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LOT 1632
Medieval Gilded Bronze Head of Christ
1200-1500 A.D.
3/4 in. (17.5 grams, 21 mm).
Modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic face and hair detailing and trace remains of gilding; once belonging to a complete figure of Christ. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Fordham, Essex, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.ESS-EFA165.
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AUCTIONS:
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Medieval Iron Artefact Group
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising small scythes and knife blades of various types. 1.75 kg total, 11-24 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
A variety of 14th and 15th century forms of knives are represented here including several with stepped backs. In the 14th century the blades of the knives became to be longer and thinner and frequently marked. -
Medieval Judges Bible Page by Johann Gruninger
Printed 1492 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Being a single, double-sided leaf from an early printed paper Latin bible for the Book of Judges, chapters 15-18; the text set in two columns of blackletter type with numerous hand-applied rubrications (embellishments) in red, with foliation and other marks; square woodblock versals; printed by Johann Gruninger of Strasbourg with commentary by Nicholas de Lyra. 11 grams, 33 x 24.5 cm
Ex M Cummings collection, UK, 1990s-2000s. Accompanied by a Vulgate Latin text with English translation.
This portion of the Book of Judges tells of Samson slaying a thousand Philistines with the 'jawbone of an ass' together with the betrayal by Delilah, his loss of strength and capture when his hair was cut and and his eventual death by pulling down the pillars. -
Medieval Romanesque Marble Head of a Saint
Late 12th-13th century A.D.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,222
Carved naturalistically in the round as a mature male figure with short wavy hair, full beard and moustache, his brow furrowed and mouth held slightly ajar; repaired. 3.8 kg, 18 cm
Acquired in Europe before 1996. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11809-206816.
The head was carved as an image of a saint, Apostle or a prophet. The accomplished and sophisticated style of carving on this head can be compared to some of the most celebrated Romanesque buildings of Southern France. The carving of the head resembles the representations of heads and faces of 12th century French Romanesque art, for example those of Saint Trophime in Arles. This imposing head once served as an important architectural part of a lavishly decorated church, possibly in western France. Its form and the size suggest that the head was not only decorative but that it would have been structurally important – perhaps part of a row of statues of apostles and prophet like those depicted on the Saint Trophime façade.
