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LOT 0413
Very Large Glazed Bellarmine Witch's Bottle with Contents
LATE 16TH-EARLY 17TH CENTURY A.D.
10 3/8 in. (1.7 kg total, bottle: 26.5 cm).
Vessel of squat spherical form with a broad cylindrical neck, strap handle and foot with rolled rim, bearded face (Bartmann 'mask') and other detailing; with original contents comprising: eight iron clout nails with square-section shank and domed head; three similar with flat head; base metal dress pin with hollow-formed spherical head; similar with biconvex head; fragment of coarse-woven textile with five pins in situ; thirteen unassociated pins. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London, UK, gentleman.
LiteratureCf. example found on the Thames foreshore in 1926, published in Sparham, B. The Bottesford Witches: Bellarmine Witch Bottles; cf Merrifield, R. ‘The Use of Bellarmines as Witchbottles’ in Guildhall Miscellany, No 3. (Feb 1954.) pp 3-15.
FootnotesWitch bottles were a response to the common belief in witchcraft, which was feared in the Puritan culture of those times. The process involved heating the victim’s urine in a bottle, mixed with human hair and metal nails and pins, sometimes inserted into a cloth panel representing the victim's heart. The bottle was then either buried under the hearth of a house (East Anglian tradition) or thrown into a river (London tradition). The heating of the bottle was supposed to transfer to the body of the witch who had caused the victim to be afflicted.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0413
Very Large Glazed Bellarmine Witch's Bottle with Contents
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,750
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Agate Cameo of Karl Theodor Anton Maria Von Dalberg
Germany, 19th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Ellipsoid with reserved profile of Karl Theodor Anton Maria Von Dalberg facing left, attributed to Johann Martin Bückle (1742-1811). 3.52 grams, 25 mm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.
Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg (February 8, 1744 – February 10, 1817) was a Catholic German bishop and statesman. Throughout his career, he held various significant positions, including Prince-Archbishop of Regensburg, Arch-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, Bishop of Constance and Worms, Prince-Primate of the Confederation of the Rhine, and Grand Duke of Frankfurt. -
Roman Style Bronze Ring with Head of Sol Invictus
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
With broad ribbed shoulders, bezel set with a silver bust of Sol Invictus. 18.87 grams, 31.20 mm overall, 20.45 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 /2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Renaissance Nicolo Gemstone with Bust of the Greek God Pan in Gold Ring
17th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
Ellipsoid nicolo plaque with intaglio profile bust of Pan with thick hair and beard, goat's horns on the brow; in a later sympathetic gold ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 5.40 grams, 23.72 mm overall, 21.99 x 17.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)
Private collection, England. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13153-249514.
