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LOT 2045
Roman Intaglio of Three Wrestling Erotes in Later Silver Ring
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
1 1/8 in. (16.07 grams, 29.75 mm overall, 17.58 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)).
D-section hoop with widening lozenge-shaped shoulders supporting two discoid bezels; one with orange stone intaglio of three winged erotes, two engaged in a wrestling competition; a mirror image in gold below.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe.
Acquired on the English art market.
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LOT 2045
Roman Intaglio of Three Wrestling Erotes in Later Silver Ring
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Indus Valley Style Terracotta Idol Fragment Group
20th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £13
Including standing figures and body parts. 156 grams total, 41-90 mm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Egyptian Revival Bronze Cross
Late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Cruciform pendant with integral loop, obverse with impressed cartouche and hieroglyphs, reverse with hatching. 5.6 grams, 43 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Veneto-Cretan Icon with Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
17th century A.D.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,000
Depicting the martyrs freezing to death in a lake in Cappadocia, clad only in their undergarments (esophoria); Jesus above, dressed in gold and red, offering the crowns of martyrdom as a sign of reward; a tower to the side of the martyrs; Greek inscriptions: inside the gold nimbus 'O ѾN' (= The Only One who always exists), the inscription above the martyrs reading: 'Οι Άγιοι Τεσσαράκοντα Μάρτυρες = The Saint Holy 40 Martyrs'. 810 grams, 30 x 22.5 cm
Acquired on the European art market. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13063-249294.
The icon depicts the martyrdom of the 40 soldiers of the Legio XII Fulminata, who died in a frozen lake in Cappadocia in 320 AD. The drama experienced by these courageous men, nourished by their faith in Christ, is evocatively expressed. Their frozen bodies are painted in ochre and olive green, reflecting the stages of their agony. Christ is offering them crowns of glory from heaven as a sign of reward. The cult of the 40 Martyrs spread rapidly, first in Constantinople, where several churches were dedicated to them, then in the Balkans and Russia.
