Loading, please wait...
LOT 0850
Byzantine Silver Cross Brooch
CIRCA 6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (5.27 grams, 28 mm).
Shaped as an equal-armed cross, surface decorated with pellet-in-circles, catch and fastening pin on the back; polished. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market.
Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
Cf. Wamser, H., Die Welt Von Byzanz-Europas Ostliches Erbe, Germany, 2004, p.276, no.426, for a very similar example.
FootnotesThe cross fibulae was part of a Roman female costume in the Mediterranean and in the regions around the Mediterranean. They were used to close the cloak at chest height.
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:
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.
-
Byzantine Bronze Empress Mount
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Formed in the half-round as a youthful female bust, a cross in the middle of the high hair arrangement (propoloma). 193 grams, 97 mm
Ex Law Professor in Alexandria, prior to 1930. Ex collection M. Bouvier, Switzerland (1901-1980).
The image of the Roman Empress during the late Roman Empire, was connected to Christianity by the figure of the Empress Helena. Constantine had several cities renamed Helenopolis in honour of his mother, Helena, and she gained the political verification of power with the status nobilissima femina in 318 and the rank of Augusta in 324. Alongside her social and political image, Helena also had a significant reputation as a good Christian who was a patron and took care of poor people. Owing to this powerful religious image that was created, all other Christian women during the Eastern Roman Empire were encouraged spiritually by the fact that Helena was the mother of the first Christian emperor, and the image of the Roman empress was connected to the Christian image of the Mother of God, and represented on weights, bronze appliques and, in this case, maybe as an upper mount of a tripod. -
Byzantine and Other Bronze Weight Collection
8th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising weights of various sizes and shapes, and bearing a variety of markings: ring-and-dot motifs, a cross; dimples. 270 grams total, 13-28 mm
Ex Simmons Gallery, London E11, UK, in the 1990s. From a North London collection. -
Byzantine Bronze Ram Statuette
5th-8th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £234
Depicted limp with a collar or wineskins draped around the waist, modelled in the round with naturalistic detailing and curled horns. 56 grams, 49 mm
‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
