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LOT 0276
Post Roman Gallic Figural Amuletic Bone Carving
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
3 5/8 in. (31.4 grams, 91 mm).
A carved bone panel, roughly triangular in plan with a curved profile, carved in relief with a stylised figural scene: left, above: two figures standing right, four large heads below; partial figures with a hound facing left above right, text below: 'JVLIANVS'; panel of five orderly rows of heads facing left, with geometric border below; notching to the edges to reverse; repaired.
ProvenancePreviously in the Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
From a Cambridge collection.
Property of a North London gentleman.
Cf. Dalton, O.M., Catalogue of Early Christian Antiquities and Objects from the Christian East in the Department of British and Medieval Antiquities and Ethnography of the British Museum, London, 1901, item 291, for type; for similar carving style see the belt of Saint Caesarius, in D'Amato, R., Post Roman Kingdoms, Dark Ages Gaul and Britain, AD 450-800, Oxford, 2022, p.12.
FootnotesThe piece is probably a panel from a carved casket. The imagery relates to the Emperor Julian, later known as 'the Apostate', who was the cousin of Emperor Constantius II and ruled from 3 November 361-26 June 363. Julian was well-educated in the Greek tradition and rejected the Christian faith imposed on the eastern Empire under his uncle, Constantine. On his succession, Julian embarked on a military campaign against the Sassanian Empire in 363 which initially went well, but at the battle of Samarra in the same year he was badly wounded.
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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A gold finger ring comprising a lozengiform bezel and twisted hoop; applied filigree bilinear frame to the bezel enclosing four applied filigree hoops and central cell with inset garnet cloison over a waffle-pattern gold-foil reflector. 3.16 grams, 22.79 mm overall, 20.52 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K, USA 5 1/4, Europe 9.95, Japan 9)
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Post Roman Gallic Figural Amuletic Bone Carving
5th-7th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
A carved bone panel or amulet, possibly a pectoral fragment, carved with a scene composed of a central mounted horseman advancing left with spear raised and solar symbol behind his head, flanked by his forces depicted on the left as two rows of heads facing right, and on the right as two rows of heads facing left; pierced for attachment or suspension; repaired. 53 grams, 16.5 cm
Fine condition, small losses to lower edge and one finial; repaired.
Previously in the Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister. From a Cambridge collection. Property of a North London gentleman.
The scene represents a triumphant military commander or an emperor on horseback surrounded by his troops. It may have formed part of the parade attire of a junior officer.
