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Lot 516
2nd century BC-2nd century AD. An iconic Pagan sculpture securely dated to the Irish Celtic Period of 200 BC-200 AD, this large and imposing carved sandstone head was modelled from a substantial hemispherical boulder; the elegantly simplistic facial features comprise convex lentoid eyes flanking a rectangular flat nose, above a horizontal slit mouth with a suggestion of cheeks; the current owner, James Moore, has written about the various scholars that viewed it prior to his acquisition at auction: 'the head was viewed prior to the auction by many people experienced in these matters. They included Dr Patrick Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland and his staff; Dr Richard Warner former director of the Ulster Museum; eminent archaeologist and author Dr Peter Harrison; Professor Etienne Rynne, author of Celtic Stone Idols in Ireland in the Iron Age in the Irish Sea Province (available on the web"). All of the above gave favourable opinions, concurring with Dr Lacy's view. I have in my possession an exhibition catalogue of Celtic stone sculpture with an introduction by Martin Retch held by Karsten Schubert & Rupert Wace Ancient Art Ltd. in London 1989. There were eleven stone heads in this exhibition but in my opinion none of them had the qualities / provenance of the Ballyarton Head'; provided with a custom-made iron hoop stand for display. See Ross, A. Pagan Celtic Britain, London, 1967 for overview of the iconography of pre-Christian Britain and Ireland; Rynne. E. Figures from the Past, Studies on Figurative Art in Christian Ireland in Honour of Helen M. Roe, Dublin, 1987. 63 kg, 46 x 36cm including stand (18 x 14"). From the private collection of James Moore; acquired from Whyte’s Auctions 23 April 2010, lot 1 (front cover piece); formerly the property of Mr Pinkerton, Castlerock, County Derry; found by his father in the 1930s while repairing a stone wall in the Ballyarton Area of Claudy in the Sperrin Mountains, County Derry, Northern Ireland; accompanied by: a hand-written letter of the owner discussing the piece and its history; a copy of the relevant Whyte’s Auction catalogue pages with report by Kenneth Wiggins (MIAI, BA and an MPhil in archaeology), archaeologist and author; an original copy of an article on the item in the Irish Times newspaper (dated 1 May 2010); an original photograph of the head by Pinkerton when sited in his garden in 1976, inscribed as such to the reverse; original hand written correspondence with Dr Brian Lacy, Director of the Discovery Program and of The New University of Ulster, dating it to the period 200BC to 200AD (dated 29 July 1976), original signed correspondence with Craig McGuicken of the Heritage & Museum Service for Derry City Council requesting a loan of the object for display at the Tower Museum (affiliated to the Ulster Museum of N. Ireland); and with an orginal letter from Matt Seaver of the Irish Antiquities Division, National Museum of Ireland, dated 8 November 2019, showing interest in acquiring the head but suggesting that it be offered to the Ulster Museum first who were under-bidders in 2010. The subject of the iconography of pre-Christian stone heads is explored in Ross (1967, p.115ff) alongside the difficulty of establishing accurate dating for this artefact type. Stylistically, the Irish group of stone heads demonstrate a simplicity and economy of line which suggest an origin in the Iron Age (Rynne, 1987"). Professor Rynne is one of the 'many people experienced in these matters' who had the opportunity to view the head before the Whyte's auction in 2010, alongside Dr. Patrick Wallace (director, National Museum of Ireland), Dr. Richard Warner (former director of the Ulster Museum) and Dr. Peter Harbison, the eminent archaeologist. The opinion of this group agreed with that of a previous researcher, Dr. Brian Lacy, who wrote to the then owner of the piece in 1976 that '[t]hese heads normally occur in craft schools and on the basis of this example [and another from Alla townland nearby] it may be possible to identify a 'school' in the Claudy area.' It was Lacy who suggested a date range '200 BC to 200 AD' for the head. Professor Ian Armit has written several books and papers on the significance of the 'severed head' motif in Celtic (Iron Age) culture. In Death, decapitation and display? The Bronze and Iron Age human remains from the Sculptor's Cave, Covesea, north-east Scotland, Cambridge, 2011; and later in Headhunting and the Body in Iron Age Europe, Cambridge, 2012, he demonstrates that the human head carried symbolic associations with power, fertility, gender, and other social factors in the context of the Iron Age in Europe. The range of evidence for beheading and the subsequent curation and display of severed heads includes classical literary references, vernacular iconography and the physical, skeletal remains of the victims of this custom. The idea has arisen of a head-cult extending across most of Continental Europe and the islands of the North Atlantic including the British Isles. This notion is in turn used to support the idea of a unified and monolithic 'Celtic culture' in prehistory. However, head-veneration was seemingly practised across a range of Bronze Age and Iron Age societies and is not necessarily linked directly to the practice of head-hunting (i.e. curation of physical human remains"). The relations between the wielders of political power, religious authority and physical violence were more nuanced than a simple reading of the literary and physical evidence would suggest. The stone heads of Ireland are an enduring expression of this strong association between the human body and the numinous powers of the intellect. Fine condition. An important Irish antiquity, of a type very rarely in private ownership.
Lot 474
A Chinese celadon jade 'mountain landscape' boulder, 19/20th C. -- H.: 12,5 cm (incl. stand) Dim.: 12 x 9,5 cm (the jade boulder) --- Condition reports, high resolution images or extra images will be made available on request. They will be uploaded to our website. Please send us your requests on info@rm-auctions.com
Lot 268
An opal and diamond necklace, by Grima, 1972The wire collar suspending an annular pendant, one side set with a boulder opal slice, the other side designed as a reflection in textured 18 carat gold, the surmount set with graduated brilliant-cut diamonds, collar and pendant signed Grima, maker's mark AGLtd, UK hallmark, pendant length 5.7cm, collar diameter 12.5cm, maker's pouchFootnotes:Please note Artist's Resale Right applies to this lotThis lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ? AR? VAT on imported items at the prevailing rate on Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium.AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.
Lot 348
A massive green and russet jade carving of dragon fish20th centuryThe boulder of irregular surfaces worked as a giant carp with a single horn riding the waves over a young catfish with undercut barbels that swims beneath it; the gray-green stone displaying golden-brown patches in contrast to some opaque brown and straw-colored inclusions.12in (30.3cm) long
Lot 400
Two hardstone carvingsThe first a pale greenish-white jade landscape rock deeply undercut on both sides with aged scholars playing the qin and weiqi or visiting within the deep hollows of the boulder; the second a white hardstone vase deeply undercut as a flowering trumpet vine. 7 3/4 and 7 7/8in (19.5 and 20cm) high (2).
Lot 288
Four carved jade snuff bottlesThe first a well-hollowed double-gourd bottle with recessed lip and foot, the upper lobe flanked with a pair of raised bats; the second carved as a cricket, its head serving as the stopper; the third a white and russet boulder-form bottle, the side walls decorated with a tiger under an overhanging tree branch issuing from a hillside, the reverse inscribed with the characters Jinggang Shan; the last carved as a three-legged toad, the black and white matrix displaying russet markings.2 to 2 7/8in (5.1 to 7.3cm) high (4).
Lot 829
A COLLECTION OF SMALL CHINESE JADE ITEMS QING DYNASTY AND LATER Comprising: three cylindrical boxes and covers with four character Qianlong marks to the bases, three snuff bottles, four pendants, four carvings and a jade boulder, variously decorated with flowers, inscriptions, figures, animals, archaistic motifs and other designs, 10cm max. (18)
Lot 844
A SMALL CHINESE PALE CELADON AND RUSSET JADE BOULDER QING DYNASTY OR LATER One side carved in low relief with birds perched on rockwork and flowering branches, the reverse finely incised with an inscription, the stone with large brown inclusions and striations, together with a wood stand, 6cm. (2)
Lot 171
SMALL TRANSLUCENT YELLOW JADE SAUCER DISH, QIANLONG PERIOD, finely carved as a formalised chrysanthemum flower, a slight brown marking to the edge, 11.25cm diam Note: an almost identical dish was sold by Christie's, 6th November, 2018, lot 52 for £6,000 (11.5cm), with a greater area of "caramel ruset". It is probably carved from the same jade boulder.
Lot 179
JADEITE MOUNTAIN , QING DYNASTY OR LATER, with flat back, carved with a pine tree and a fruiting peach above, two bearded sages to the right, the pale green jade meting into a pale grey lavender body, with a few brown highlights. Note: the craftsman has been able to use 20th century tools to make very elaborate carvings in this boulder to bring artists subtle colouring and shape.
![GRAHAM SUTHERLAND [1903-80]. Small Boulder, 1940. ink drawing. titled and dated by the artist on the reverse. 13 x 22 cm. Ov](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/875bdcaf-981c-4553-b4eb-aadb00e3a0de/bc45f25b-5121-4cd0-abd1-aadb00e50445/468x382.jpg)
Lot 34
GRAHAM SUTHERLAND [1903-80]. Small Boulder, 1940. ink drawing. titled and dated by the artist on the reverse. 13 x 22 cm. Overall including frame 26 x 34 cm]. Provenance: Julian Andrews - author of the 1982 book on Sutherland; gift from the artist's wife in 1982 . [good condition - soft crease top right]. Buyers premium of 20% + VAT is payable.
Lot 398
Taxidermy: Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia), circa late 20th century, Sierra de Gredos, Spain, fore-part mount with head turning slightly to the right, stood upon a large fibre-glass boulder, right horn 63cm, left horn 62cm, tip to tip 39cm, from the wall 74cm, overall height 157cm CITES Annex B, Appendix II
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