Mixed Gemstone Collection

Comprising: wooden triptych with gilt field and painted figures of St Nikolas and St Charalambos in the lateral panels and SS Konstantine, Helen and Barbara in the central panel, each with red lettering above; house in a purpose-made silver case with engraved scene to the central panel of Maria Theotokos flanked by celestial figures holding a crown above her head; front panels with facing figures of SS Nikolas, Barbara, Konstantine, Helena and Charalambos; in a custom-made wooden travelling case with hooked fastener. 331 grams total, 11.8 x 9.4 cm including case



Ex Iconastas, London SW1, UK, in 1997. Property of a London, UK, gentleman collector. Accompanied by a copy of the Iconastas invoice no.7463 dated 7 April 1997. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

A Tudor or Stuart period lead-alloy 'hornbook': incomplete rectangular plaque with small rectangular handle; bearing raised, moulded text on the obverse with hatched forms between four registers, which frame the letters of the alphabet 'ABCDE/FG[reversed]HIKL/MNOPq/RST[VW]XYZ'; low-relief octofoil in centre to the reverse. 51 grams, 75 mm



Found Yorkshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The letter 'U' has been omitted from the alphabet as is common with such objects, as has the letter 'J', suggesting that the book was produced prior to the publication of Charles Butler's English Grammar (1633) which first distinguished between I and J. The letter Z is reversed. Hornbooks were employed as learning aids and commonly made from paper mounted onto wood together with a transparent sheet of horn. Smaller, more portable lead-alloy examples such as this one are generally believed to have been mass produced, whilst still falling within the genre of 'hornbooks'. Interestingly, some scholars have argued that the mistakes and inconsistencies found on lead examples rendered them less effective learning tools, used as children's toys in families with low levels of literacy, or possibly serving as dolls' accessories.

Hollow-formed with central bulb and two spouts; the handle C-shaped with gryphon-head finial, spiked neck and gaping mouth; basal ring and filler-hole with hinge for a cover; nozzles with flange rims and dentilled edge; three suspension chains with suspension hook; after the antique. 949 grams total, 23.7 cm wide



From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.