13th-7th century BC. A bronze openwork bifacial finial comprising a tubular socket, two feline hindlegs, flared skirt and belt, two feline heads flanking a male mask. 203 grams, 10cm (4"). Property of a North West London gentleman; formerly with a central London gallery in 1990. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, fig.63. Luristan is the mountainous area in western Iran bordered by Iraq on the west and the Susa plain on the south. The Luristan culture produced a distinct range of bronze objects during the first millennium BC with highly stylized human and animal representations. The Master of Animals is an ancient deity that is found in a number of cultures, most notably in the ancient Near East and the archaic Greek cultures; he has a female counterpart in Greece known as Potnia Theron, Mistress of the Animals. The imagery invokes the control of nature and chaotic forces and finials such as this would have topped staffs used in religious rituals. Fine condition.
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13th-7th century BC. A bifacial bronze sceptre finial formed as a tube with three facing masks, two lateral opposed beasts. 258 grams, 21.5cm (8 1/2"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK; in the 1980s. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, item 19. Very fine condition.
13th-7th century BC. A bifacial bronze sceptre finial formed as a tube with three facing masks, two lateral opposed beasts; loops and flared mouth to the lower end. 218 grams, 23cm (9"). From an important private London collection; formed in the 1970s and 1980s. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, item 19. Very fine condition.
13th-7th century BC. A bifacial bronze sceptre finial formed as a waisted tube with flared collars, and another with three facing masks, two lateral opposed beasts; mounted on a custom-made stand. 566 grams, 43cm including stand (17"). Private collection, acquired by descent 1970s. Cf. Legrain, L. Luristan Bronzes in the University Museum, Pennsylvania, 1934, item 2. Very fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A bronze tubular element from a sceptre with ribbed collars, human masks, inverted human masks, lateral birds and goats(?"). 131 grams, 15cm (6"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK; in the 1980s. Cf. Legrain, L. Luristan Bronzes in the University Museum, Pennsylvania, 1934, plates 1, II. Fine condition.
13th-7th century BC. A whetstone comprising a square-section granite bar with rounded ends, a bronze socket with wire suspension loop and stylised ram's foreparts with two large looped horns. 195 grams, 25.5cm (10"). Property of a London gentleman; aquired in the late 1970s and 1980s. Fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A hollow-cast bronze tapering socket with folded leg detail to the underside, short curved neck, triangular head with pellet eyes, triangular beard and recurved horns attached to the neck; socket pierced for attachment. 130 grams, 97mm (4"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK; in the 1980s. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, figs. 93, 94. Fine condition.
2nd century AD. A bronze statuette of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite standing nude in the classic pose of the Capitoline Venus with left hand over her genitals and right hand raised to her chest; the head slightly turned to the left, centre-parted hair tied in a chignon; armlets to the upper arms; a hole behind the diadem to accept a separate Egyptian crown of Isis; mounted on a marble pedestal stand. 876 grams, 25cm (9 3/4"). From the private collection of Louis de Clercq (1826-1901); thence by descent. Cf. B.S. Ridgway, Hellenistic Sculpture I, 1990, p. 355-356, Taf. 181 - B. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. Isis-Aphrodite is a form of the great goddess Isis that emphasises the iconographic and fertility aspects associated with Aphrodite (Venus in the Roman pantheon"). Herodotus identified Isis with Demeter, but in the early Hellenistic period, she was identified with Aphrodite. The worship of Isis reached Rome early in the first century BC, and was a mystery religion requiring initiation. By the early first century AD, the cult was flourishing throughout the empire. (Adkins, L. and Adkins R.A. Dictionary of Roman Religion.) In Egyptian religion, Isis was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the patroness of nature and magic. She was known as protector of the dead and goddess of children, often depicted with her son Horus. Venus was an important goddess associated with beauty, desire, fertility and prosperity, known in Roman religion under numerous cult titles. However, the goddess Venus, like many of the other Roman deities, was identified with her Greek counterpart Aphrodite and adopted most of her mythology and iconography. She was also a divine ancestor of the Roman people through her son Aeneas, who fled from Troy to Italy. This syncretic goddess is a beautiful example of exchange between Graeco-Roman and Egyptian cultures, resulting in connection of two most important goddesses of fertility and maternity in one universally recognisable figure. Very fine condition; Isis crown absent.
1st century BC-1st century AD. A bronze statuette of Caesar Augustus as Pater Familias standing with the rear fold of his toga over his head and umbo tucked into the waist, handle of an implement in his left hand; mounted on a custom-made stand. 845 grams, 18.5cm including stand (7 1/4"). From the Rizzi family collection; acquired in the 1970s. Supplied with a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. See Zanker, P. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus, Michigan, 1990; and Price, S R.F. Rituals of Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor, Cambridge, 1984. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. The rear fold of the toga was customarily pulled up over the head when individuals performed a sacrifice and it was the duty of the male head of every family to perform a sacrifice to the gods and ancestors on a daily basis. The Pater Familias was an ancient spirit that represented the power of the male head of each family and is shown in the company of the Lares (household gods) and other deities in the Laraium, or household shrine. When Augustus became sole ruler of the Empire after the civil wars that saw the defeat of Anthony and Cleopatra, he actively promoted the Imperial Cult as a means of unifying the various provinces and diverse peoples. One such way was through statues that portrayed both his power and his piety, and he used the image of the Pater Familas as a means of representing himself as the head of the Empire and of each individual family within it. In 2 BC the Senate and People of Rome conferred the title of Pater Patriae, or Father of the Country on Augustus and it was the image of the Emperor sacrificing for the benefit of its people that was commonly housed as the main object of worship. By depicting himself in this way, Augustus set a precedent for future Emperors, members of the Imperial family, aristocrats and dignitaries of provincial cities to be seen as pious upholders of the Pax Romana or Peace of Rome. Fine condition, one hand absent.
5th-4th century BC. A section of a bronze ventral plaque, slightly curved with circular holes to the long edges; median band of repoussé profile birds between two rows of repoussé leaves with pelletted hatching and punched annulets. 74 grams, 11cm (4 1/4"). Property of a retired English University Professor; acquired Senatus Consulto, Copenhagen, Denmark. Fair condition.
1st century BC-2nd century AD. A bronze figure of a river god, possibly Nilus, reclining on his left arm, bearded and with a wreath composed of aquatic plants to the brow, garment draped around the hips; a cornucopia held in the left hand and frond in the right hand resting on the arm; hollow to the underside with modern mounting peg. 112 grams, 94mm (3 3/4"). Property of a gentleman; acquired in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. The river Nile has been considered sacred since the pre-dynastic period in ancient Egypt and was later associated with the god Hapy, a hermaphroditic deity of fertility and abundance. In the Graeco-Roman period of Egypt Hapy disappears to a large extent and is replaced by a more classical representation of the river as an elderly male god called Nilus holding aquatic plants and often reclining on a crocodile. In Greek myth Nilus was the son of Oceanus and Tethys. Extremely fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A bronze tubular socket with rib to the lower edge and extension to the rear of the socket, flat-topped triangular blade with swept profile and canted edge. 162 grams, 10.5cm (4"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK; in the 1980s. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, fig.79. Fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A bronze axehead with rounded butt, vertical socket with C-shaped rim above and below, slender blade with rounded expanding edge. 149 grams, 10cm (4"). From the collection of a North West London gentleman; acquired in the 1980s. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, fig.80. Fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A bronze axehead with tubular socket and C-shaped rim above and below, two rounded spikes to the rear; the blade narrow and parallel-sided with curved edge, animal-head detail to the rear. 297 grams, 13.5cm (5 1/4"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK; in the 1980s. Cf. Godard, F. The Art of Iran, London, 1965, fig.80. Fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A bronze adze with triangular-section flared blade, tubular socket with raised animal-head detail. 243 grams, 16.5cm (6 1/2"). From an old English collection; acquired on the UK art market before 1970. Cf. Legrain, L. Luristan Bronzes in the University Museum, Pennsylvania, 1934, item 44. [No Reserve] Fair condition, edge nicked.
2nd millennium BC. A round-section tapering bronze shank with ribbed collar, bulb and conical finial with segment detailing. 80 grams, 27.5cm (10 3/4"). Property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent 1972. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
13th-6th century BC. A bronze tubular finial with ribbed collars, bifacial lion-head finial with open mouth and prominent fangs. 60 grams, 94mm (3 3/4"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK; in the 1980s. Cf. Legrain, L. Luristan Bronzes in the University Museum, Pennsylvania, 1934, plate II. Fine condition.
11th-12th century AD. A bronze spherical body with discoid base, tapering tubular neck with thick everted rim, strap handle with notch detailing, horns to the rim and poppy-head thumb-pad. 464 grams, 23cm (9"). From an important private London collection; formed in the 1970s and 1980s. Fine condition; dented.
11th-12th century AD. A bronze spherical body with discoid base, waisted tubular neck with thick everted rim and running lozenge motif to the junction, flared collar with offset triangles, facetted upper neck with feather detailing; S-scrolled handle with ribbed detailing, palmate finial, addorsed bird-heads to the rim and poppy-head thumb-pad. 1.7 kg, 33.5cm (13 1/4"). Private collection, London, UK; formerly with Persepolis Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK, in the 1980s. Cf. von Gladiss, A. Glanz und Substanz. Metallarbeitung in der Sammlung des Museums für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, 2012, item 8. Fine condition.
19th century AD. A group of three bronze Persian cups with flaring rims narrowing to slightly tapering bodies, each is inlaid with Persian geometric and floral patterns inlaid in turquoise and garnet. 422 grams, 61mm (2 1/2"). Property of an American collector; acquired Europe 1970s-1990s. [3] Fine condition.
18th-19th century AD. A group of carnelian intaglios, twenty three engraved with Arabic script, one blank; larger example is framed in bronze clasp with suspension ring. 30 grams, 11-43mm (1/4-1 1/2"). Property of an American collector; acquired Europe 1970s-1990s. [24] Very fine condition.
19th century AD. A mixed group comprising: a cast bronze ink seal with dragon handle, the rectangular face showing a reserved sigil; a silver fob seal with teardrop carnelian seal face and incuse sigil with inscription and rosettes; a silver-mounted desk seal with tapered balustered banded brown/white agate handle, circular carnelian seal face with incuse sigil, with English hallmarks for Birmingham, 1892. 40 grams total, 19-54mm long (seal faces 16-32mm) (3/4 - 2 1/4 (3/4 - 1 1/4)"). Property of a Warwickshire gentleman; formerly in the private collection of the famous actor Leslie Phillips; acquired 1950-1960. Born in 1924 in London, Leslie Phillips attended the Italia Conti Academy where he developed the slightly affected accent which became his trademark. He usually played a roguish, suave charmer, and also enjoyed successful comic roles in the early Carry On films and on radio’s The Navy Lark. He has appeared in more than fifty films, plays and TV series spanning six decades; and recently gained new fans through his appearances in the Harry Potter films. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours; promoted to Commander (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. [3, No Reserve] Very fine condition.
4th-2nd millennium BC. A large terracotta jar with funicular lower body and domed upper, flared rim; polychrome geometric design to the shoulder, panels to the body with geometric motifs, a standing bull with roundels, two birds in flight. 1.9 kg, 26cm wide (10 1/4"). From an important London collection of Bronze Age pottery; formed 1970s-1980. See Satyawadi, S. Proto-Historic Pottery of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, Perspectives in Indian Art and Archaeology vol.2, New Delhi, 1994. Very fine condition, possibly some repainting.
19th-20th century AD. A group of two bronze items comprising: a flat-section plaque with loop to the reverse, crowned monkey with serpent and palmette below; a standing nude figure on a square base, hands held to the chest, stud and flared wings with holes to the reverse. 89 grams total, 53-61mm (2 - 2 1/2"). London gentleman; acquired before 1970. [2] Fine condition.
4th-2nd millennium BC. A squat terracotta jar with chamfered inner face to the raised rim; band of painted semicircles to the shoulder; to the sidewall panels with a geometric design, ibex with annulets, peepal leaf, two fish. 351 grams, 10.5cm (4 1/4"). From an important London collection of Bronze Age pottery; formed 1970s-1980. Cf. Satyawadi, S. Proto-Historic Pottery of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, Perspectives in Indian Art and Archaeology vol.2, New Delhi, 1994, plate 4. [No Reserve] Very fine condition.
4th-2nd millennium BC. A broad terracotta jar with chamfered rim, basal ring; frieze of standing bulls to the shoulder amid ibexes, solar discs and other symbols. 475 grams, 16cm (6 1/4"). From an important London collection of Bronze Age pottery; formed 1970s-1980. See Satyawadi, S. Proto-Historic Pottery of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, Perspectives in Indian Art and Archaeology vol.2, New Delhi, 1994. [No Reserve] Fine condition, possibly some repainting.
4th-2nd millennium BC. A squat terracotta jar with raised rim and flat shoulder with painted radiating triangles; to the sidewall, painted panels with horizontal bars, and birds. 421 grams, 13.5cm (5 1/4"). From an important London collection of Bronze Age pottery; formed 1970s-1980. Cf. Satyawadi, S. Proto-Historic Pottery of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, Perspectives in Indian Art and Archaeology vol.2, New Delhi, 1994, plate 4. [No Reserve] Very fine condition.
3300-1700 BC. A mixed group of terracotta vessels comprising: a jar with frieze of polychrome fish; a bulbous jar with horizontal banding; a goblet with polychrome fish; a jar with polychrome birds. 994 grams total, 6.5-12.5cm (2 1/2 - 5"). From an important London collection of Bronze Age pottery; formed 1970s-1980. See Satyawadi, S. Proto-Historic Pottery of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, Perspectives in Indian Art and Archaeology vol.2, New Delhi, 1994. [4] Fine condition.
18th-19th century AD. A gilt bronze statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, standing on a lotus flower base and having seven arms; the front two in the gesture of blessing, top right hand holding a rosary, middle right holding a bow, lower right a vase; the upper left holding a lotus flower, middle left object missing, lower left a ewer; a long garment is knotted at the waist and falls to the feet; sash around shoulders which falls to feet and billows up; two necklaces on bare chest and each arm has a bracelet and armlet; the long ears have flower shaped earrings and the head has a crown with central Buddha image; the hair is pulled up at the top and falls slightly back in an elongated knot; behind is a halo with flames and a band with figures of the Buddha and lotus flowers, in the centre is a large flower; at the back of the lotus flower stand is a Chinese makers mark. 25 kg, 104cm (41"). Private collection, North London; acquired in the early 1980s. The name Avalokiteshvara means the Lord who Looks Down and he is a bodhisattva of the Buddha's compassion. He is widely revered in China, Tibet and Japan and often assumes both male and female form. He possibly has origins in Hinduism as many of his attributes are similar to those of Shiva and Krishna and it is possible that he is an amalgamation of the two under a Buddhist guise. Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A bronze lidded Ding vessel with a round and cylindrical body that rests on four small feet decorated with taotié; two further taotié are at the sides with rings through them to act as handles; the lid is decorated with three fantastical birds in relief, each one having a hole for passing a rope through; the lid and body is profusely decorated with designs possibly representing fighting dragons amongst clouds. 2.9 kg, 23.5cm (9 1/2"). Acquired on the London art market prior to 1980. Ding vessels are cauldrons that stand upon three to four legs and have two handles to either side of the body. They are one of the most important shapes amongst Chinese ritual vessels and were used for the offering of food to the gods or ancestors. Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A convex-section gilt-bronze plaque with grotesque facing mask, scrolled edges, facetted attachment strap below the nose, pierced lug to the reverse; separate gilt-bronze ring handle. 229 grams, 12cm (4 3/4"). Ex McQuinley collection, acquired before 2000. Very fine condition.
17th century AD. A bronze figure of Kwan Yin seated in robes decorated with lotus flowers and pulled up over head; box wood stand with four legs and a traditional openwork design at the apron. 215 grams, 11cm (4 1/4"). Property of a Derbyshire collector; acquired by bequest; acquired Hong Kong, 1930s. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A bronze discoid mirror with one polished face, central pierced animal-mask lug with frieze of Buddha figures and carriages in a landscape, scrolled foliage to the border. 701 grams, 17.5cm (6 3/4"). Private collection, North London; acquired in the early 1980s. Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A bronze rosette mirror with one polished face, raised border and central pierced lug to the reverse, frieze of horsemen chasing dragons, birds and flowers to the border. 734 grams, 18cm (7"). Private collection, North London; acquired in the early 1980s. Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A bronze discoid mirror with one polished face, thick border to the reverse and central pierced lug, frieze of monkeys tendrils and fruit with border of birds, fruit and insects. 1.2 kg, 19cm (7 1/2"). Acquired on the London art market prior to 1980. Fine condition.
Late 19th-20th century AD. A slender iron knife and wooden sheath with bronze fittings, two bone chopsticks to the side; suspension rings on block to the rear, chop seal to the base. 200 grams, 29.5cm (11 1/2"). From an old Munich collection; acquired on the German art market before 2000. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
13th-14th century AD. A bronze chessman seal matrix with hexagonal-section shank, collar and trefoil suspension loop; to the shield-shaped face an intaglio design of a lion(?) couchant with hare above between two branches; with incuse LEOSV inscription ('I am a lion') across the top edge; old inked collector's number 918 to the reverse. 5.81 grams, 18mm (3/4"). From a significant private English collection of seal matrices, formed over the past 35 years. See Bloom, J. Harvey, English Seals, London, 1906, for general information. Fine condition.
14th-15th century AD. A bronze chessman seal matrix with pierced quatrefoil finial, balustered stem, facetted base, intaglio design with bird and foliage with enigmatic legend surrounding '*VISQVIMAVETRENMECREI'. 5.84 grams, 21mm (3/4"). Property of an East London collector. Very fine condition.
14th-15th century AD. A bronze continental chessman seal matrix with hexagonal-section shank, collar and trefoil suspension loop; to the circular face an intaglio design of a balance scale; with incuse [U?Q?]UOTO S AUGUSTIN. black letter inscription for St Augustine. 23.88 grams, 24.94mm diameter (1"). From a significant private English collection of seal matrices, formed over the past 35 years; acquired Libert Damien 'Sceaux Gothiques' sale, 24 September 2008, lot 345. See Libert Damien 'Sceaux Gothiques' sale catalogue, 24 September 2008, lot 345, accompanied by a copy of the entry page. Very fine condition.
14th century AD. A bronze chessman seal matrix with pierced knop finial, hexagonal-section tapering shank; intaglio motif of an eagle and surrounding legend '*PRIVE SV' (I am private"). 5.95 grams, 17mm (3/4"). Found Hampshire, UK. Recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme with reference number HAMP-EA9E04; accompanied by a print out of the PAS report. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
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