Miniature Blue Glass Scent Bottle with Silver Filigree Mounts

Showing a royal figure on the left, holding the reins of his caparisoned horse, at the centre a yogi beneath an arch with a tree behind and two bovines gazing at him, tufts of long grass in the foreground with multiple faces emerging between the blades; set on a display stand. 258 grams total, 15.1 cm wide including stand



From the collection of David Donlan (1947–2025), a dedicated and lifelong collector with a passion for the ancient world and the natural sciences, forming his collection from the 1960s onwards, using many reputable dealers across the United Kingdom, including the well-regarded Coincraft and The Parthenon Gallery.

Featuring a round-section large hoop expanding towards the shoulders, a large circular bezel with a Greek key motif encircling the outer rim and set with a brown 'toadstone'. 13.01 grams, 32.42 mm overall, 23.12 x 19.25 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)



Acquired 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.13398-257996.

William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, circa 1599: 'Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.' Toadstones are mythical stones that were thought to be found inside the head of a toad. They were believed to sweat, change colour or even heat up in the presence of poison. It was thought that a toadstone placed on bites from snakes, insects, spiders and shrews would extract poison from the wound. They were thought to bring good luck and ward off evil, whether in the present life or in the afterlife. The Book of Secrets from the 13th century recommends swallowing the stone to 'cleanse the bowels of filth and excrements'. The stone could then be retrieved and used again. They were often set as amulets and talismans, a practice that continued in Europe until the 18th century. Toadstones are actually the button-like fossilised teeth of Lepidotes, an extinct genus of fish common in the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, 200 to 100 million years ago.

Comprising: a cameo with the bust of a mature man with a bald patch; a cameo of a bearded man wearing a peaked cap; a cameo with a profile bust of a maiden. 6.3 grams total, 19-26 mm



Acquired on the European art market.