Seal Matrix Casting Group

Round enkolpion with finely worked icons both on the front and back, and eight small side eyelets for lost pearl ropes on the edge; at the top, a double eyelet for the chain; bordered by a delicate beaded edge with a slight knock in one place due to age; embossed depictions on both sides, finely rendered in repoussé; on the obverse a frontal bust portrait of the deceased Saviour, both arms of Christ limply hanging at his sides, the lifeless head resting on his right shoulder, behind him a nimbus and the cross, to the left of the soma (body of Christ) the abbreviation 'IC' (= Jesus), on the right 'XC' (= Christus), above the head a plaque with a Greek two-line inscription: 'O Basilevs tis doxis Christos' (Christ, the King of Glory); the Virgin Mary (Theotokos) depicted on the back, her hands raised in a gesture of prayer (orans) with exquisitely modelled facial features, flanked by an inscription referring to the Mother of God: the abbreviation 'MP' on the left, 'THY' on the right, furthermore, she is invoked as 'He Gorgoepikoo' (She who is quick to hear). 21.3 grams, 44 mm



Acquired by the previous owner on the European art market in the late 1990s. Property of a German university professor. Hermann Historica, Auction 87, 2020 no.19. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13291-254371.

Adorned with an icon of Christ and the Virgin Mary, this outstanding enkolpion symbolises purity of heart and the seal of confession and faith. Since the Byzantine era, golden enkolpia were pontifical insignia and usually worn by bishops. In this case, the size, the artistic craftsmanship, and the topics of the icons, depictions of Christ and the Theotokos, lead to the conclusion that it must have been the enkolpion of a high-ranking primate or archbishop. Extremely rare in this size and quality. Remarkable is also the artist's choice to depict the Mother of God slightly turned to the right and not show her frontally, as is common.

Penannular hoop with applied collars, applied discoid plaque with beaded rim and openwork cross to the centre, lateral granule clusters, facetted garnet bead below. 6.53 grams, 44 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

Each with a gold surface and red-brown cinnabar colouration; the spools are discoid with raised bands and a capped and pierced central cylindrical neck to the reverse; the discs present almost identical scenes of a standing warrior wearing a headdress and holding a club and shield; in the style of the Lambayeque Valley, circa 200-500 A.D. 173 grams total, 10.7 cm each



Formerly acquired before 1950. From the collection of Mr Razeto, acquired in the 1950s-1960s. Ex private American collection, circa 1960s. Acquired from Gloria Lisset Reyes Garcia, Florida, USA. From the private collection of Mr Michael J. Vaupel, Miami, USA.

The age of the Moche people has been lauded as the 'Master Craftsman Period' by archaeologists. Alongside other developments and innovations, the Moche excelled at metalwork, such as this pair of earrings, which may have been worn by high-status men or women. The pair would likely have been deposited as grave goods. The Moche culture existed between 200 and 850 AD, before the advent of the Inca. Although they never formed a single centralised political entity, they built thriving cultural regional centres stretching from the Nepeña River Valley in the south to the Piura River, close to the modern border with Ecuador, developing coastal regions into fertile farmlands and exploiting the maritime resources of the Pacific Ocean's Humboldt Current.