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LOT 0975
Post Byzantine Adoration of the Magi Shell Plaque
17TH-18TH CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (30.2 grams, 68 mm).
Octagonal in plan with carved scene of the Adoration of the Magi with star above; stepped border, pierced for attachment.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0975
Post Byzantine Adoration of the Magi Shell Plaque
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Byzantine Bronze 'in favour for health' Inscribed Ring
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Slender hoop and disc bezel with Greek text ΥΠΕΡ ΥΓΙΕΙΑΣ (in favour / for health' written retrograde for use as a seal. 1.66 grams, 21.53 mm overall, 19.44 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Piriform body with vertical ribs and impressed roundels across the whole surface, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 662 grams, 15.5 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Byzantine Marble Table Top with Roundels
6th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £25,000 - 35,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £12,500
Broad stone disc with band of carved roundels to the border, dished central panel; the border comprising seventeen socket roundels with rosette and tendril ornament between, each roundel with reserved figural or emblematic ornament: an equal-arm cross with ivy leaves in the spandrels; to either side of this, a reserved regardant peacock; next to these, in pairs a calf's forequarters on each side; next, a goat, then a bull, then a regardant bird, a ram, a lamb and a peacock, remains of original pigment; reinforced with a steel backing and claws; accompanied by professionally made 'lift-on' wall brackets for display. 87 kg, 102 cm including wall bracket
Acquired in London from a UK collector in the early 2000s. Previously with an Austrian collector in London. Formerly in a North American collection. From a London gentleman, 2000s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12400-226356
The beasts have symbolic importance, such as the peacock for resurrection, the lamb as the 'lamb of god', and so on.