, 15 cm wide
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.