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LOT 0213
Byzantine Rock Crystal Stamp Seal in Silver Pendant with Military Saint on Horseback
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (7.9 grams, 30 mm).
With a tapering octagonal body, the military saint on horseback holding a long spear, the horse wearing a detailed harness; set in a conical silver frame with suspension loop and crenellated edge.
ProvenanceFrom an old New Zealand private collection.
Acquired on the New Zealand art market circa 2014.
Property of a New Zealand legal professional.
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.12327-223721.
Cf. Daux, G., Collection Hélène Stathatos. Les Objets Byzantins et Post-Byzantins, Strasbourg, Amandry, 1957; Lady Carnegie, H., Catalogue of the Collection of Antique Gems formed by James Ninth Earl of Southesk, London, 1908, Vol.2, 13, P29, pl.1; Delaporte, L., Musée du Louvre. Catalogue des cylinders, cachets et pierres gravées de style oriental, vols.1-2, Paris, 1920, 1923, Vol.I, D.284, pls.56-60; Boardman, J. and Scaribrick, D.,The Ralph Harari Collection of Finger Rings, London, 1977, 53, no.120; Lerner, J.A., Christian Seals of the Sasanian Period, Leiden, 1977; p.32, nos.6, pl.1,4; 7,8; Spier, J., Late Antique and Early Christian Gems, Wiesbaden, 2013, pls.118-119.
FootnotesThe motif of a saint on horseback was common in the Romano-Christian culture of the 6th-7th centuries. The figure of a saint symbolised protection of the local church or monastery and its community, and could also be related to the priest leader of the community, as their personal seal.
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LOT 0213
Byzantine Rock Crystal Stamp Seal in Silver Pendant with Military Saint on Horseback
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Byzantine Bronze Weight with Greek Inscription
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Rectangular in plan with Δ to obverse, monogram to reverse; one corner pierced for suspension. 16.9 grams, 15 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Byzantine Gold Ring with Foliate Motifs
Circa 11th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £556
Comprising a flat-section hoop with a starburst motif to the base; openwork shoulders and a square bezel with a pellet to each corner, the bezel engraved with foliate motifs. 3.65 grams, 19.99 mm overall, 18.00 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L, USA 5 3/4, Europe 11.24, Japan 10)
Acquired from London galleries during the 1990s. From the jewellery collection of a London, UK, gentleman. Accompanied by a previous typed cataloguing card.
Some rings from the Balkan territories of the Eastern Empire (for example the ring from Dobrača) bear a square thickened bezel engraved with schematic representations. What sets them apart are the widened shoulders emphasised by a plastic rib and the raised and flattened head, which places them in the group of rings which dates mainly to the 11th century (from the end of the 10th to the first decades of the 12th century). -
Byzantine Bronze Weight with Inscriptions
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Obverse with impressed text 'ΔΟΜΟ/Χ'. 7.9 grams, 14 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
