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LOT 1691
Medieval and Other Artefact Group
1ST-20TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 - 4 3/8 in. (846 grams total, 1.2-11.1 cm).
Including buckle loops and fittings, milled coins, harness mounts and other items. [190, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Cambridgeshire, UK.
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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Medieval Salvator Mundi Appearing to an Old Man
15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
Rectangular vellum panel, hand-coloured initial 'D' from a manuscript page; to the left edge, a bearded male face in profile wearing a red cap; around the capital, four coral-pink dragons with head in profile; within the loop of the 'D' a scene depicting an old man with long white hair and beard kneeling before a table, above him Christ in 'Salvator Mundi' guise nimbate and holding an orb; in an old glazed wooden frame with cartapesta panel to the reverse. 347 grams, 18 x 18.7 cm
Private collection, Tuscany, inherited, 1969. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12060-217464.
The illumination is from a cutting of dismembered Code, likely representing a book of the ancient Testament. It is difficult to say who is the character to which God is appearing, although his costume betrays the intention to represent a grieving man, in Jewish garb. This points to a possible individuation of the man as David (an interpretation supported by the letter D), who, penitent in front of God for the sin he committed by killing Uriah, receives the blessing and forgiveness of God, whose hand is depicted in the blessing gesture. -
Medieval Bronze Cross Pendant
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
With expanding arms, ribbed obverse, central boss with concentric rings; pierced at the upper edge. 6.5 grams, 31 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Medieval Gilt Bronze Plaque of the True Face of Christ
Italy, circa 1500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
With raised rim, nimbate bust of Christ in profile with long beard and shoulder-length hair, folded collar to the mantle; dove above with wings spread between sun and moon, each with a facing mask; inscription I.N.R.I. visible on either side of the portrait; mounted on a velvet-covered stand. 216 grams, 10.1 x 6.6 cm
with Pierre-Richard Royer, 2010. Ex central London gallery.
The icon represents the profile bust of Christ found on a Byzantine emerald, whence it is known as an 'Emerald Icon'. The emerald was one of the several holy objects sent to Pope Innocent VIII in the 1490's by the Turkish Sultan Bajazet II. The icon was considered one of the Christianity's most precious relics. The letters "I N R I" stand for 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum,' i.e.' Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews' This is the inscription that, according to the Evangelist John, Pilate had written on the plaque above Christ's head on the cross. The sun and moon allude to the cosmic significance of his sacrifice.
