Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1880
Celtic to Medieval Bronze Ring Collection
1ST CENTURY B.C.-16TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 - 1 in. (26.3 grams total, 14-23 mm).
Comprising seven rings with decorative bezels, one with a broken hoop. [7, No Reserve]
Provenance
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000.
From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Literature
Cf. for the type Stanojev, N., Nekropolen aus dem 10.-15.Jahrhundert in der Vojvodina, Novi Sad, 1989, figs.508-510, 513.
Footnotes
Similar cast bronze rings with images of stylised animals and chevrons or other geometric patterns were found in the Necropolis of Zabran, Zemun, and dated 10th-15th century A.D. These rings were often decorated with stylised images of animals and geometric patterns.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
'The Dummer' Medieval Knight's Hospitaller Gold Ring
England, circa 1500-1540 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Featuring a sub-circular integral bezel decorated with an eight-armed Maltese cross with some incised decoration in its foils and a sub-circular border with traces of enamel in the field; the moulded shoulders bordered by a long triangle terminating with a long sub-oval indentation, slightly raised and decorated with two parallel lines and two circles with lines through the middle, possibly a stylised letter 'G', the shoulders tapering slightly to the narrowest section of the now straightened narrow and undecorated band. 1.21 grams, 18.40 mm overall, 16.62 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L 1/2, USA 6, Europe 11.87, Japan 11)
Found Dummer, Basingstoke and Deane, Hampshire, UK; declared as Treasure under the Treasure Act and disclaimed. Accompanied by a copy of a letter explaining that the Crown’s interest in this find has been disclaimed. Accompanied by a copy of the Report on find of Potential Treasure for H M Coroner no.2023 T292. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.HAMP-463CD7.
This motif is symbolic of membership in an Order of Knights Hospitaller, such as the Order of St John. In England, these Knights ceased to hold property after 1540 and the English Reformation. This suggests that the ring is from the earlier part of the sixteenth century. However, the letter 'G' is a prominent symbol of Freemasonry, where it typically stands for Geometry and/or God, the 'Grand Architect of the Universe'. -
Medieval Bronze Ring with Cabochon
12th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Ellipsoid bezel with stepped cell and inset orange-red glass cabochon. 6.65 grams, 29.13 mm overall, 18.24 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Medieval Bronze Ring with Warrior
11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
D-section hoop with a raised dicoid bezel bearing an image of a stylised warrior on a pelletted field. 4.62 grams, 19.42 mm overall, 14.83 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G 1/2, USA 3 1/2, Europe 5.55, Japan 5)
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
These banded rings, made of bronze sheet with a flattened ellipsoidal head, could be decorated with geometric or animal ornaments executed by shallow carving. In this circumstance, the bezel is decorated with a stylised image, most probably of Archangel Michael, who was asked for protection and blessing.