Ottoman Style Silver-Coloured Metal Ring with Blue Cabochon

Representing the Vladimir Mother of God with the Divine Child; the half-length figure Mary with covered head turned right and with her left hand raised; holding the embracing infant Jesus in her right hand; above them inscription in Greek letters 'ΜΡ ΘΥ' (Mother of God); flanking the central icon and beneath it the images of the Saints Peter, Paul, Peter of Moscow and John Chrysostomos, Saint Gregory and Saint Dimitri; in the foreground the city of Vladimir. 96 grams, 60 mm



Acquired from Chris Martin-Zakheim, Iconastas, 5 Piccadilly Arcade, London SW1. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s.

The original icon prototype of these smaller icons was the icon of the Virgin Mother of Vladimir with the infant Jesus (the original preserved in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), probably the most famous icon of Russia, which was thought to have been created in Constantinople in the early part of 1100s. This image is sometimes referred to as the ‘tenderness icon’, with artists attempting to show the close relationship of mother and son with their cheeks touching as they embrace.

Columnar in form with wide hips, arms folded over, projecting navel and small breasts, domed face with pierced ears and a conical headdress; after the antique. 1.01 kg, 36 cm



Ex Leo (1922-1979) and Evelyn D. Farland (1930-2025), New York; thence by descent. Private collection, London, UK.

D-section hoop with oval cartouche flanked by elongated mouldings with pointed ends; cartouche with a skull, the mouldings on each side decorated with double rows of incised cross hatching; inscription on the internal surface with a maker's mark reading: 'Death calls man falls, prepare L..D.' followed by the maker's mark, a heater shield with indistinct liner design. 1.95 grams, 18.94 mm overall, 16.39 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K 1/2, USA 5 1/2, Europe 10.58, Japan 10)



Found whilst searching with a metal detector in Lewes, West Sussex, UK, on Wednesday, 9th October 2024. Declared as treasure under the Treasure Act with reference no.2024T1242, subsequently disclaimed and returned to the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.SUSS-1D0CDB.

See examples with similar style script and moulded skulls flanked with cross-hatched mouldings on the PAS website :SF-223B48 (2021T585) dated to 1697; DEV-200F91 (2019T823) with black niello inlay surviving dating 1676; LON-A96750 (2010T192) also with niello inlay dating 1703/4 and DUR-4FC118 (2015T249) dating 1673.