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LOT 0382
Veneto-Cretan Icon with Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
17TH CENTURY A.D.
11 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. (810 grams, 30 x 22.5 cm).
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'.
ProvenanceAcquired 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.
Cf. Various, Trésors médiévaux de la République de Macédoine, Paris, 1999, cat.10, pp.44-45, for a prototype icon of 11th century A.D.; cf. Matthieson, S., Morrison, G., Heavenly Beings, Icons of the Christian Orthodox World, Auckland, 2022, pp.121-122, for similar icons of 17th century.
FootnotesThe 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.
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LOT 0382
Veneto-Cretan Icon with Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
Estimate £6,000 - 8,000€6,960 - 9,280 (for guidance only)$8,100 - 10,800 (for guidance only)
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Miscellaneous Vintage Pin Badge Collection
Circa 1980s A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £7
Including 'Chile Vencera', 'Was the last owner of your coat murdered?' and other types. 41 grams total, 25-63 mm
From the private collection of a S.W. London gentleman, acquired in the 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Post Medieval Silver Ring with Sunburst Motif
17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
With low-relief tendrils to the shoulders, ellipsoid tiered bezel with sunburst. 3.70 grams, 22.85 mm overall, 19.76 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R 1/2, USA 8 3/4, Europe 19.38, Japan 18 cm)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Renaissance Bronze Glove Ring with an Inkwell
Italian, 17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Flat-section hoop with raised rim to each edge, tubular shank with frieze of robed figures between decorated arches and with pendant fronds above; domed lid with hinge and catch, stepped rim and chamber. 115 grams, 64.40 mm overall, 22.38 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Y 1/2, USA 12 1/4, Europe 28.2, Japan 27)
Private collection, UK.
