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LOT 1898
Framed Medieval Lead Seal Matrix of Thomas Son of Walter
13TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
5 x 5 in. (95 grams, 12.5 x 12.5 cm).
Discoid in shape with central eight-petalled flower within a roundel, surrounding 'S’ THOME FIL WALTE = SEAL OF THOMAS SON OF WALTER' legend. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.
LiteratureCf. Bailey, G., Detector Finds, Witham, 1999, p.55, fig.18, for a similar seal.
FootnotesDuring the medieval period the use of seals on documents, letters and packages became widespread. Lead was cheap to use and easy to engrave, and from the late 12th until the end of 13th century seals of this type, with very conventional central designs, were important possessions amongst the lower classes.
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LOT 1898
Framed Medieval Lead Seal Matrix of Thomas Son of Walter
Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
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Medieval Archangels and Other Carved Bone Plaques by the Embriachi Workshop
Italy, Florence, circa 1400 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,800
Group of nine carved bone panels from a casket, most with a tapering upper third and openwork vegetation at the top; comprising: young man resting his hands on a teardrop shield, beside a fir-tree, looking right; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe reaching upwards towards a three-horned crown; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe holding a naked sword in her right hand and scales in her left; winged nimbate figure in floor-length robe holding a serpent in each hand, with three faces conjoined; winged angel in floor-length robe sitting on a dais, holding a discoid object with a bifid handle (perhaps a lute); winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe holding a chalice in her right hand and cross in her left; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe holding a flaming torch in her right hand and grasping the raised hands of a child with her left; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe with two ewers, pouring liquid from one to the other; young man resting his hands on a teardrop shield, beside a fir-tree, looking left; mounted on a wooden display stand. 1.08 kg total, 48.5 cm wide including stand
Acquired Delchar, London, 2011. Private collection, Suffolk, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12291-221716.
The Bottega degli Embriachi was an important producer of artworks carved in bone (and occasionally ivory) in a framework of inlaid wood. It was active in Northern Italy from circa 1375 A.D. until circa 1433. It relocated from Florence to Venice about 1395. The Bottega was especially known for 'marriage caskets' with tall columnar lids, with carved bone figural panels. Some of the panels here are evidently Christian (the figure with the cross and chalice) while others are perhaps purely symbolic (Justice with sword and scales) and some are simply puzzling (e.g. the three-faced figure with serpents). -
Medieval Marble Sarcophagus Fragment with a Man
14th-15th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £1,235
Depicting the head of a mature bearded male against a draped background with swept folds. 7.4 kg, 34 cm
Private collection, England. -
Medieval and Later Lead Artefact Group
14th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Including discoid tokens with reserved legends, oblate spindle whorls, cuboid weights and other items. 824 grams total, 20-34 mm
Found on various UK sites since 1974. Property of an Essex collector.
