Western Asiatic Style Inlaid Bronze Calligraphic Brush or Pen Box

Comprising two sheet-bronze discs with applied calligraphic decoration to one side, decorative loop to each end. 126 grams total, 10.8-11 cm



From the family collection of a Hampstead gentleman; formerly acquired in the 1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Depicting nimbate Mary Theotokos with veiled head and wearing a red maphorion mantle over a dark blue robe with gold cuffs, inclined towards the infant Jesus supported by her left hand, wearing a bright red mantle and a blue tunic highlighted with gold, his left arm holding a roll and the right hand in a gesture of blessing; white field, tempera on wood, Smolenskaya type. 1.12 kg, 32 x 26 cm



Acquired from Portobello Road, London, circa 2000. Property of a London, UK, gentleman collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The model for the icon, painted in a 16th century style, is the Mother of God of Smolensk, associated with the Byzantine icon of the Hodegetria ('She who shows the ways’). According to the legend, the icon of Smolensk received the name after healing two blind men. The original icon of Smolensk was a gift of the Roman Emperor Constantine Monomachus to his daughter Anna when she married the Russian Prince Vsevolod. Later Anna presented the icon to her son Vladimir who displayed it in the Vladimir Cathedral.

Sheet bronze buckle plate with lateral integral hook; stamped design including a circular band enclosing a maritime scene with two sailing ships; band with legend 'Laying the Atlantic Cable'; collector's handwritten ticket. 7.15 grams, 56 mm



Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Berkshire, UK, gentleman collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Laying a telegraphic cable beneath the Atlantic Ocean was among the 19th century's most remarkable technological achievements since it allowed messages to pass between North America and Europe in a matter of minutes, rather than the two weeks by steamship. A first attempt in 1858 was unsuccessful but two working cables were finally laid in July and September 1866 by a team of engineers, technicians and sailors, with two groups of financial backers involved and relying on help from the British and United States navies. HMS Agamemnon was deployed on this mission alongside USS Niagara. The occasion caused a great stir at the time and was commemorated in numerous works of art.