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LOT 2138
WWI Trench Art Wooden Walking Stick
1914-1918 A.D.
33 1/2 in. (389 grams, 85 cm).
Carved as the staff or 'Rod of Asclepius' with a snake curled around the staff and inscribed 'IN MEMORY OF GREAT EUROPEAN WAR'; chip-carved median band and differential staining. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Footnotes'Trench Art' refers to decorated objects made by soldiers from the debris of war and serving as souvenirs and pastimes.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Glass Bead Necklace String
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Mixed group of stone, glass and plastic beads, central feature a large annular bead. 17.75 grams, 38.5 cm
From London, UK, gallery collection, 1990s. -
Large Post Medieval Merchant’s Seal Ring Engraved with 'BG' and Shield
Germany, 16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,350
Engraved with the owner's initials ‘B G’ above a tilting shield with flanche; merchant's mark motif of capital 'A' and a cross. 20.03 grams, 28.33 mm overall, 23.00 x 18.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13051-248349.
Merchants' marks were chosen by their owners as a form of personal cypher, and so it is almost impossible to decipher the owner of many merchants' marks, as they were not governed by the strict regulation and recording that heraldry laws dictated. Merchants' rings were engraved with geometric symbols used to mark their goods or personal belongings and used instead of a coat of arms for those not entitled to them. Most merchants in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had marks, easily identifiable and formed with a few strokes. Many such rings also bear religious or talismanic inscriptions or imagery, combining a spiritual with a commercial function. The shape of the shield on this example draws direct parallels to the heraldic shields and jewels of this period in Germany. -
Post-Classical Agate Gemstone with Sphinx
19th-20th century A.D. or earlierEstimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Discoid in plan with intaglio sphinx in profile on a baseline, with wings spread and tail raised, in 1st century A.D. style; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 2.55 grams, 18 mm
Private collection, England.