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LOT 2156
Russian Orthodox Enamelled Bronze Travel Icon with Saints Boris and Gleb
19TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/4 in. (260 grams, 10.7 cm).
Saint Boris and Saint Gleb depicted on horseback wearing Russian medieval armour, holding a cross standard and a sword, each wearing a conical helmet; on the right upper corner, the hand of God.
ProvenanceAcquired from Chris Martin-Zakheim, Iconastas, 5 Piccadilly Arcade, London SW1.
From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s.
Cf. Iljina, T.W., Arcydzieła Malarstwa Rosyjskiego w Muzeach ZSRR (Masterpieces of Russian Painting in the Museums of the USSR, in Polish), Leningrad, 1989, fig.10, for the prototype of this icon.
FootnotesBoris and Gleb were the sons of Vladimir of Kyiv, the first Christian Prince of Rus; they were killed in 1015 and 1019 in the civil struggles for the succession to the throne, and sanctified for their faith. Standards with their image were worn by the medieval Russian army.
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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LOT 2156
Russian Orthodox Enamelled Bronze Travel Icon with Saints Boris and Gleb
Estimate £250 - 350€290 - 410 (for guidance only)$340 - 470 (for guidance only)
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Silver-Mounted Shell Travelling Mirror
Dutch Colonial, 17th century A.D.Estimate: £350 - 450 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £175
Discoid mirror set in a silver frame and a polished shell case, secured with a silver flower-and-scroll mount and a small hook. 56.2 grams, 86 mm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Tudor Period Lead 'Horn Book' Teaching Aid
1600-1633 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,510
A rare complete and undamaged rectangular plaque bearing raised, moulded text on the obverse; with hatched three horizontal bars and two pelletted between five registers, framing the letters of the alphabet '+ABCDE / FGHIKL / MN[reversed]OPq / RSTVW / +Y[Z]'; tree with berries on a hatched field to the reverse. 26.8 grams, 53 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Kniveton, Derbyshire Dales, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.WMID-341C6A.
The letter 'U' has been omitted from the alphabet, as is common with such objects, as has the letter 'J', suggesting that the book was produced prior to the publication of Charles Butler's English Grammar (1633), which first distinguished between I and J. The letter Z is reversed. Hornbooks were employed as learning aids and commonly made from paper mounted onto wood, together with a transparent sheet of horn. Smaller, more portable lead-alloy examples such as this one are generally believed to have been mass-produced, whilst still falling within the genre of 'hornbooks'. -
Large Indus Valley Style Painted Zebu Bull
20th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £13
A hollow-formed ceramic zebu figurine with painted detailing to the body and horns, vent to the neck. 995 grams, 28 cm
Fine condition.
Property of a London gentleman; acquired before 2000. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
