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Click here to subscribeMixed group of gold items, Late Victorian signet ring, engraved monogram on rectangular head, ring size W, seed pearl set pendant, both testing as 18 ct, Victorian gilt dial pocket watch, bow brooch and t-bar clasp, all in 9 ct . CONDITION9 ct gross weight 21.3 grams18 ct gross weight 5.5 gramsband is mis-shapenseed pearl pendant missing central stone pocket watch not currently working Please see ewbanks.co.uk for condition reports and further images
A group of mainly costume jewellery, including a Egyptian revival scarab brooch, mount testing as 18 ct, Victorian enamel and seed pearl brooch testing as 9 ct, John Atkins & sons silver and enamel butterfly brooch, no 2369, agate cross pendant, silver Albert chain, Ketcham & McDougall measuring tape and other itemsTo be sold in aid of Princess Alice Hospice. CONDITION 18 ct gross weight 5.2 grams9 ct gross weight 3.2 gramssilver weight 47 gramsButterfly brooch has a small area of enamel missing from one wing, pin and hook fitting, hook mis-shapen so will not close securely enamel bow brooch with Charles Horner mark to reverse enamel is damaged in centre and on both blue panels foil backed pendant missing two seed pearls Please see ewbanks.co.uk for condition reports and further images
An Art Deco diamond and onyx bow brooch, millgrain set with transition cut stones, and channel set onyx, estimated total diamond weight 2.00 carats, mounted in platinum, with gold pin testing as 14 ct, 2 x 4.5 cm . CONDITIONPlatinum gross weight 10.1 gramsOverall good condition Under gallery setting on one corner of bow slightly pinched but not obvious from front of brooch Please see ewbanks.co.uk for condition reports and further images
A fine Francois Gaultier bebe No 10, the poured bisque head with large brown glass eyes, open/closed mouth with shading and cupid bow outline, light brown shaded brows, pierced ears, blonde mohair curly wig on cork pate, jointed Gesland body with papier-mâché and wood forearms and lower legs, cream lace and muslin frock, matching bonnet, layers of slips and petticoats, bloomers, socks and bronzed leather shoes the soles marked A. Gibault Paris —27in. (68.5cm.) high (hairline crack running down her right forehead under hair, limbs repainted)
An extremely rare Armand Marseille character smiling boy with intaglio painted eyes size 7, the bisque socket head depicting a young boy with intaglio painted blue eyes with black pupils and white upper eye dots, black line to top eyelid edge, red dot to the inner corner of the eye and centre of nostrils, light brown painted feathered brows, well modelled full cheek with dimples and pleased expression, the closed slightly smiling mouth with a darker red cupid’s bow outline, well defined ears, original blonde mohair wig with curls at nape, composition and wooden ball-jointed body, wearing original coarse linen shirt and modern blue velvet knickerbockers with yellow silk sash, impressed Germany A 7 M —23in. (58.5cm.) high (head perfect, slight kiln dust to side of right face near ear, an extremely tiny firing crack along edge of left top eye lid, body incorrect and slightly too small and wig sparse in places) Notes - this very rare Armand Marseille art character from a series they produced circa 1910. This child’s features are beautifully modelled, probably studied from life. The doll was the child who toy of the vendor’s grandmother who lived in Switzerland at the beginning of the 20th century.
•Frederick S Beaumont (1861-1954) PORTRAIT OF A LADY Signed oil on canvas, 61 x 50cm, another, PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN WEARING A GREEN SPOTTED BOW TIE, signed and dated 1923 and a smaller work PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN FREDERICK LUMSDEN MACKENZIE, signed oil on canvas, laid on board, 40 x 30cm, (3).
1st century AD. An iron finger ring with inset jasper cloison, intaglio frieze with profile female bust supported by standing robed females, one with a bow and the other with a spear. Cf. Chadour, A.B. Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 232. 11.1 grams, 27mm overall, 18.84mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 3/4, Europe 18.75, Japan 18) (1"). From a private Netherlands collection; previously in an old collection since before 1980. [No Reserve] Fine condition, hoop corroded.
2nd millennium BC. A chalcedony cylinder seal with frieze including a winged figure with bow(?), a gryphon and a leaping warrior with sword. 6.40 grams, 27mm (1"). Property of a Bristol collector; formerly part of his father's collection formed between 1960-late 1970s. Accompanied by a museum-quality impression. Very fine condition.
Circa 1500-1540 AD. A 'hand and a half' or 'Bastard' sword, with ring guard, double-edged broad blade, lenticular in section, with single short shallow fuller, running up the first third of its length; the hilt is complex with spherical pommel (style G), the grip is elegantly wrapped with a later iron wire, the cross-guard (style 5) is broad towards the edges, where the iron quillons are ending with three small notches; the handle with a side guard together with the knuckle bow, showing two additional rings on the lower part of the hilt, bowing towards the flat undecorated blade. See Schneider, H., Waffen in Schweizerischen Landesmuseum, GriffWaffen I, Zurich,1980; Talhoffer, H., Medieval Combat: a Fifteenth-Century Illustrated Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat, by Rector, M. (ed."). London, 2000; Oakeshott, E., Sword in hand, London, 2001; Scalini, M., A bon droyt, spade di uomini liberi, cavalieri e santi, Milano, 2007. 1.3 kg, 1.05m (41 1/4"). From an important private family collection of arms and armour; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s, and thence by descent; believed originally from Liege, Belgium; accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato. By the second quarter of the 16th century, the long sword had become the 'Bastard' or 'hand and half sword', of which there are many beautiful surviving examples in excellent condition (Oakeshott, 2001, pp.137ff., figs.123-126), like the one here illustrated. The evolution of great and arming swords brought to the transformation of it in the Renaissance rapiers. The samples published by Oakeshott and kept in private collections, show how the developed hilt of the arming sword, which eventually become a rapier, was paralleled in the big 'bastard' swords. Held either in one or both hands, and also known as a ‘bastard’ sword, as its grip was not as long as a traditional two-handed sword, it can be dated to around 1500-1540 based on the decoration of its hilt. The three-notch ends of the crossbars (quillons) are quite flimsy while the finely spherical pommel recalls the swirling lobes that decorated contemporary flagons and candlestick stems. This appearance demonstrates a move away from the brutal simplicity of the medieval sword. The term 'bastard sword' was not, as supported by some scholars, a modern term, but already widely spread in the first half of 16th century. As a military weapon, it was kept in use by the Swiss for almost a century, with very few variations in shape, because it adhered perfectly to the organisational logic of the cantonal troops. So much so, that hundreds of specimens of this type are known, obviously with variations and best represented in the Swiss museums, especially in Zurich (Schneider, 1980, nn. 183-186, 190-195, 198, pp. 129-132, 134-136,138"). Many of them having complex hilts. This interesting piece belongs to the early period of diffusion of rapier in England. With all probability from a battlefield, a castle or a military site. The hilt and spatulate quillons and semi-basket guard for the knuckles is characteristically middle of the 16th century German. It was a long-term employed form, based on the shape of the swords used from horseback, hybridizing them with those of two-handed swords, thus defining an infantryman's sword, very effective against horsemen and pikemen. Its use, predominantly Germanic, involved training and a particular way of shielding, with guard positions, parades and lunges, all different from those of civilian side arms (Scalini, 2007, p.244"). Swords like this were among the most versatile weapons of the battlefield. It could be used one-handed on horseback, two-handed on foot; different techniques were used against armoured and unarmoured opponents; and the sword could even be turned around to deliver a powerful blow with the hilt. Mastery of the difficult physical skills of battle, was one of the chief attributes of the aristocrat. The art of combat was an essential part of a nobleman's education. Sigund Ringeck, a 15th-century fencing master, claimed knights should 'skilfully wield spear, sword, and dagger in a manly way.' These swords, gripped in both hands, were a potent weapon against armour before the development of firearms, but also continued to be used for long time after the diffusion of the guns and arquebuses on the European battlefield of XVI century. To fully appreciate the sword’s meaning for Ringeck as a sixteenth-century gentleman, it is important to understand its double role as both offensive weapon and costume accessory. As costume jewellery the decorative sword hilt flourished fully between 1580 and 1620. However, the seeds were sown long before. This ‘hand-and-a-half’ sword for use in foot combat carries an early sign of this development. No part of a medieval sword was made without both attack and defence in mind. Modern fencing encourages us to see the blade, in fact only the tip of the blade, as the sole attacking element of a sword and the hilt more as a control room and protector. Tight rules prevent the sword hand ever straying from the hilt and the spare hand from getting involved at all. This is a modern mistake. The fifteenth-century Fightbook published by the German fencing master, Hans Talhoffer, illustrates a more pragmatic approach as how two fashionably dressed men settle their differences using undecorated swords with thick diamond-section blades. The blades could be gripped as well as the hilt. The rounded pommels at the end of the grip, and at the ends to the quillons, not only balanced the swing of the sword but acted as hammerheads to deliver the ‘murder-stroke’. As soon as these elements ceased to be functional, they took on the role of adornment. This sword hints at the more decorative hilts produced later in the late 16th and 17th centuries. Swords themselves varied in weight and so did the crossguards. Also there are multiple different crossguards in this category, starting from simple ones with a single sidering or none at all to some complex 'baskets'. Fine condition. Rare.
Circa 1330 AD. A heavy iron war mace, with hexagonal prismatic head surmounted by an iron button, the faces of the hexagon divided by lines preserving traces of gilding; mounted upon an iron staff with traces of silver, characterised by a ring of entanglement at the top and three concentric circles below. See ??????? ?.?. ???????-????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? XIV - ?????? XV ??. // ??????????? ????? ? ??????? ? ???????? ????? ??????, ?., 1983; Head, 1984, Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 2, Worthing, 1984; Nicolle, D. Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350, Islam, Eastern Europe and Asia, London 1999; Bashir, M. (ed.), The Arts of the Muslim Knight, The Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection, Milan, 2008. 1.5 kg, 45.5cm (18"). From an important private family collection of arms and armour; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s, and thence by descent; believed originally from Eastern Europe; accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato. The war mace belongs to the group of the eastern war maces used by the Mongol armies in 13th century. In particular it is an interesting parallel to a mace published by Gorelik (1983, pl.27, n.67), having the same hexagonal prismatic shape, dated at the 13th century AD. It is also the same kind of mace that was brandished by the Il-Kh?nid Persian-Mongol warriors (scene of the battle of Ardashir and Artavan) in the very famous manuscript Demotte Sh?hn?mah, made in ?dharbayj?n in about 1335 AD (Nicolle, 1999, figs.632J"). The mace, perhaps because of its ancient associations, acquired a legendary quality, second only to the swords in the Islamic world, and therefore also of the Ilkhanid Turco-Mongol warlike state, that with the Sultan Ghazan adhered to the Islam in 1295 AD. Amongst Mongols and Turkish warriors, the mace became a symbol of office, and maces, gilded like this one, played a role in ceremonies which significance was a mixture of religious and military elements. From a military point of view, it was an extremely effective weapon in close combat, particularly from horseback against an armoured opponent, where a heavy mace could easily damage even the thickest steel armour and crash heads and helmets at the same time (Bashir, 2008, p.235"). The Ilkhanid Empire was originally part of the Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan, its Persian branch created by Hulegu, grandson of Genghis Khan himself. Settled in Persia, the Mongols fostered the growth of cosmopolitan cities with rich courts and wealthy patrons, who encouraged the arts to flourish. At the death of Kublai Khan the Ilkhanid Khanate was de facto independent, until his dissolution in 1335 AD. The core of its army were the powerful armoured cavalrymen, of Mongol, Turkish and Iranian origin, covered with Khuyagh armour, a lamellar or laminated corselet, mainly in iron, sometimes in bronze; they wore hemispherical helmets with reinforced brow, a plume tube or a spike, and mail, lamellar or leather aventail, round shields and offensive weapons like sabres, bow and arrows and naturally war maces (Heath, 1984, pp.114-115"). Most probably our specimen is from an excavation. The piece is very rare and is in excellent condition. The mace is a type of short-arms, a weapon of impact-crushing action, consisting of a wooden or metal handle (rod) and a spherical pommel (head), which can be smooth or studded with spikes. The mace is one of the oldest types of edged weapons, a direct heir to the club, which began to be used in the Stone Age. It became widespread in the late Middle Ages, which was due to the excellent 'armour-piercing' qualities of this weapon. The mace was great for breaking through heavy armour and helmets. The heads of some maces were huge. Mace has several significant advantages over bladed weapons. Firstly, a mace (like a hammer) never got stuck in enemy armour or shield, which often happened with a sword or a spear. With the help of maces, it was possible to completely deprive the enemy of the shield, inflicting several strong blows on it. In this case, either the shield broke, or its owner received a fracture of the limb. You can also add that the blows of the mace almost never slide off. Secondly, you can learn to use a mace much faster than a sword. In addition, these weapons were relatively cheap and almost 'unkillable'. The mace has a significant advantage in comparison with the war hammer: the enemy can be beaten with either side of the weapon. The mace was an essential weapon according the Islamic Fur?s?yah during close combat, and some military treatises are devoted to this weapon (for example, the 'Kit?b Ma?rifat La?b al-Dabb?s f? Awq?t al-?ur?b wa-al-?ir?? ?alá-al-Khayl,' held in Paris, BNF MS Ar. 2830 and BNF MS Ar. 6604; Istanbul, Ayasofya MS 3186; on the fur?s?yah treatises dealing with the art of the mace, see also al-Sarraf, 'Mamluk Fur?s?yah Literature and Its Antecedents'"). The most common name for the club/mace was the Persian 'gurz' and its derivatives: garz, horz and gargaz. The written sources describe four methods of conducting battle: throwing at an enemy from a long distance: close combat at a distance proportioned to the length of the club; rotation of the mace when a warrior was surrounded by enemies; defeating the enemy in front of you. The maces or clubs with huge heads and relatively short poles were suitable for throwing. Our mace belongs to a simplified form of maces, a sort of cube-shaped tops with six cut corners transforming it in hexagon (type II"). All the specimens are in iron and date back to the 12th–14th centuries. A very widespread category of finds is made up of type II maces, mainly found in the excavations of the Southern Russian cities that were destroyed during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. They were also found in Novgorod, Moscow, and in the peasant Kostroma barrows. Usually, maces were considered to belong to the nobility, but the simpler specimens probably were widely available as weapons for ordinary soldiers, citizens and peasants. This is also supported by the simplicity and sometimes carelessness in the decoration of the maces themselves. Fine condition.
DIAMOND & PEARL PENDANT. A Belle Epoque white metal, probably platinum, diamond & pearl pendant. Comprising 59 old European or rose cut diamonds of varying sizes & dimensions. At the centre, an untested, natural oriental pearl. Hung at the base of the pendant, an untested natural oriental pearl pear drop. Length 60.0mm. Width 31.00mm. Hung on a machine made, probably platinum chain. Total diamond weight approx. 7.2ct. Total weight approx. 12.53g. The original silk lined box contains an additional white 9k. trace pattern chain, a brooch back fitting in gold & a small screwdriver. The central coronet in the pendant can be removed & worn as a brooch. Ribbon bow is missing one small rose cut diamond. The jewellery pad has been replaced. Note: A jewellery report is available on request.
Charles Dickens - "Dombey & Son", published by Bradbury & Edmonds, 11 Bouverie Street, London, 1848, (two three-quarter leather bound volumes with marble effect hardbacks), and Frank Hurlbutt - "Bow Porcelain" published by G.Bell & Sons, Ltd, London 1926 (one cloth bound volume), together with twenty-five art and antiques reference books, various
A late 19th Century pocket barometer by F. L. West, 31 Cockspur Street, London,with silvered scale in gilt brass case, 1.875ins diameter (lacking bow) and one other by T. Mason of 5 Dame Street, Dublin with silvered scale in gilt brass case, 1.875ins diameter, both in red leather covered fitted cases
The pendant is set with two emeralds and twenty-four diamonds, an articulated drop 42mm x 6mm, the two emeralds graduating from 8.1mm x 6.2mm to 7.8mm x 5.1mm with one small round diamond in between, all four claw set, with eight small round diamonds set in a bow design above and below, and seven small round diamonds set to top, all illusion set in an 18 carat yellow gold mount, total approximate weight 3.8gms.
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