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LOT 1676
Medieval Gold Pilgrim's Sunburst Applique
CIRCA 14TH-16TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (0.21 grams, 12 mm).
Formed from sheet-gold with nine rays; small loop to the reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
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 Printed Paper Bible Page by Johann Grüninger
Printed 1510 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Page of a rag-paper bible with text printed in two columns and with marginal notes to both sides; portion of Book of Jeremiah; printed in Strasbourg by Johann Grüninger with commentary by Nicholas de Lyra. 13 grams, 32.2 x 22.8 cm
From the private collection of M. Cummings, Lincolnshire, UK, 1990s.
Johannes Grüninger (1455-1533) was a prolific German printer, active from 1482 to 1533, who printed up to 80 books a year in Latin and in German, as well as wall-maps. His bible was issued in two volumes, which allowed it be produced on smaller pages than for most standard editions. -
Medieval Silver Ring with Star of David
15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With a ribbed hoop supporting a round bezel with a six-pointed star in niello on a foliate background. 3.38 grams, 22.94 mm overall, 19.66 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)
UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
'The Witham on the Hill' Medieval Gold 'The Beautiful Game' Posy Ring with Matched Pairs of Flowers
Circa 1400-1500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Flat-section straightened hoop with incised blackletter text 'le belle ie[u]' translating to 'the beautiful game' with interposed flowers and stalks. 1.68 grams, 16.92 mm overall, 15.39 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I 1/2, USA 4 1/2, Europe 8.07, Japan 7)
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Witham on the Hill, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, UK, on Sunday 9th January 2022, by Mark Bowen. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.CAM-D675E8. Accompanied by a copy of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Treasure receipt and and disclaimed with Treasure case tracking no.2022T153. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12139-214843.
The final word of the inscription is ie for ie[u], an Anglo-Norman spelling of modern French jeu ‘game’. The game in question is, of course, love (not football!). The ‘game’ of love here is what we now refer to as Courtly Love (amour courtois, fin amor) and the phrase ‘beautiful game’ is also found on another ring recorded on the PAS database as YORYM-0A0FD2, the whole, a rhyming couplet, reading AMIE EN VV/ [E]ST MA VIE BELE GIEV [Beloved, in you my life is a beautiful game].
