Loading, please wait...
LOT 2169
Group of Seals and Scaraboids
20TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 - 1 1/4 in. (78 grams total, 15-33 mm).
Including scarab with figural scene and legend to underside, plano-convex type with wreath, perching bird and legend, and other types; after the antique. [6]
ProvenanceFrom the late S M collection, London, UK, 1969-1999.
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:
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.
LOT 2169
Group of Seals and Scaraboids
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
-
Very Large Uzbek Bed or Table Cover
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Rectangular fabric panel with embroidered rosettes, tendrils and other patterns in concentric blocks. 1.7 kg, 128 x 211 cm
Private collection, UK. -
Figural Bronze Plaque Group
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Comprising: bearded prophet holding a processional cross; shepherd with crook, ewe and lamb; each hollow to the reverse. 185 grams total, 71-86 mm
Private collection, UK. -
Large Post Medieval Merchant’s Seal Ring Engraved with 'BG' and Shield
Germany, 16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,350
Engraved with the owner's initials ‘B G’ above a tilting shield with flanche; merchant's mark motif of capital 'A' and a cross. 20.03 grams, 28.33 mm overall, 23.00 x 18.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13051-248349.
Merchants' marks were chosen by their owners as a form of personal cypher, and so it is almost impossible to decipher the owner of many merchants' marks, as they were not governed by the strict regulation and recording that heraldry laws dictated. Merchants' rings were engraved with geometric symbols used to mark their goods or personal belongings and used instead of a coat of arms for those not entitled to them. Most merchants in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had marks, easily identifiable and formed with a few strokes. Many such rings also bear religious or talismanic inscriptions or imagery, combining a spiritual with a commercial function. The shape of the shield on this example draws direct parallels to the heraldic shields and jewels of this period in Germany.