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LOT 0304
Tudor Gold '+Amor Vincit' Decorated Posy Ring
CIRCA 16TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.72 grams, 17.46 mm overall, 15.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British I, USA 4 1/4, Europe 7.44, Japan 7)).
A gold posy ring with raised foliate band externally, inscribed '+AMOR VINCIT' for 'Love Conquers' in Roman capitals. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK antiques market between 1974-1985.
Albert Ward collection, Essex, UK.
See Evans, J., English Posies and Posy Rings, London, 1931, for similar examples.
FootnotesOmnia vincit amor, translating to 'Love Conquers All' and abbreviated on this ring, is one of the most famous of all Latin expressions. It is still used today, in the original Latin, in translation and in its alternative version ‘Amor vincit omnia’; the expression originally comes from the Roman poet Virgil, (Publius Vergilius Maro) most famous for his epic Aenid; the phrase appears in his first work, Eclogues.
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Cretan Icon of Saint Francis of Assisi
15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
An icon from a possible triptych of Veneto-Cretan School depicting nimbate Saint Francis of Assisi, wearing the brown habit of the Franciscan order, fitted with a hood, facing towards the right, a red book in his left hand with the inscription Vera S. Francisci effigies(true portrait of Saint Francis); mounted in a perspex display frame. 152 grams, 20 cm high
Property of a London lady, part of her family's collection.
With the conquest of Crete by the Venetians, Latin saints were introduced to Byzantine iconography. Saint Francis was one of the most beloved Latin saints among the Cretan faithful, depicted in the iconography of Cretan Orthodox churches, including the Panaghia Kera of Kritsa (13th-14th century A.D.). This figure was probably part of a triptych, having at the centre the image of the Mother of God with the Child, or a Desis. The placement of Francis in this icon would suggests the owner’s strong affiliation with the Franciscan order, which had a strong presence on Crete from the 13th century onwards. It was believed that Saint Francis himself stopped on the island on his way to the Holy Land in 1219. -
Medieval Knife with Bronze Bird Pommel
Circa 1500 A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
A scale tanged knife with iron blade and single cutting edge, wooden scales, bronze pommel displaying an incised bird to one face and a second, worn motif to the other. 29.5 grams, 18 cm long
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister. -
Medieval and later Thimble Group
14th-15th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £26
A mixed group of mainly bronze thimbles including ring, beehive and other types 83 grams total, 12-20 mm
Found Suffolk.
