Western Asiatic Style Haematite Bead with Figures and Inscription

D-section hoop with carinated profile, ribbing to the shoulders, square bezel with arcade detailing to the base, and inset table-cut crystal. 3.10 grams, 23.84 mm overall, 17.41 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)



By repute from Maastricht, Netherlands. Acquired on the European art market.

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. 1.7 kg total, bottle: 26.5 cm



From the private collection of a London, UK, gentleman.

Witch 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.

A rectangular plaque with four rows and seven columns of various marble and imperial porphyry specimens, from the Grand Tour Set. 2.86 kg, 27.5 x 18 cm



Acquired at Shepton Mallet Fair, Somerset, UK, in 2010. From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman.