Medieval Bronze Ring with Rose in Lozenge

Quatrefoil type with reserved agnus dei silvered on an enamelled field; loop absent. 10 grams, 28 mm



Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Rectangular block with high-relief carving to the upper face, comprising two fishes placed side-by-side, one with heavy scale detailing, the other with a bifurcated tail; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 24 kg total, 51 cm wide including stand



Discovered in part of a stone garden wall during demolition. Ex Stamford deceased estate, Lincolnshire, UK. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The carving style bears similarities to the low-relief carvings on Pictish picture stones, although a close match for the subject matter is absent. A stone recorded at Dunnicaer, Scotland, is carved with a fish symbol but its execution is very sparse and linear in comparison with the heavy detailing of the present piece. See Noble, G., The Problem with the Picts, in Current Archaeology, issue 134, June 2020.

Modelled with a threatening expression, his half-open mouth visibly contracted into an evil grin with exposed teeth, short beard to the chin and wavy locks of hair resting on the forehead with two small horns, large goat horns framing the face on both sides; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 8.4 kg total, 30.5 cm high including stand



From a collection acquired on the UK art market. Property of a West Midlands, UK, private collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

From the Romanesque era onwards, images of demons, often carved on the external sides of cathedrals and churches, were strongly linked to the fantastical and monstrous creatures of ancient myth and legend. For theologians, supernatural creatures which could not otherwise be explained were not of God and therefore had to be demonic: their incorporation in the ecclesiastic structures showed that their malevolent powers could be kept under control only through the protection of the church. This origin of Christian demons is likely to have influenced the visual representation in medieval culture as hybrid and monstrous, especially given the increased interest in Greek works from the twelfth century onwards in the West.