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LOT 1871
Medieval Iron Fire Starter Group
CIRCA 15TH-18TH CENTURIES A.D.
2 - 2 3/8 in. (148 grams total, 52-62 mm).
Including fire steels of various types with ornamental shaping. [5, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Cf. similar specimens in PAS, LON-6357F6,LON71B542, from London in Leahy, K. and Lewis, M., Finds Identified, London, 2020, p.155.
FootnotesFire steels were used to generate a spark from a 'strike-a-light' (a piece of flint or pyrite). The spark was directed into a tinder box containing a dry, flammable material such as charred linen until a flame was kindled.
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Medieval Bronze Ring with 'IHS' Motif
Circa 14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Comprising a slender shank with scooped shoulders and incised foliage motifs, rectangular bezel with incised border and 'IHS' christogram. 1.73 grams, 20.43 mm overall, 17.51 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)
Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
The profile of the ring is influenced by eastern Mediterranean fashion of the 11th-12th century, specifically the Fatimid period workshops of Egypt or Syria. -
Medieval Archangels and Other Carved Bone Plaques by the Embriachi Workshop
Italy, Florence, circa 1400 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,800
Group of nine carved bone panels from a casket, most with a tapering upper third and openwork vegetation at the top; comprising: young man resting his hands on a teardrop shield, beside a fir-tree, looking right; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe reaching upwards towards a three-horned crown; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe holding a naked sword in her right hand and scales in her left; winged nimbate figure in floor-length robe holding a serpent in each hand, with three faces conjoined; winged angel in floor-length robe sitting on a dais, holding a discoid object with a bifid handle (perhaps a lute); winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe holding a chalice in her right hand and cross in her left; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe holding a flaming torch in her right hand and grasping the raised hands of a child with her left; winged nimbate angel in floor-length robe with two ewers, pouring liquid from one to the other; young man resting his hands on a teardrop shield, beside a fir-tree, looking left; mounted on a wooden display stand. 1.08 kg total, 48.5 cm wide including stand
Acquired Delchar, London, 2011. Private collection, Suffolk, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12291-221716.
The Bottega degli Embriachi was an important producer of artworks carved in bone (and occasionally ivory) in a framework of inlaid wood. It was active in Northern Italy from circa 1375 A.D. until circa 1433. It relocated from Florence to Venice about 1395. The Bottega was especially known for 'marriage caskets' with tall columnar lids, with carved bone figural panels. Some of the panels here are evidently Christian (the figure with the cross and chalice) while others are perhaps purely symbolic (Justice with sword and scales) and some are simply puzzling (e.g. the three-faced figure with serpents). -
Medieval Iron Rowel Spur Collection
Circa 14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Comprising spurs of various sizes; including examples retaining rowels and buckles. 313 grams total, 13.3-15.3 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Early in 16th century, fashion of spurs changed and the spur were fitted with a much shorter, dropped neck, their rowels ranging from medium seven-point to large short seven points.
