Glass Bead Necklace String Group

Two leaves from a vellum manuscript, each with a hand-coloured image of a male figure (Evangelists) seated on low stools, covered with embroidered cloths, holding a vellum page in one hand and quill in the other, nimbus around their head; dressed in blue, red and green garments, in front of them two cups in brown and white colour. 19 grams total, 22.5 x 19.8 cm each



Ex central London gallery. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

During the Aksumite period, the Greek text of the Gospels was brought to Ethiopia and translated into Geez. Along with the Greek text came a standard method of Gospel manuscript production, as well as the Eusebian canon tables with their characteristic decoration and tholos miniature, and portraits of the evangelists. In the Gondar period, the tradition continued: usually the four Evangelists were portrayed as a series. Evangelist portraits serve as an introduction, and narrative illustrations were placed within the Gospel texts.

With hexagonal-section shank, collar and round suspension loop; to the circular face an intaglio design of a three-masted warship under sail with pennants to mastheads and with gunports to side; one facet stamped 'H', old collector's inked reference '815'. 5.29 grams, 25.16 mm



Formerly in a significant private English collection of seal matrices formed since 1987. Ex Horton collection, UK. Property of a Californian, USA, collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Comprising a parcel-gilt raised discoid base with fluted hexafoil developing to a central column with braided collar and openwork crown socket; inset portion of natural coral branch; figure of St Sebastian modelled in the round with three arrows piercing his shoulders and chest and the stub of a fourth in his shin, portrayed with gilt loincloth and centre-parted hair, braided wire bonds to the left wrist and one ankle' old collector's numbers 'V.590.3H1 7' and '18688' to underside. 190 grams, 12.4 cm



F.K.A. Huelsmann, Hamburg. with Christie's, Geneva, 13 May 1981, no.7. Private collection, South Germany. with Hargesheimer & Gunther, 22 September 2017, no.1307. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12507-230673. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

This lot will require a CITES licence when exported outside the UK.