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LOT 2121
Post-Classical Lapis-Coloured Gem with Facing Busts
19TH CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
1 in. (1.63 grams, 23 mm).
Sub-rectangular in plan with an intaglio female bust in profile with hair drawn up in a chignon and a male bust with Julian hairstyle; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenancePrivate collection, England.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 2121
Post-Classical Lapis-Coloured Gem with Facing Busts
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Silver-Gilt Mounted Jet 'Figa' Amulet
Spain, 17th century A.D.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
Formed as a hand showing figa gesture, silver mount with applied twisted wires; attachment loop and ring to the top. 19.6 grams, 56 mm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.
Mano Fico, as protective amulets have been used since the ancient world, it was believed to protect from the evil eye and other dark and magical forces and to promote fertility. In ancient Rome, the fig sign, or mano fico, was made by the pater familias (father of the family) to ward off the evil spirits of the dead as a part of the Lemuria ritual. The ancient Greeks wore amulets of the gesture around the neck to protect from the evil eye, and also used the gesture in artwork. What they considered an overtly sexual gesture was expected to distract evil spirits from causing harm. The pendant would have been worn from a belt or from a chatelaine containing other protective talismans. This carving would have served as a token representing a person's pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, one of the very few places in which jet can be found and mined since at least the Middle Ages. -
Post-Classical Gem with Erotic Scene in Gold Mount
19th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Ellipsoid in plan, glass intaglio with scene of two lovers; gold frame and bale; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 7.12 grams, 30 mm
Acquired on the French art market. Private collection, England. -
Renaissance Bronze Glove Ring with an Inkwell
Italian, 17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Flat-section hoop with raised rim to each edge, tubular shank with frieze of robed figures between decorated arches and with pendant fronds above; domed lid with hinge and catch, stepped rim and chamber. 115 grams, 64.40 mm overall, 22.38 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Y 1/2, USA 12 1/4, Europe 28.2, Japan 27)
Private collection, UK.
