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LOT 0338
Gold, Enamel, and Diamond-Set Skull Ring
CIRCA 1700 A.D.
3/4 in. (2.82 grams, 19.54 mm overall,17.22 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)).
A Queen Anne period gold ring composed of a slender hoop with expanding shoulders formed as the ball-joints of long bones; bezel formed as an elongated stylised skull featuring large eye-sockets set with facetted diamonds; white enamelled teeth and head detailing; accompanied by a vintage ring box.
ProvenanceAcquired from Berganza, Hatton Garden, London, 2016.
Property of an East Sussex collector.
Accompanied by a copy of the Berganza invoice.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11665-197583.
Cf. The V&A Museum, London, accession number 528-1868, for a ring of similar type.
FootnotesLikely a ring of the memento mori genre.
The V & A Museum states that during the 'Renaissance, the ring developed from the simple forms of the medieval period into a miniature work of art, combining the skills of the chaser, engraver and enameller as well as the stone cutter.'
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Edwardian Ring with Date
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A bronze finger ring with foliate ornament to the shoulders, florid bezel with incised date '1906' below horizontal band. 4.81 grams, 25.08 mm overall, 21.95 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z, USA 12 1/2, Europe 28.77, Japan 27)
Acquired in the late 1990s-2000. Property of an East London gentleman. -
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Tortoise and Lion Amulet Group
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A black jasper figurine depicting a tortoise with domed shell, plate detailing to the back and underneath, small erect head; offered with a green stone cat amulet, pierced longitudinally. 60 grams total, 32-51 mm
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Marble Archaic Kouros Statue
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
A Greek style marble archaic kouros statue carved with braided hair held by a diadem, arms held straight at the sides, legs in advancing pose. 16.5 kg, 71 cm high
French collection, 1960s-early 2000s. From an important Paris gallery, France.
The kouros (free-standing nude male youth) first appeared in ancient Greece in the Archaic Greek period; kouros figures have been found across the Greek-speaking world, concentrated mainly in sanctuaries of Apollo. The term means ‘male youth, particularly one of noble rank’; when a pubescent boy came of age in ancient Greece, he was known as a kouros, at which point he could participate in the initiation feast of the brotherhood. The god Apollo was known as the greatest kouros. Typically life-sized, these figures were produced in marble, but have also been found in limestone, wood, bronze and terracotta. The female counterpart is the kore.
