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LOT 1295
Medieval Iron Single-Edged Knife
LATE 14TH CENTURY A.D.
12 5/8 in. (173 grams, 32 cm).
Comprising an inversed cutting edge and a long tang.
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Cf. Cowgill, J. et al., Knives and Scabbards. Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, London, 1987, no.76, for a similar knife.
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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LOT 1295
Medieval Iron Single-Edged Knife
Estimate £80 - 100€93 - 116 (for guidance only)$108 - 135 (for guidance only)
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Rare Medieval Lead Papal Bull of Pope Benedict XI
22nd October 1303-7th July 1304 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £273
With faces of the saints Peter and Paul within a border of raised pellets, above the heads 'SPA' for St. Paul to the left and 'SPE' for St. Peter to the right; the with BENE//DICTVS//.PP .XI. also within a border of raised pellets, the 'PP' stands for 'pastor pastorum' which translates as 'shepherd of the shepherds'. 27.8 grams, 38 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Rylstone, North Yorkshire, UK, circa 2018. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.YORYM-A73B69.
Papal bullae are lead seals that were attached to papal documents to authenticate them. A bulla was attached to its document using a cord, threaded through the vellum document and then passed through the bulla itself, from top to bottom. -
Medieval Knight's Enamelled Bronze Heraldic Horse Harness Pendant
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
On a heater-shaped shield with pieced loop at the apex, a white enamelled bird facing left, bending over to feed its chicks, with the remains of green and red enamel and gilding, possibly a pelican in piety, feeding her young in a nest. 14.85 grams, 46.5 mm
Found Norfolk, UK, circa 1990s. -
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Medieval Bronze Vesica-Shaped Seal Matrix with a Bird
Circa 14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With central motif of a bird wearing the confessor's stole and holding an aspergillum in one foot, legend to the border '*CONFITEOR TIBI ABSOLVO TE' (I confess to you; I absolve you). 7.59 grams, 29 mm
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection.
A fox - the penitent - lurks below the confessor, here depicted as a bird (duck?) wearing the confessor’s stole and holding a sprinkler for holy water in one foot. The confessor is about to become the fox’s next meal. This is an important addition to the repertoire of renardine satire – the fox-as-preacher to a congregation of birds (often with a couple already stashed in his hood behind) is a common motif in several media. On seal WILT-41EDE6, for example, he stands (with crozier) preaching to a duck and cockerel, but this is the first example of him coming to confession – with malice aforethought, of course.
