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Click here to subscribeAfter Auguste Moreau - A filled bronze figure of a boy poacher, carrying his catch and wearing hat and satchel, signature to the naturalistic base, 53cm highCondition report: At present, there is no condition report prepared for this lot, this in no way indicates a good condition, please contact the saleroom for a full condition report
A late 17th century bronze cauldron possibly from The Fathers Foundary, Montacute, Somerset with angled handles, reeded legs and two foundry marks, with integral cast marks to the body, approximately 33cm diameter x 28cm highCondition report: Old oxidisation and marks, dents and scratches due to age and use, a patch to the side visible externally and within, otherwise condition consistent with age and use
An Italian bronze fountain with a boy playing a pipe and a girl holding a bowl, both standing on a rock, the water emanating from the boys flute and the bowl that the girl holds, the fountain unsigned, approximately 95cm wide x 123cm high overallCondition report: Oxidised and patinated due to external use, some repair needed to the boy's flute, otherwise in good condition
After A Gaudez (French late 19th century) 'Faucheur', a bronze figure of a labourer with scythe, 19cm high; together with a bronze figure of a nun, on marble plinth, 23cm high overall (2)Condition report: At present, there is no condition report prepared for this lot, this in no way indicates a good condition, please contact the saleroom for a full condition report
Circa 100-300 AD A beautiful bronze bust of the Roman god of war Mars, wearing a domed helmet which would originally have had a high plumed crest. This elaborate helmet was known as the galea and was commonly given a crest like the one, often made of bird feathers or horsehair, which not only served to intimidate, but also to distinguish different ranks within the Roman military and as a key component the traditional iconographic program of Mars. He is depicted with locks of curls which adorn his chin in the form of a beard and moustache, framing his pursed lips, flat nose, and wide round eyes. Imbued in a verdant hued patina evocative of the ancient world, this intricately detailed bust is a stunning example from Imperial Rome. Mars (Greek Ares) was the god of war - son to Jupiter and Juno (Greek Zeus and Hera) and one of the Twelve Olympians. His sister Minerva (Greek Athena) was the goddess of war. Whereas Mars/Ares traditionally represents the fiery, violent aspects of combat, his sister Minerva/Athena usually represents intellectual military strategy. Second in importance only to Jupiter, Mars was highly regarded as the chief military god of the Roman army. For similar style of bust see: The British Museum: Accession number: 1871,0601. Size: L:101mm (with stand) / W:35mm; 260g Provenance: Property of a London Ancient Art Gallery; formerly in the famous Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister; acquired between early 1960s to 1990s.
Circa 100 BC-100 ADAn oval shaped intaglio finely modelled to depict a goose. The goose was sacred to the god Juno.Boardman, John. Greek Gems and Finger Rings: Early Bronze to Late Classical. New expanded edition. (New York and London: Thames and Hudson, 2001), 1049. Size: L:17mm / W:12mm; 1.1g Provenance: Property of a London Gentleman; formerly in a private UK collection formed in the the 1990s.
Circa 100-300 ADA sophisticated gold necklace with a loop in loop strand, rope-like in appearance, openwork beads connected with spacers, the chain shows particularly fine workmanship. Due to its fine workmanship, it is believed to be made by an atelier in Rome.As in many other ancient societies and cultures, jewellery was an important and influential social marker and used to demonstrate wealth and power, which flourish during the Imperial period (27 BC - 1453 AD). The ancient Romans considered jewellery to be an essential accessory, of which it first followed trends set by the Etruscans using gold and glass beads. Following the progression of the Roman Empire, Roman jewellery became more and more elaborately detailed in designs influenced from difficult cultural styles such as Greece, Egypt, North Africa and the Orient, a variation of materials were used, such as the use of precious and semi-precious gemstones. This necklace displays the loop in loop attachment system which produces a distinctive type of jewellery, popular in many ancient cultures which was first seen as far back as the Early Bronze Age. The ancient Romans were renown for their complex designs of which they could accomplish due to their extensive trade network of imports which provided access to exotic materials. Whilst wealthy men were known to collect fine art such as silver wares and sculptures, wearing one or several rings was typically enough. However, Roman men also wore bracelets, collars with pendants and torcs. Although most of the remaining ancient Roman jewellery resembles Greek and Etruscan designs, new forms were developed and borrowed from other cultures. A great deal of Roman jewellery was still made by Greek artisans, or important from Egypt. There was a lot of pressure in terms of fashion, to adjust to the style accepted at the time.The item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. Size: L:205mm; 29.5g Provenance: Property of a London Gentleman; formerly in a private UK collection formed in the the 1990s.
Circa 600 BC, EuropeanAn early necklace formed from a selection of bronze and glass beads, with a selection of fine amulets which carry magical properties, endowed onto the owner. Restrung. Excellent wearable condition. Size: L:226mm / W:15mm; 33g Provenance: Property of a London Gentleman; formerly in a private UK collection formed in the the 1990s.
Circa 600 BCA beautiful bronze necklace comprising numerous stylized mace-head pendant amulets and stone beads in a red palette, a large bronze amulet displayed at the centre. Good condition; beautiful patina.Such necklaces may originally have belonged to precursors of the Druids, the members of the learned class among the ancient Celts who acted as priests, teachers, and judges. Size: L:210mm / W:25.4mm; 46.7g Provenance: Property of a London Gentleman; formerly in a private UK collection formed in the the 1990s.
Circa 600 BC, EuropeanAn early necklace formed from a selection of bronze and carnelian beads, with a selection of fine amulets which carry magical properties, endowed onto the owner. Restrung. Excellent wearable condition. Size: L:215mm / W:15mm; 77.38g Provenance: Property of a London Gentleman; formerly in a private UK collection formed in the the 1990s.
Circa 100-200 ADA finely modelled Ancient Roman Silver padlock featuring a hinged lid in the shape of a Celtic male figure’s head. A fragmentary hinged chain. Earthy encrustation and some patination covers the surface.Figural padlocks, such as this example, are interesting items of Roman everyday life, displaying the great skills in working bronze of Roman craftsmanship. Padlocks of this type are believed to have originated from North-East Italy and then spread to other areas such as Britannia and Germania. The moulded bronze male faces used to decorate figural padlocks were usually stereotyped, following the same features such as straight hair, usually combed straight down and worn in bangs.For more information on this type of lock see the wonderful book:Romano-Celtic Mask Puzzle Padlocks by Jerry Slocum and Dic Sonneveld.The item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. Size: L:36mm / W:23mm; 44g Provenance: Private London collection; formerly acquired in Europe from 1990s collection.
Circa 100-300 ADA beautiful ancient Roman handle from a patera with decorative hound, portrayed with paws outstretched, handle in the form of the body of the hound.A patera was an ancient Roman broad and shallow dish or bowl, mostly produced in bronze, and usually used as a sacred libation vessel. Size: L:135mm / W:43.6mm; 270g Provenance: Private London collection; formerly acquired in Europe from 1990s collection.
Circa 600 BC A finelly modelled helmet made of hammered bronze sheet, with a rectilinear opening for the face, long, pointed cheek pieces, horizontal ribbing on the forehead framing the upper facial opening, and twin parallel ridges on the crown, each flanked by a group of three later ribs in low relief, engraved band between. The back and sides flare out to guard the neck and has three perforations for attachment of leather liner. This example has a rich, blue-green patina and is a somewhat more impressive example of Type II, variant A, with a more pronounced dome-like form. The Roman historian Appian wrote that the Illyrian lived in the area south from the Macedonians and Thracians. Traditionally the Illyrians were farmers and miners, but during war time they were respected as seasoned soldiers, primarily for the infantry. For a discussion of Type II, variant A, see Angelo Bottini et. al. Antike Helme (Mainz, 1988) pp. 48-52, and ef. Figs. 7-8, p. 49. These helmets were particularly popular in northern Greece, in the province of Illyria, in the modern day Balkans. They were made for hoplites, the citizen-soldiers of the Greek city states, who often furnished their own bronze armor. As a result, regional styles developed, and there is a great deal of variation in shape and form. For similar examples to this helmet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1992.180.1, 2006.221, 2003.407.6) and the Louvre (CA 2221Or). See H. Pflug, 'Illyrische Helme', in A. Bottini et al. Antike Helme, Mainz, 1988, 55-9. The item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. For further reading see: A. M. Snodgrass, Early Greek Armour and Weapons. From the End of the Bronze Age to 600 B.C., Edinburgh, 1964. Size: L: 280mm / W: 200mm; 1.16kg Provenance: London private collection; formelry in a private New York, USA collection; formerly acquired from the German collection of Hans Hagmann in 1968/69.
Circa 550-300 BC A very expressive form of bronze helmet of Chalcidian type. Crown domed with a mask-like front featuring high-arched eyebrows, the eyes have been carefully cut out. The round sections are each accentuated with a separately applied moulded band. A short tear-drop shaped nose guard is reaching down, moveable articulated crescentic cheek guards with contoured edges are attached by hinges on the sides, rounded, and tapering towards the chin allowing binding. Museum Quality helmet. Chalcidian helmets are named after similar helmets depicted on pottery vases from the Euboean city of Chalcis. This type of ancient Greek helmet was a lighter and less restrictive form of the Corinthian helmet. The hinged cheek pieces were anatomically formed to fit closely to the face and tended to curve upward towards the eye, where large circular openings provided a wider field of view than the Corinthian helmets. By the time of Alexander the Great the helmet was still worn by soldiers, most notably the hoplites, the heavy infantrymen who carried long spears; the helmet would later go on to develop into the Attic helmet which is iconic of Classical soldiers. See Ohly, D., Die Ägineten, Die Ostgiebelgruppe, Munich, 1976; Pflug, H., 'Chalkidische Helme' in Antike Helme, RGZM Monographien 14, Mainz, 1988, pp.137-150; Chernenko, E.V., The Scythians 700-300 BC, Hong Kong, 1998. The item has undergone X-ray fluorescence analysis to confirm the metallurgical content suggesting its ancient origin and lack of modern trace elements. Size: L: 370mm / W: 260mm; 1.24kg Provenance: Property of a London private collector; formerly in a European collection; acquired from Peter Ing till collection in early 2000s (Vienna). Formerly in an old Austrian collection.
Circa 800-900 BCThe tubular hilt with horizontal ribs, terminating with a double disc pommel, the triangular blade with elaborate midrib.For a similar sword with double disc pommel from North-West Iran:Cf. O. White Muscarella, Bronze and Iron. Ancient Near Eastern Artefacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, p.100, pl.166. See Bonhams, lot 156, May 1, 2013. Size: L:525mm / W:50mm; 630g Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Circa 1200 BC-700 BCA long bronze spear head with a tapered double edge and central blood ridge, a long thick tapering tang. Good patination. A custom-display stand. Size: L:485mm / W:60mm; 415g Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Circa 1200 BC-700 BCA two-edged bronze blade blade, leaf-shaped with rectangular tang, corrugated midrib extending almost to the tip and flared at the shoulder, decorated with vertical grooves.Cf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 36. Size: L:450mm / W:72mm; 440g Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Circa 1800-600 BCA slender, cast-bronze dagger with a pointed blade and a cuboid handle which slightly flairs outwards at its base. The handle has two shallow cavities that were perhaps meant for inlays of bone, stone, or wood. Earthen deposits and smooth patina overlay the surface of this ancient world relic. Size: L:392mm / W:34mm; 245g Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Circa 1800-600 BCA finely modelled cast bronze dagger, comprising a long, pointed blade with ribbed grip and flanged, hollowed hilt. In flanged hilt swords and daggers, such as this fine example, the hilt and blade have been cast together in a single piece, with raised flanges to the hilt’s edges, hollowed to hold wood or bone inlay. Size: L:364mm / W:46mm; 275g Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Circa 1800-600 BCA finely modelled cast bronze dagger, comprising a long, pointed blade with ribbed grip and flanged, hollowed hilt. In flanged hilt swords and daggers, such as this fine example, the hilt and blade have been cast together in a single piece, with raised flanges to the hilt’s edges, hollowed to hold wood or bone inlay. Size: L:343mm / W:37mm; 130g Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
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