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LOT 1735
Norman 'Thames' Bronze Griffin Dagger Chape Fragment
CIRCA 12TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.5 grams, 19 mm).
With pointillé detailing to the body and wing, head with perpendicular lateral extension. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Billingsgate spoil from the Thames foreshore, London, UK, circa 1984.
Property of an Essex collector.
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AUCTIONS:
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Medieval 'Thames' Bone Pin Holder Instrument with Pins
15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Epiphesis of a bovine long bone with the end worked into a square-section block with vertical slots to accept pins; group of fourteen ball-headed garment pins, manly brass. 193 grams total, 3.2- 18 cm
Found Billingsgate spoil from the Thames foreshore, London, UK, circa 1984. Property of an Essex collector. -
Medieval Bronze Artefact Collection
1100-1500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Including heater-shaped belt-plates, scallop-shaped scabbard chape and other items. 43.8 grams total, 24-42 mm
Found North Yorkshire, UK. -
'The Drayton' Medieval Gold Ring with Magical Inscription
1200-1300 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
The bezel developing to a low pyramid with lateral facets, surmounted by an inset cabochon sapphire set within an irregular cell; a quatrefoil plaque to each shoulder, and three more regularly placed around the shank; carinated hoop with magical Lombardic script '+NI ONAN NRIO ONIC / NIAI AINO ANIOI NAN'. 3.95 grams, 25.72 mm overall, 19.75 x 18.44 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Drayton, Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, UK, on Sunday 16th September 2018 by Chris Weir. Declared as treasure under the Treasure Act with reference no.2018T853, subsequently disclaimed and returned to the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.GLO-0BFB91. Accompanied by a letter from the finder describing the circumstances of finding. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12118-214086.
Many late medieval rings and brooches bear similarly meaningless inscriptions, perhaps due to the illiteracy of the engraver who nevertheless was aware that customers required an inscription, so provided one. Alternatively, since the text is composed from repeated sequences 'NI', 'AI', etc. based on an open syllabic structure, the words may be intended as a chant or magical charm. For discussion of such inscriptions see Evans, J., Magical Jewels of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Oxford, 1922, pp.121-132, for inscribed jewels.
