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LOT 1907
Medieval Pope Gregory IX Lead Papal Bulla
1227-1241 A.D.
1 1/2 in. (42.5 grams, 40 mm).
The obverse depicting the busts of St Peter and St Paul each within an inverted pear-shaped compartment defined by pellets; cross pattee supported on a staff between the busts and at the top of the bulla in the centre letters 'SPASPE', abbreviations for St Paul and St Peter; reverse inscribed over three lines 'GRE/GORIVS./PP. VIIII', with an omega above the letters 'PP'; both obverse and reverse faces with a pelletted perimeter. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound UK.
Property of a Worlingworth, Suffolk, UK, private collector.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was the 178th Pope of the Catholic Church, reigning from 1227 to 1241. He is known for his strong defence of papal authority, his role in the Crusades, and his establishment of the Papal Inquisition.
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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Ritually Sacrificed British Medieval Bronze Cauldron with the 'Murder' Weapon
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Comprising: a large bulbous bronze cauldron with three radiating applied iron legs (one detached), squat in profile with flared and chamfered rim; substantial iron axehead with slightly flared blade, thickened butt with socket; the cauldron discovered inverted with the axehead underneath. 6 kg total, 31 cm
The assemblage found whilst searching with a metal detector in Cumbria, South Lakeland, UK on Friday 23 February 2023. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report nos.LANCUM-DA7471, LANCUM-F50F1D. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The find and its likely meaning have been discussed at length with Vincent van Vilsteren, the former Curator of the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, who has studied many instances of cauldrons which have been ceremonially buried after sustaining extensive damage. The ex curator's PhD is currently in process and will concentrate on the ritual aspects of late medieval bronze cauldrons. The suggested interpretation here is that the cauldron was ritually 'killed' or put beyond use, and the weapon used to effect this was interred with it. This would be a rare (if not unparalleled) case in Europe of the deposition of the weapon alongside the item which the ritual was supposed to 'retire'.
