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LOT 0169
Byzantine Terracotta Oil Lamp with Chi Rho
5TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/4 in. (173 grams, 14.7 cm).
Piriform in plan with two small circular filling holes; rounded nozzle and basal ring with concentric rings; raised Christogram between the filling holes and raised ivy-leaf motifs.
ProvenanceMarceaux Collection, France.
Private collection Mr. D, France, before 2000.
Cf. Rosenthal, R. & Sivan, R., Ancient Lamps in the Schloessinger Collection, 1981, items 491-495, 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 Cross Group
10th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising: a cross bottony with integral loop; a plain flat-section cross with curved loop; a flat-section cross with incised lines to each arm and a central x-motif; a cross with bud finial to each arm with rosette motif. 15.88 grams total, 29-37 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Glazed Sgraffito Vessel
13th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Carinated in profile with narrow flared base, green-glazed upper body; to the inner face a central roundel with zigzag fill and a zigzag band above the gallery, to the outer face horizontal zigzag band to the shoulder; old Christie's label with '144/2 5540'. 372 grams, 13 cm
Ex Charles Gillot (1853-1903). with Christie's Paris, 2008. European private collection. with previous Christie's item sticker to inside. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, the upper body with tight rows of impressed teardrop-shaped motifs, two deep circumferential grooves beneath; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 729 grams, 16 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards. 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.
