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LOT 1341
Byzantine Silver Ring with Bust
12TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (7.45 grams, 22.59 mm overall, 18.57 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)).
Featuring a D-section hoop with a palm frond on both shoulders, oval bezel with a piecrust edge and pelletted border, central profile bust of a robed and bearded man flanked by palm fronds.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Chadour, A.B. Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 87 for type.
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 Bronze Ring with Jesus Riding a Donkey
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Comprising a slender hoop with an oval bezel featuring an image of Jesus riding on a donkey before a robed man. 1.92 grams, 21.99 mm overall, 19.65 x 19.26 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
From an English private collection, 1980s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian. -
Byzantine Period Terracotta Oil Lamp with Triangular Handle
Circa 5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Circular body with a wide nozzle, filler hole with a raised square border with a band of pellets below, a wide triangular handle at the rear with three raised vertical bands behind, and a low basal ring. 93.6 grams, 10.1 cm
From the collection of a Yorkshire, UK gentleman, items collected in the Holy Land in the 1960s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
bulbous in profile with domed filler hole, linear decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 338 grams, 10 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. 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.
