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LOT 0414
Post Medieval Mirror with Centaur 'Kitovras'
16TH-17TH CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (153 grams, 10.1 cm).
Discoid with ribbed border and central raised pellet, motif of a winged centaur holding a square shield and a staff(?), foliage motif to the background; pierced three times to the rim.
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
FootnotesThis version of a centaur was known as ‘kitovras’, an old Russian version of the word ‘kentauros’. He is typically portrayed with the body of a horse and the torso and head of a man, often featuring prominent wings and wearing armour. Kitovras is best known from a legend, ‘The Tale of Solomon and Kitovras’, in which he is tricked into building the temple for King Solomon. While held in captivity, Kitovras tells Solomon how to obtain the stone needed to build the temple and stays with him through its completion. When Solomon doubts Kitovras’ strength, Kitovras throws him to the edge of the Promised Land, but the king eventually returns and takes back the throne.
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AUCTIONS:
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A rectangular plaque with four rows and seven columns of various marble and imperial porphyry specimens, from the Grand Tour Set. 2.86 kg, 27.5 x 18 cm
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Post-Classical Rock Crystal Gemstone with Bust of the Emperor Hadrian
17th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Ellipsoid in plan with incuse profile bust of Emperor Hadrian, bearded and wearing a laurel wreath on his brow; in an antique mount open to the underside; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 12.68 grams, 31.18 mm overall, 20.40 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)
Acquired on the French art market. Private collection, England. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13148-249494. -
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Large Post Medieval Merchant’s Seal Ring Engraved with 'BG' and Shield
Germany, 16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,350
Engraved with the owner's initials ‘B G’ above a tilting shield with flanche; merchant's mark motif of capital 'A' and a cross. 20.03 grams, 28.33 mm overall, 23.00 x 18.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13051-248349.
Merchants' marks were chosen by their owners as a form of personal cypher, and so it is almost impossible to decipher the owner of many merchants' marks, as they were not governed by the strict regulation and recording that heraldry laws dictated. Merchants' rings were engraved with geometric symbols used to mark their goods or personal belongings and used instead of a coat of arms for those not entitled to them. Most merchants in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had marks, easily identifiable and formed with a few strokes. Many such rings also bear religious or talismanic inscriptions or imagery, combining a spiritual with a commercial function. The shape of the shield on this example draws direct parallels to the heraldic shields and jewels of this period in Germany.
