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LOT 0795
Byzantine Roundel with Saint
CIRCA 12TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4 in. (29.2 grams, 44 mm).
A roundel bearing an angel in high-relief to one face, looking left, the hands in offering gesture covered by his garment, Greek letters 'APX' (for Archangel) on the left side of his face.
ProvenanceGerman art market, 1990s.
Mr A.H., a North American collector living in the UK.
Cf. Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, items 223-227, for this type of embossed icon.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
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A squat ceramic vessel with a piriform body and domed mouth, band of impressed discs to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 480 grams, 96 mm
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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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
