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LOT 1853
Medieval Bronze Ring with Stag
15TH-16TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.92 grams, 20.42 mm overall, 17.15 x 17.32 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)).
Comprising a slender D-section hoop and an oval bezel with a reclining stag with large antlers. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a UK collection formed in the 1980s.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Medieval Bronze Seal Matrix with Bird
England, 14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Discoid in plan with faceted shank and pierced lug finial; central image of a bird advancing left with one wing raised above the back; legend to the border: '*PRIVE SV' ('I am private'); supplied wih an impression. 7.58 grams, 20 mm
Found Ravensden, Bedfordshire, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.BH-D78F26. -
Large Medieval Stone Church Gargoyles
England, 15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,940
Matched pair of carved stone corbels, each a mythical beast with a rounded body, bat-like wings folded behind the back, long arched neck and reptilian head with gaping mouth; mounted on an integral square-section base with stepped rear face; socket to forward face with bronze insert; some surface accretions. 400 kg total, 118 -121.5 cm
Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13385-259013.
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. -
Medieval Gold Ring with Turquoise
1200-1500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Comprising a slender hoop with a high pie-crust bezel with a cabochon turquoise within a rub-over setting. 3.46 grams, 22.77 mm overall, 16.01 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4 3/4, Europe 8.69, Japan 8)
Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13328-257948.
This form of decorative ring with central stone setting is relatively common in the medieval period, when a focus on gemstones over metalwork became increasingly common. Several rings of this type are known and appear to have been popular in the 15th century.