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LOT 0401
Silver-Gilt Mounted Jet 'Figa' Amulet
SPAIN, 17TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 in. (19.6 grams, 56 mm).
Formed as a hand showing figa gesture, silver mount with applied twisted wires; attachment loop and ring to the top.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe.
Acquired on the English art market.
Mano Fico, as protective amulets, have been used since antiquity. It was believed to protect from the evil eye and other dark and magical forces and to promote fertility. In ancient Rome, the fig sign, or mano fico, was made by the pater familias (father of the family) to ward off the evil spirits of the dead as a part of the Lemuria ritual. The ancient Greeks wore amulets of the gesture around the neck to protect from the evil eye, and also used the gesture in artwork. What they considered an overtly sexual gesture was expected to distract evil spirits from causing harm. The pendant would have been worn from a belt or from a chatelaine containing other protective talismans. This carving would have served as a token representing a person's pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, one of the very few places in which jet can be found and mined since at least the Middle Ages.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0401
Silver-Gilt Mounted Jet 'Figa' Amulet
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£300 (EUR 348; USD 405) +BP*
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Post Medieval Silver Thimble with Heart-Shaped Cartouche Flanked by Birds
1650-1750 A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
The body decorated by annulets on the sides and top, the maker's initials 'MC' above an empty heart-shaped cartouche flanked by supporters in the form of birds regardant; on the interior immediately above the base, two very indistinct stamps, the lower one possibly a lion. 3.14 grams, 16 mm
Found in North Walsham, Norfolk, UK, on Saturday 13th August 2011, declared as Treasure under the Treasure Act with reference no.2011 T596, and disclaimed by the Crown and returned to the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.NMS-190428. Accompanied by a copy of the Treasure Report for HM Coroner with reference no.2011 T596. Accompanied by a copy of a letter from the British Museum explaining that the Crown's interest in the thimble has been disclaimed. -
Post Medieval Gilt Bronze Chalice with Biblical Proverb in Latin
Continental Europe, circa 19th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
Squat in profile with stepped and carinated foot, deep shoulder to the bowl; engraved to the outer face in batada script between double horizontal rulings the legend 'Luxuriosa res vinum et tumultuosa ebrietas', a quotation from the biblical book of Proverbs, 20:1, translating to 'Wine is [a] luxurious [thing], and drunkenness is riotous'. 575 grams, 11.2 cm wide
Acquired in Paris, France, circa 2000. Personal collection of a Suffolk lady, UK.
The biblical sentence was retaken by Saint Paul, who, wanting to warn the believers against the power of wine, similarly instructed by saying: ‘Beware of drunken wine, where there is luxury’. This kind of gluttony was considered by the Fathers of the Church dangerous, in that, after it has deprived the drinker of all rational sense, it opens and reveals and releases from his chest every secret, every hidden thing: it was considered a prodigal throwaway of its own goods and those of others, deaf to rebukes, and a destroyer of every praiseworthy custom. -
German Carnelian Cameo of Maria Theresa Mounted in a Brooch
Germany, 18th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Skilfully carved cameo depicting the jewelled profile bust of Maria Theresa facing right, the background is highly polished, whilst the relief is rendered with contrasting polished and matt elements; the high-carat gold brooch setting likely original to the jewel and set with a border of blister pearls. 9.69 grams, 37 mm
Acquired on the European art market.
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (c.1717-80) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until she died in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma.
