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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.
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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Opening Bid: £800
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Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
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Post Byzantine Adoration of the Magi Shell Plaque
17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Octagonal in plan with carved scene of the Adoration of the Magi with star above; stepped border, pierced for attachment. 30.2 grams, 68 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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