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Lot 714
PROG - LPs. Cracking titles with this collection of 65 x LPs. Artists/titles include Jethro Tull - Stand Up (UK 2nd pink label white 'i' ILPS 9103 - glossy VG+, a few light surface marks/VG+ pop-up section clean, minor discolouration on the reverse), Yes (x5) - Fragile (plum UK orig 2401019 - top Ex+ condition record, a couple of very faint and wispy marks/Ex small paper tear on the reverse, booklet attached), Yes (K 40034 RE), Close To The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans and Going For The One, Uriah Heep - Return To Fantasy and Salisbury (Bronze RE), ELP (x7) - S/T (nice pressing package, 3 copies including the 1st pink label/white i', ILPS 9132 - extremely neat Ex record/with promo 'In Concert' booklet and some newspaper cuttings/Ex a couple of light creases, also with the pink rim and Manticore reissues), Pictures At An Exhibition, Trilogy, Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery, Curved Air, ELO, Steve Hillage, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Rick Wakeman, The Moody Blues, Camel, Manfred Mann, Barclay James Harvest, Jon And Vangelis, Rush and Colosseum. Condition is generally VG to Ex+ though some van vary.
Lot 485
A 1997 Cook Islands 5-Dollar 1/25 Troy ounce gold proof coin, .999 purity, having portrait of Diana Princess of Wales to reverse, five silver Diana Princess of Wales commemorative coins, a silver 1998 Papua New Guinea 5-Kina (Investiture of Prince Charles), a 1909 'Britannia' silver 1-Dollar token, an Isle of Man 1990 nickel one crown and a Westminster Mint bronze finish Diana Princess of Wales 1961-1997 "Queen of Hearts" medallion in case.
Lot 311
Late 3rd-early 2nd millennium BC. A carved granite(?) columnar idol with waisted body, transverse slot to each flat face. Cf. Pottier, M. H., Matériel funéraire de la Bactriane méridonale de L' Age du Bronze, Mémoire, Editions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 36, p.16, pl.V, nos.34-5 for two virtually identical lingams called 'masses d'arme', and p.43, pl.XXXV, nos.292-3 for similar yoni; also, Schmidt, E. F., Tepe Hissar Excavations, 1931, The Museum Journal, XXIII, no.4, 1933, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, pl.CXXXVI. 3.5 kg, 25cm (10"). Property of a North London gentleman; previously with Pars Gallery, London, W1; in the 1990s. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
Lot 403
1st-2nd century AD. A bronze discoid plaque with female bust modelled in the half-round, the hair dressed in braids falling to the shoulders and framing the rounded face with diadem above, lunate collar to the beck and V-shaped band between the breasts; hollow to the reverse. Cf. Jongeward, D. Buddhist Art of Gandhara in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2018, items 139, 165 for type. 473 grams, 13.5cm (5 1/4"). Private collection, South West London; acquired before 2000. Fine condition.
Lot 128
1st century BC. A Roman or Ptolemaic bronze model of a lectus for a dining room (triclinium), with well detailed pillow and a lion-skin used as blanket (??????????), the lower part of the bed decorated by rhomboid patterns according to the Eastern Hellenic custom. 231 grams, 10.5cm (4"). Property of a private collector; acquired before 1975. The lectus tricliniaris was lower than a sleeping bed (lectus cubicularis), in most cases it had a pluteus (headboard), as may be seen from Suet. Cal. 26; Propert. iv. (or v.) 8, 68; at one end there was a raised ledge on which a cushion was placed, and on this the left arm rested; among the Romans it held three persons; among the Greeks, two; like the bed, it had a mattress (torus), over which fine coverlets tyriae vestes, and animal skins were thrown. Fine condition. Rare.
Lot 105
1st-3rd century AD. A very fine fragment of statue of a hero, athlete, god or emperor, formed as the lower part of the belly and pelvis; very fine modelling of the anatomy; the central part with the navel is still well preserved, as well as part of the right thigh and the genitals; a melting vent for the bronze fusion is visible at the height of the attachment of the right thigh; the upper and lower parts, at the upper part of the left thigh, are cut in a very regular way, with a saw edge, probably conceived for the assemblage of the missing parts; good green patina. See Cooley A.E., M.G.L. Cooley, Pompeii and Herculaneum, New York, 2014; Kleiner, F.S., A history of Roman art, Wadsworth, 2010; Poehler, E., Flohr, M., Cole K. Pompeii, art, industry and infrastructure, Oxford, 2011; the piece shows compositional similarities with the late second/early third century AD statue of Emperor Septimius Severus, preserved in the Cyprus Museum, Nicosia (Kleiner, 2010, p.234, fig.16.5"). 2.6 kg, 35cm (13 3/4"). Property of a British gentleman; formerly in a private collection since the early 1970s; previously acquired on the London art market in 1970; accompanied by an expertise of Dr. Raffaele D’Amato. Statues representing athletes, gods, emperors and heroes adorned public and private buildings in the Roman world. A good example is Pompeii where the amphitheatre was filled with statues within niches. Fine condition.
Lot 121
4th century AD. A bronze oil lamp with broad nozzle, small base and filler hole, zoomorphic hinged lid, recurved scrolled tendrils forming the handle with leaf detailing and perching bird; separate bronze tripod stand with short bent legs and hoof-shaped feet. 869 grams total, 13-20cm (5 - 8"). From a private Netherlands collection; previously in an old collection since before 1980. Fine condition.
Lot 237
1st millennium BC. A bronze figure of a zebu with head raised, crescent horns above raised lozenge eyes, incised mouth and muzzle, skin-fold detailing to the neck; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.9 kg total, 16.5cm width with stand (6 1/2"). Acquired on the London art market in 1963. Very fine condition.
Lot 20
Late Period, 664-332 BC. A miniature bronze offering table, decorated with a pair of hes vases in relief, with the kneeling figure of the offeror profering a vase pouring a libation before a hunched figure of a frog; ring for suspension behind the offeror. 253 grams total, 96mm (3 3/4"). From an early 20th century collection. Fine condition. Rare.
Lot 131
1st-2nd century AD. A bronze disc mirror with one slightly convex polished face, raised rim to the reverse with concentric incised bands; mounted on a custom-made stand. Cf. Beutler, F. et al. Der Adler Roms. Carnuntum und der Armee der Cäsaren, Bad-Deutsch Altenberg, 2017, items 858, 860 for type. 688 grams total, 22.6cm including stand (9"). Property of a Brussels gallery; acquired on the European art market. Very fine condition.
Lot 116
2nd-3rd century AD. A bronze statuette of the goddess Fortuna (Greek Tyche) dressed in chiton (tunic) and palla (mantle), holding a cornucopia with the left hand, a rudder in the right hand, wearing a diadem. 52 grams, 78mm (3"). From a home counties collection, formed 1970-1980. Fine condition.
Lot 565
9th-11th century AD. A gold pendant with flat bottom, flat-section wall and handle, ornamented with filigree ropework detailing. See Meaney, A. Anglo-Saxon Amulets and Curing Stones, Oxford, BAR British Series 96, 1981, p.166-168 for discussion of similar types. 2.62 grams, 19mm (3/4"). Property of a West London businessman, formed his collection in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Pendants in the form of miniature buckets or drinking vessels have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
Lot 330
Shang Dynasty, 13th-12th century BC. A bronze ritual wine chalice with plain trumpet-form neck above three bow-string bands, the mid-section with a band of dragons with rounded eyes centered on a narrow flange, below two further bow-string bands interrupted by four cruciform apertures, the spreading foot with lip overhanging vertical sides. 348 grams, 14cm (5 1/2"). Property of a North West London gallery; formerly in a 1980s collection. Fair condition.
Lot 510
13th-6th century BC. A substantial bronze cudgel with balustered finial, raised ropework bands to the cells each with a profile leaping lion. See Godard, F.& Y. Bronzes du Luristan, La haye, n.d. 393 grams, 21cm (8 1/4"). From the private collection of a North West London lady; previously with a central London gallery; formerly acquired before 1990. Fine condition.
Lot 111
1st century BC-1st century AD. A bronze figure of Hermaphroditus standing nude with left leg crossed in front of the right, hair dressed in a chignon with strands falling to the shoulders, strap across the right shoulder; recently attached to a uncleaned square-section hollow tiered base with fixing holes to the top. 382 grams total, 19cm with stand (7 1/2"). From a private Netherlands collection; previously in an old collection since before 1980. Fair condition, the statuette cleaned.
Lot 526
8th-6th century BC. A bronze looped and socketted axehead with convex edge and lateral spurs, bulbous collar to mouth, raised D-shaped wing to each broad face. Cf. Schmidt, P.K. & Burgess, C.B. The Axes of Scotland and Northern England, Prähistorische Bronzefunde, Ab. IX, vol. 7, Munich, 1981, item 1287. 261 grams, 11.5cm (4 1/2"). From the property of a London gentleman; formerly in a UK collection, acquired in the 1990s. Fine condition, chip to socket.
Lot 460
10th century AD. An elaborate Petersen Type L or O variant double-edged sword; the straight blade pattern-welded tapering from a width of about 5cm at the cross-guard; the point is still well preserved; both cutting edges show strong traces of employment on the battlefield with battle-nicks along their length; the tapered fullers, are 2cm at their origin adjacent to the cross-guard, and are still well preserved running from their largest width of 2.5cm to 1cm at the lower extreme end where they run to about 9cm of the point; the blade goes straight into the cross-guard with a broad and long tang, befitting such a fine blade; the boat-shaped cross is 5cm wide; its rounded ends are highly decorated with silver inlaid, onto which intricate whirling interlaced patterns are traced, and curve gently towards the blade; the massive pommel has a curved base-element and five lobes, decorated with the same silver inlaid patterns visible on the lower guard; the pommel knob, decorated in the same way, is attached to the pommel guard through rivets. See Petersen, J., De Norske Vikingesverd, Oslo, 1919; Oakeshott, R.E., The Archaeology of the weapons, London, 1960; Peirce, I.,Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002; ?abi?ski, G., Viking Age Swords from Scotland, in Acta Militaria Mediaevalia III, Kraków, Sanok, 2007, pp.29-84; the sword finds parallels in various similar Viking age specimens of L variant; two very similar swords have been published by Peirce (2002, pp.77-81), both preserved at the British Museum; one of these is the famous Witham sword (Oakeshott, 1960, p.134); from the other side the combination of the curved guard with the five lobes seems to design an evolution of the pattern of variant O, like the sword of Oslo University (from Vestre Berg, Løiten parish, Akershus, Norway, see Peirce, 2002, pp.87ff.), or more evidently like the Gunnarsby (Rygge, Smaal) sword (Petersen, 1919, fig.105"). Petersen includes in the second group of O type eight swords exemplars, all having like our specimen, hilts covered in silver plates. 1.3 kg, 91cm (35 3/4").From a North West London collection; previously acquired in the 1980s; accompanied by an archaeological report of military specialist Dr. Raffaele D’Amato.Most probably our specimen is a river find, like most swords of this type. The most remarkable part of this sword is the magnificently decorated hilt, the result of fine craftsmanship. The very fine state of preservation suggests that this sword was protected by Glødeskall, a compound of iron and oxygen created when an iron object is subjected to intense heat, able to provide some protection against corrosion, by means of the shell (skall) or skin which the process forms around the object (Peirce, 2002, p.36, n.2"). The hilt of type O swords, especially their beautiful five-lobed pommels and cross-guards, were usually completely covered in a brilliant copper alloy or silver. The decoration of the guard is very similar to a sword of type O auctioned in 2013, and, owing to its lavish decoration, combining Roman and Norse elements, was said to belong to the Varangian Guard. Moreover also our specimen, like the one auctioned in 2013, has a pommel made of ferrous metal, rather than the copper alloy more commonly used for the hilts of type O. The only known type O Viking sword from Scotland is from Eriskay, generally dated to 900-950 AD, and has a pommel and a cross piece made of an iron core covered of bronze (?abi?ski, 2007, p.63"). This is typical of the swords of the second group O, in which the guards are made of iron with a cover of silver plates, exactly like our specimen. The silver plates are decorated with animal ornamentation and with a more ordinary twined band, like here, in a sword auctioned in 2013 and the Gunnarsby sword. Unlike the sword auctioned in 2013, the blade inlay is entirely typical for the proposed 10th century dating. The decoration is akin to the Hiberno-Norse style, which is the most commonly identified regional attribution of the Type O hilt group.Very fine condition.
Lot 353
19th century AD. A gilt bronze figurine of Buddha sitting cross-legged on a lotus flower dais, his consort sitting facing him on his lap with arms about his neck holding symbols. 1.6 kg, 20cm (8"). Property of a North London gentleman; previously in a private collection formed in the 1990s. Fine condition.
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 579
6th century AD. A bronze cruciform brooch (Group IVaiii) comprising a rectangular headplate and flared lateral wings with integrally-cast D-section bell-shaped knops, shallow bow with chamfered ends, tapering footplate with lateral bird-heads, terminal with facing horse-head mask and lateral looped nostrils; punched crescent decoration in vertical bands to the the headplate and footplate; ferrous accretion to the pin-lug, catch with extended spine below. Cf. West, S. A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Finds From Suffolk, East Anglian Archaeology 84, Ipswich, 1998, item 149(2"). 93 grams, 13.5cm (5 1/4"). Found Suffolk, UK, before 2013. Very fine condition.
Lot 552
6th-7th century AD. A hollow-formed gold sword pyramid of unusual form comprising: an octagonal base with square central void, rising to a pyramidal body with flat top; the corners each set with a triangular garnet cloison and between them at the base a similar rectangular insert; above on each face a triangular garnet cloison and on each sloping edge a garnet cloison cut as a prism with rounded face; inset square garnet cloison to the upper face; behind most garnets a gold foil panel with waffle-pattern impressed texture. Published in The Searcher Magazine, no.400, December 2018, p.26 & 27; accompanied by copies of the relevant Searcher Magazine article. A closely similar pair of items form part of the Staffordshire Hoard, catalogue nos. 576, 577, published in Fern, C. Dickinson, T. & Webster, L. The Staffordshire Hoard: an Anglo-Saxon Treasure, London, 2019. Recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) with report number NMS-FCD6CD; accompanied by a copy of the report. 12 grams, 16mm tall, 18mm at the base (3/4"). Found while searching with a metal detector by Melanie Hollwoger on 9 September 2018 at Thwaite, Norfolk, UK; declared as Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996; valued and destined to be acquired by Norwich Castle Museum; subsequently returned to the finder after the museum was no longer in a position to acquire it; accompanied by copies of various documents pertaining to the find from the Senior Coroner for Norfolk, the Assistant Treasure Registrar at the British Museum, and a copy of the Report to HM Coroner on the find, plus a copy of the provisional valuation undertaken for the Treasure Valuation Committee which suggested a value of between £25,000 - £27,500. The exact purpose of these fittings is not known but their position in the few graves which contained them (notably Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk) indicate that they were used in the suspension of the sword from a baldric or waist-belt (see Menghin, W. Das Schwert im Frühen Mittelalter, Stuttgart, 1983; Mortimer, P. Woden's Warriors, Ely, 2011; Brunning, S. The Sword in Early Medieval Northern Europe. Experience, Identity, Representation,Woodbridge, 2019"). They are a short-lived fashion which nevertheless displayed considerable wealth and status, and where such were available the finest materials were allocated to their manufacture. Lower social ranks adopted similar items, made from silver, silver-gilt or gilt -bronze and often with less impressive detailing. The present example is similar to two found in the Staffordshire Hoard. The use of prismatic garnets on the corners of the angled faces is a feature found only on the highest quality swords (Sutton Hoo Mound 1"). However, the pyramid does not evidence the finely detailed filigree and granule decoration of the Sutton Hoo and higher-quality Staffordshire Hoard examples. Rather, the garnets are presented here in a straightforward plain setting which emphasises the sheen of the gold surfaces and the glitter of the foil-backed garnets. Fine condition; cleaned. All original garnets are present, three are cracked and several are partly displaced with one turned through 90° so that the lower edge now appears in the cell, displaying both the thinness (1.2mm) of the gemstone and the presence of its foil backing. Extremely rare.
Lot 519
8th-4th century BC. A bronze lance head with hollow midrib and lanceolate blade; believed to be one of the largest British examples of the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age ever found; some wood still inside socket and traces of ancient repair around neck of socket. Cf. Evans, J. The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland, London, 1881, item 378 for type. 420 grams, 38.5cm (15 1/4"). The Chris Rudd collection, Norfolk, UK; formed since the 1970s; found near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK, c. 2015; accompanied by Chris Rudd collector's ticket for item BA25, and various offprints and a communication from the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS"). Chris Rudd says: 'Hafts were usually proportionate in length to the size of the lance-head; so one might surmise a total length of about seven feet for this lance. I call it a ‘lance’ rather than a spear or javelin, because I fancy it would have been too long and unwieldy as a throwing spear. Ideal however to be carried on horseback, as illustrated by the late iron age cavalryman seen on a Catuvellaunian silver coin of Tasciovanos (ABC 2640), issued 20BC-AD10. Milton Keynes, Bucks., where this colossal lance-head was found, was formerly within the territory of the Catuvellauni whose name means ‘Men who Excel in Battle’. Reported to Bucks FLO, Arwen Wood, also Brett Thorn and Tabatha Barton of Bucks County Museum.' Very fine condition. Extremely rare in this size.
Lot 110
2nd-3rd century AD. A bronze statuette of the god Mercury (Greek Hermes), standing naked on a pyramidal basis, holding caduceus in his left hand, the right arm outstretched holding a sack of gold, wearing his characteristic cap (petasos), the feet closed in his winged shoes (talaria"). Cf. Rolland, H. Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, items 27, 29; Durham, E. Metropolitan styling: figurines from London and Colchester in: Hoss, S. and Whitmore, A. Small Finds and Ancient Social Practices in the Northwest Provinces of the Roman Empire, Oxford, 2016, pp.75-97. 89 grams, 10cm (4"). Private collection, home counties, UK; acquired before 1980. Fine condition.
Lot 529
13th-9th century BC. A bronze pick comprising a central tube with bulbs and flanged ends, two angled lateral spikes with lugs beneath and two more lugs to the sides of the shaft, pointillé starburst to the flanges, notch and other detailing to the shank. 701 grams, 24.5cm (9 3/4"). From a private European collection; formed in the 1980s. [No Reserve] very fine condition.
Lot 511
13th-6th century BC. A tubular bronze macehead with gusseted collar to the lower end, ropework bands with geometric infill below a frieze of profile standing figures in ropework cells with hands clasped to the chest, waisted upper with chamfered rim. See Legrain, L. Luristan Bronzes in the University Museum, Pennsylvania, 1934. 330 grams, 19cm (7 1/2"). From the private collection of a North West London lady; previously with a central London gallery; formerly acquired before 1990. Fine condition, socket chipped.
Lot 498
1132-1127 BC. A bronze short sword with lentoid-section triangular blade, rectangular guard and hilt socketted to each face to accept an organic insert; to each face of the blade below the guard a short cuneiform inscription in two lines in the Akkadian language using Sumerian words; Side A: ša dnin-uraš-[sum-mu?] 'sword of Ninurta [nadin-šumi]', lugal [šar] 'the king [of the world]' Side B: [luga]l ká-dingir-r[a]ki 'King of Babylon', [luga]l ki-in-gi[ur]iki 'King of Sumer and Ak[kad]'. 371 grams, 45.5cm (18"). Property of a Middlesex lady; acquired on the London art market in 2007; formerly in a private collection formed in the 1980s; supplied with detailed report by M.Weeden, SOAS. The Weeden report specifies that parts of the inscription are obscured and these have been indicated in the transcription by square brackets '[ ]' based on parallel inscriptions on other similar swords.The text rehearses a formula also found on e.g. the sword of Marduk-nadin-ahhe. The most probable candidate for the owner of the present sword is Ninurta-nadin-šumi, the predecessor of Nebuchadnezzar I, although other possibilities are explored. The sword may reflect the increased interest in military affairs even before the accession of Nebuchadnezzar I, who attacked the kingdom of Elam. Fair condition. Very rare.
Lot 332
Ordos Culture, 3rd-1st century BC. A gilt-bronze rectangular belt plate with herringbone border, two addorsed quadrupeds with legs folded beneath the body and winged creatures above, inverted ox-head between the pair; mounted on a custom-made stand. 300 grams total, 16cm long with stand (6 1/4"). From a UK private collection; previously with Collin du Bocage, Paris, France, 19 December 2012, lot 157 (€3,000-3,500"). Fine condition.
Lot 617
13th-14th century AD. A bronze heater-shaped mount of slightly convex shape, with reserved cross patonce with red enamelled field 'gules a cross patonce or' possibly the arms of the Latimer family; one attachment hole to each corner. 8.5 grams, 31mm (1 1/4"). Found Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK, 1992. The surname 'Latimer' was applied to a clerk who wrote in Latin. There were several prominent courtiers of this surname in the Middle Ages including William Latimer, Sheriff and Constable of York Castle in 1254, with responsibility for Pickering, Cockermouth and Scarborough. Fine condition. Scarce.
Lot 112
1st century AD. A bronze statuette of Priapus standing naked, wearing only a short cloak arranged like an exomis on his left shoulder, holding the robe from the corners, exposing his exaggerated genitalia under an offering of flowers, an egg in his right hand, finely-detailed head with the hairstyle and beard of a Greek philosopher; in lifting his cloak, he reveals his enormous phallus, creating a vivid connection between fertility and abundance. See Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 136; Dunleavy C.A., The Image of Priapus: Ambiguity and Masculinity in Roman Visual Culture, Bristol, 2018. 120 grams, 80mm (3"). Property of a South London collector; previously acquired on the European art market 1970-1980. Fine condition.
Lot 356
19th-20th century AD. A gilt-bronze figurine of a male and female in the Yab-yum posture of congress resting on a prone and a supine smaller figure, on a stepped dais with arc of flame to the rear; painted detailing to the main figures' hair and elsewhere. 1.5 kg, 18.5cm (7 1/4"). From the property of a London gentleman; formerly in a UK collection, acquired in the 1990s. Fine condition.
Lot 75
8th-5th century BC. A substantial bronze bow fibula with integral single-coil spring and pin, lozenge-section bow, rectangular flange finial with catch, two ducks(?) modelled in the round to one face of the bow. See Heynowski, R. Bestimmungsbuch Archaeologie: Fibeln, Munich, 2012. 111 grams, 11cm (4 1/4"). From the property of a London gentleman; formerly in a UK collection, acquired in the 1990s. Very fine condition.
Lot 614
14th-15th century AD. A parcel-gilt bronze harness pendant with reserved enamel squares, blazoned 'chequy or and azure', arms of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey. See Ashley, S. Medieval Armorial Horse Furniture in Norfolk, East Anglian Archaeology 101, Dereham, 2002. 8.31 grams, 36mm (1 1/2"). Found near Castle Rising, Norfolk, UK. Fine condition.
Lot 204
3rd-4th century AD. A bone and iron folding hunting knife (culter venatorius), the handle with an openwork representation of a mating scene between dogs, allowing the insertion of the short iron blade, the folding blade pivoted in the bone openwork handle. See Allason-Jones, L. & Miket, R. ,The Catalogue of Small Finds from South Shields Roman Fort, Newcastle, 1984, item 5.1 for type. 22.8 grams, 62mm (2 1/2"). Property of a South London collector; previously acquired on the European art market 1970-1980. Knives for hunting were generally made with the bronze or bone handles and iron blades, they could be straight, folding, or with swiveling handles. Small knives like our specimens were mainly used in hunting duties. Very fine condition.
Lot 78
5th-4th century BC. A bronze plaque of a leaping lion(?) with gaping jaws and claws extended; hollow to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.1 kg total, 17cm (box 26.6 x 24cm) (6 3/4 (10 1/2 x 9 1/2)"). From a UK private collection; contained in an old wooden Japanese collection box. Fine condition.
Lot 19
Late Period, 664-332 BC. A substantial bronze statuette of Osiris standing with hands placed across the chest, holding a flail and crook; stud beneath the feet for attachment to a base. Cf. Andrews, C. Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 12(d"). 2.4 kg, 30.5cm (12"). Property of a London collector; formerly with Pierre Berge & Associes, Paris, Archaelogie, 1 June 2012, lot 76 [restored head absent]. Fine condition.
Lot 205
4th century AD. A folding hunting knife (culter venatorius), the bone handle with an openwork representation of a crouched dog, allowing the insertion of the short iron blade, the folding blade pivoted in the openwork handle, the knife attached to a bronze chain suspended from a trilobate openwork bronze belt harness, through which the knife was attached to the cingulum. See Allason-Jones, L. & Miket, R., The Catalogue of Small Finds from South Shields Roman Fort, Newcastle, 1984, item 5.1 for similar typology. 36.4 grams, 18.7cm (7 1/4"). Property of a private collector; acquired before 1975. Knives for hunting were generally made with the bronze or bone handles and iron blades; they could be straight, folding, or with swivelling handles. Small knives like our specimens were mainly used in hunting duties, like illustrated in the hunting mosaic of 5th century AD kept in the Argos Museum, in Greece, on which late Roman hunters or soldiers are brandishing such kind of knives. Fine condition.
Lot 523
1st millennium BC. A bronze spearhead with leaf-shaped blade and raised midrib extending a tapering, facetted socket, pierced transversely for attachment. 73 grams, 14.5cm (5 3/4"). From the family collection of a South East London collector; formerly acquired in the late 1950s. [No Reserve] Very fine condition, professionally cleaned and conserved.
Lot 163
Early 5th century AD. A substantial gold Keller type 6 crossbow brooch, decorated with seven red garnets; with hollow pentagonal-section crossbar, three eight-sided finials, openwork scrolled plaques flanking the deep kidney-shaped section bow, tubular footplate with openwork scooped edges; hinged pin and V-section catchplate to the reverse closed with a mounting in red garnet; the bow ornamented with three mountings of garnets on each side in cloisonné style, and decorated for all its length on the central rib by an imitation-pearl pattern, also visible on the beaded collars of the three eight-sided finials; original pin still in place. See Brunšmid, V., Kameni Spomenici Hrvatskoga Narodnoga Muzeja u Zagrebu (Gravestone monuments in the National Croatian Museum of Zagreb), in Vjesnik Hrvatskoga Arheoloskoga drustva, X, 1910; Levi Pisetzky, R.,Storia del costume in Italia, 5 voll., Milano, 1964-1969; Keller, E., Die Spätrömische Grabfunde in Südbayern, Munchener Beitrage zur Vor-und Frühgeschichte 14, Munchen, 1971; Arrhenius, B., Merovingian Garnet Jewellery, Göteborg, 1985; Hattatt, R. Iron Age and Roman Brooches, Oxford, 1985, item 507 for type; Beck, H. et al. Fibel und Fibeltracht, Berlin, 2000, fig.114 (2), 115(7); Schach Dörges, H. Züsammengespulte und vermengte Menschen’ in Archäeologischen Landesmuseum Baden-Wurttemberg, Die Alamannen Stuttgart, 2001, pp.79-102; Martin, M., Alamannen in Römische Heer’in Archäeologischen Landesmuseum Baden-Wurttemberg, Die Alamannen Stuttgart, 2001, pp.119-124; Mackreth, D.F., Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain, 2 volumes, Oxford, 2011; the item can be dated at the 5th century for analogies with similar brooches (Keller type 6, 1971, p.53), like three samples published by Mackreth (2011, cat.3.6, pl.142); these fibulae show a development on earlier types, consisting of a pin secured by another means to ensure that the brooch could not fall or be pulled off without considerable force; Mackreth references a gold specimen from the Moray Firth. The brooch is of remarkable quality and technical accomplishment, both in its manufacture and in the working of the gems. This kind of fibula, well known as a 'crossbow brooch', was used by the Roman army from the last quarter of the third century until the sixth century AD. It was a signifier of military status, and simpler specimens in bronze are often found in the graves of soldiers from the 4th and 5th century AD. More precious specimens, in gold or gilt, such as this example, were reserved for officers. 38.33 grams, 80mm (3"). Property of a Spanish collector; acquired from an old Spanish collection, 2008; accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato. The brooch is of remarkable quality and technical accomplishment, both in its manufacture and in the cutting of the gemstones into angular pyramidal forms. This kind of fibula, well know as a 'crossbow brooch', was in use within the Roman army from the last quarter of the third century until the sixth century AD. It was an attribute of military status and simpler specimens in bronze are often found in the graves of soldiers of the 4th and 5th century AD. More precious specimens, in gold or gilded, such as this example were reserved for officers. Very fine condition. Rare.
Lot 68
2nd-1st century BC. A sheet bronze fragment with repoussé frieze including Perseus(?) on the winged lion, holding his spear ready to thrust at a foe; foliage border above and other ornament. 6.8 grams, 80mm (3"). From a private Netherlands collection; previously in an old collection since before 1980. Fair condition.
Lot 540
1st century AD. A bronze handle formed as a broad loop with D-shaped flanged below, two smaller loops with ribs between, volute scroll attachment panel with median void; unfinished in La Tène style. Cf. Megaw, R.& V. Celtic Art. From its Beginnings to the Book of Kells, London, 1989, item 355. 89.4 grams, 10.8cm (4 1/4"). From a private UK collector; previously the property of an East Anglian collector. The mirror-handle is a close match for the example found at Great Chesterford, Essex, published in Megaw (1989) and elsewhere. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
Lot 245
1st millennium BC. A bronze figure of a warrior standing with a mace in his arms; the body formed as conjoined openwork panels to the chest and thighs with applied pellets, lentoid head with applied pellet eyes and loop to the reverse, arms held across the chest with a mace(?"). 38.9 grams, 79mm (2 3/4"). From the family collection of a Hampstead gentleman; formerly acquired in the 1980s. Very fine condition.
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