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LOT 0432
Post-Classical Gem with Erotic Scene in Gold Mount
19TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (7.12 grams, 30 mm).
Ellipsoid in plan, glass intaglio with scene of two lovers; gold frame and bale; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceAcquired on the French art market.
Private collection, England.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0432
Post-Classical Gem with Erotic Scene in Gold Mount
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
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Medieval Silver Pendant with Mother-of-Pearl Scene of Virgin and Child
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Tear-shaped frame with loop and irregular dangle below; carved nacre relief of the Virgin and Child; Mother of God shown crowned and in profile, tenderly supporting the Christ Child on her lap; applied gold Corpus Christi to reverse. 20.5 grams, 70 mm
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The carving, with its luminous iridescence and softly modelled planes, captures both the sacred intimacy of the subject and the shimmering qualities of the material. The mount is worked in silver with chased foliate detail and suspends a natural baroque pearl drop. The reverse is finely engraved with radiating rays, clouds, and the inscription INRI, centred by a parcel-gilt figure of the Crucified Christ affixed to the ground. This juxtaposition of the Virgin and Child with the Passion underscores the dual themes of Incarnation and Redemption, reflecting late medieval devotional practices. -
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Acquired on the UK art market in the early 2000s. -
Post Medieval Gold Fede Ring
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Slender shank and expanding shoulders formed as lace cuffs, the bezel a pair of clasped hands gripping a heart. 3.71 grams, 23.07 mm overall, 20.14 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.
The two clasping hands with elaborate cuffs clutch a heart. This ring features the ancient fede motif of two hands clasped together, however in their grasp is a heart. These symbols represented love and fidelity. The ring was likely a token of love symbolising everlasting devotion, or possibly a betrothal ring. The word Fede takes its name from the Italian word for faith or trust with the two clasped hands symbolising an attachment that usually led to marriage. The motif of the two clasped hands was already in use in ancient Rome, it was a symbol of pledging of vows, which derives from the Roman ‘dextarum iunctio’ (right hand joined). Fede rings remained popular throughout Europe until well into the 19th century with their peak of manufacture during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
