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LOT 2034
Post Medieval 'Love and Live Happily' Gold Posy Ring
18TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.17 grams, 19.85 mm overall, 17.49 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)).
Inscribed to the inner face in an italic hand 'Love and [l]ive happily'.
ProvenanceFrom a UK collection formed in the 1980s.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Post Medieval Gold Ring with Carnelian Gemstone with Fourteen Faces
Italy, 17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,750
Composed of a D-section large hoop and an oval collet set with an intaglio intricately carved with a composite head composed of at least fourteen distinct faces, based on an image engraved after Jean Berain c.1675; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.66 grams, 22.60 mm overall, 20.70 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)
Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13397-257946. -
Gem-Set Gold Masquerade Ring with Love Inscription
Italy, circa 1760 A.D.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Current Winning Bid: £2,500
Finely modelled with a black-and-white enamelled mask, the features animated by rose-cut diamond eyes and a small ruby set into the open mouth; the head framed by a serrated gold collet and flanked by silver foliate clusters each set with a further rose-cut diamond; the shank formed as asymmetrical rococo scrolls with pierced and chased detailing throughout, the reverse of the bezel open, revealing white enamel engraved with faint traces of an original posy inscription. 2.28 grams, 21.10 mm overall, 17.45 x 16.35 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
The enamel remains entirely original and unrestored.
Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13321-257909.
Though now largely worn, the underside of the bezel would likely have borne a concealed love sentiment, comparable to the formula Je cache mes amours ('I mask my love'), found on related rings of mid-18th-century manufacture. The theme of the masked lover, drawn from contemporary masquerade culture and its associations with flirtation, secrecy, and clandestine courtship, here transforms the jewel into a witty and intimate token. -
Macedonian Painted Wooden Triptych Panel with Saint Mercury
17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Rectangular panel showing a nimbate saint in full armour, supporting a bow and a long spear on his right shoulder, and a shield with his left hand, inscription above; an old handwritten label to the reverse reading 'Judy took it to the British Museum who said it is 17th century from Macedonia. It is only a fragment of the left side of a triptych and is a warrior saint, saint [ ...] os. From George Churchill Xmas 1989'. 127 grams, 14.5 x 11.9 cm
The Cotswold Auction Company, Cheltenham, UK, 14 December 2021, no.97. Private collection, Suffolk.