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LOT 0319
Medieval Gold Ring with Cabochon Sapphire
13TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (2.03 grams, 26.68 mm overall, 19.10 x 19.45 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R 1/2, USA 8 3/4, Europe 19.38, Japan 18)).
Featuring a large round-section hoop and raised cell set with a polished sapphire cabochon.
ProvenanceAcquired 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.13388-258005.
Cf. the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession no.639-1871, for similar.
FootnotesDuring the Middle Ages, gemstones were often associated with magical and protective properties they were believed to possess. Gemstones could protect against evil or poisons, as well as heightening the individual’s characteristics and strengths. Sapphires were frequently worn by Bishops and other clergy, due to their ability to promote their bearer’s chastity and piety. Sapphires were believed to be able to change colour if the wearer acted sinfully or lacked faith; it was because of this belief that jewels set with sapphires were worn as symbols of honesty and devout faith.
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LOT 0319
Medieval Gold Ring with Cabochon Sapphire
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,000 (EUR 1,160; USD 1,350) +BP*
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Medieval Knights Bronze 'Earls of Arundel' Heraldic Horse Harness Pendant
England, 15th-16th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Convex face with lion rampant and vestigial traces of red enamel; perhaps originally gilded, suggesting the blazon 'Or a lion rampant Gules', the arms of the Earls of Arundel (FitzAlan family); transverse suspension loop intact. 11.7 grams, 41 mm
Found Whaplode, Lincolnshire, UK. Recorded with UKDFD no.56925. -
Medieval Knight's Bronze Heraldic Horse Harness Pendant
13th-15th century A.D.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Lozenge-shaped pendant with low-relief decoration and traces of red enamel. 5.43 grams, 32 mm
From the private collection of Graham Slater (1927-2024), Cambridge, UK; formed 1980s-1990s. -
Medieval Gilt Bronze Statue of the Act of Almsgiving
England, 12th century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Featuring a standing figure extending a purse to a kneeling supplicant, an allegory of almsgiving, preserving substantial traces of its original gilding, this rare Romanesque figural group likely formed part of a larger liturgical object such as a portable altar, reliquary, or candlestick; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 26 grams, 43 mm (284 grams total, 68 mm including stand)
By repute to have originated from Romney Marsh, Kent. From the collection of Paul Moore. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13324-257971.
The work finds close parallels in the Romanesque metalwork of England. Its figural treatment and iconographic resonance invite comparison with the celebrated Gloucester Candlestick (c.1107– 1113, Victoria & Albert Museum, inv. M.268-1921), where densely modelled figures act out moral and allegorical themes within a functional ecclesiastical object; with the Romanesque candlestick fragment from the Robert von Hirsch Collection (Sotheby’s, London, 22 June 1978, Lot 210); and with the broader corpus of English and German candlesticks and crosiers discussed by Peter Lasko in Ars Sacra, 800–1200 (1972), which demonstrate the intimate relationship between liturgical function and densely figurative decoration. Cf. also Victoria and Albert Museum, London: The Gloucester Candlestick, c.1107–1113 (inv. M.268-1921).
