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LOT 0755
Late Byzantine Tinned Bronze Signet Ring with Inscription and Dove in Centre
CIRCA 14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (10.05 grams, 23.91 mm overall, 19.86 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)).
With facetted shoulders, octagonal bezel with incuse border, central dove motif and surrounding Greek legend 'ΗΠΔΟΗΜαΡ'. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed since the 1940s.
UK art market.
Property of an Essex gentleman.
Cf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 621, for type.
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:
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LOT 0755
Late Byzantine Tinned Bronze Signet Ring with Inscription and Dove in Centre
Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
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Byzantine Terracotta Oil Lamp Filler
5th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Of boot-type with rounded body and short cylindrical neck; lug handle to the rear. 200 grams, 10.2 cm
Acquired before 1990s/early 2000s. From the family collection of Jack Lyttle (1944-2023), Kilmacolm, Scotland; thence by descent to his granddaughter. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Terracotta Oil Lamp
5th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
With a round body and stub handle; circular filling hole enclosed within bands of raised geometric motifs and pellets. 92 grams, 83 mm
Acquired before 1990s/early 2000s. From the family collection of Jack Lyttle (1944-2023), Kilmacolm, Scotland; thence by descent to his granddaughter. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, decorated with floral pattern on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 145 grams, 77 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
