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LOT 2247
Heavy Medieval Gilt Bronze Reliquary Box Lid with Engraved Floral Cross
CIRCA 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 in. (90.6 grams, 65 mm).
Formed as a heavy rectangular plaque with engraved floral decoration at the top, a circular hole in the centre.
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market in the 1980s.
From an East Anglian private collection.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 2247
Heavy Medieval Gilt Bronze Reliquary Box Lid with Engraved Floral Cross
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£50 (EUR 58; USD 68) +BP*
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Large Medieval Lead Seal Matrix for William Rolle
Circa 13th-14th century A.D.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Discoid type with central fleur-de-lis and legend to the border: '+ SIGILLVM:WILLI:ROLLE', supplied with an impression. 24.6 grams, 37 mm
Found Romney Marsh area, Kent, 1990-2015. Property of a Kent gentleman, a specialist medieval collector. -
Medieval Bronze Straight and Beehive Collection of Thimbles
Circa 14th-17th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Including conical, beehive and other types. 73 grams total, 17-20 mm
Found Romney Marsh area, Kent, 1990-2015. Property of a Kent gentleman, a specialist medieval collector. -
Medieval Alabaster Panel with The Betrayal and Arrest of Christ
England, Nottingham Alabaster, Midlands, circa 1420 A.D.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Rectangular panel with figural scene in high relief; above, two figures left in bassinets and plate armour arrest two standing figures in loose robes; behind them, a tall figure stretching his hand across the chest of another robed figure drawing a sword; below, beneath a ledge, a supine figure extending his left hand towards the central figure above, his right hand holding a walking staff; mounted on a custom-made stand. 10.4 kg total, 37.5 cm high including stand
Collection of Aäron Vecht (1186-1965), Rokin 30, Amsterdam (his paper collection label adhered to the reverse). with Joanna Booth, London, UK. Private collection, London, UK, acquired from the above 11th June 2011. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13527-262845.
The iconography of the betrayal of Christ is ancient, with its earliest roots tracing back to Early Christian art. From its inception, the soldiers arresting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane were depicted as Roman warriors. It is important to note that artists typically rendered their weapons and armour in the contemporary style of their own eras, rather than using historically accurate Roman attire. This artistic convention persisted until the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire. As a result, Byzantine depictions of the arrest offer a dynamic chronicle of military evolution, showcasing the changing equipment of the Roman army and local militias throughout the Middle Ages. Similarly, when this iconography was adopted by other Western and Eastern medieval states, it mirrored the military advancements of nations outside the Byzantine sphere. Consequently, the representation of the arrest at Gethsemane serves as one of the richest visual sources available for studying medieval military equipment.
