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Lot 1304
14th-16th century AD. A Westminster Abbey openwork belt mount of a capital 'E' with fleur-de-lys tracery ornamentation; the inner field gilded; fixings intact on the reverse. 3.63 grams, 26mm (1"). Property of a Harley Street professional; formerly in an important 1930s collection of Christian artefacts. See Mitchner, M. Medieval Pilgrim and Secular Badges, Sanderstead, 1986 p.89. Emblems of this form were used as a pilgrim's badge, an outward display of religious devotion; the 'E' is usually associated with the cult of St. Edward the Confessor, an 11th century Anglo-Saxon royal saint whose remains were housed at Westminster Abbey, London. Very fine condition. [No Reserve]
Lot 1681
14th-15th century AD. A bronze heater shield heraldic mount with red enamel to the edges, three blue enamel diagonal lines; pierced in the corners for attachment. 11.55 grams, 41.57mm (1 1/2"). Property of a gentleman; found Warwick, Warwickshire, UK, 1992. See Hammond, Brett M., Benet's Medieval Artefacts of England & the United Kingdom, Essex, 2015, no.HM-20281 for similar form. Fine condition.
Lot 669
Dated 19th May, 274 AD. A wooden tabula with holes to the long borders, recess to one face with indistinct traces of lettering impressed into the wood from excessive pressure by the stylus, wax fill absent; sulcus to the reverse and handwritten ink text recording the sale of a ten-year-old slave girl; supplied with a detailed academic report (in English), including a full transcription of the Latin text and its English translation: D(omino"). n(ostro"). Aureliano Aug(usto"). II et Kapitolino co(n)s(ulibus"). XIIII kal(endas"). Iun(ias"). (= 19. Mai 274"). (2"). Apertius Florus emit de Masuna Masincthanis filio (3"). habitantem AULUemi Maioris puellam ++MG/AM Aegipti¬ (4"). am Garamantisam qu(a)e nunc vocari coepit Victoria (5"). an(norum"). ‚X‘ denaris triginta unu(m"). milibus EAque (denarios"). XXXI ? (6"). QVERS sunt praetium puellam? S(ummam?"). idem MASUNARIS ab eodem qu(a)e s(upra"). s(criptae"). ? (7"). Apertio Floro accepisse et habere se dixit ++++ t(enebit"). h(abebit"). die IV k(a)lendas IuN(ias). translated as On May 19th, AD 274. Apertius Florus buys from Masuna, son of Masincthanis, the Egyptian-Garamantican girl ++MG/AM who lives at Auluemi Maior, who from now on is called Victoria, 10 years old, for 31 thousand denarii. (..."). Masuna said that he received and has this sum from Apertius Florus. ... He has (the girl?"). on May 29th ..., with accompanying signatures of seven witnesses. 41 grams, 15 x 15cm (6 x 6"). Fine condition. A rare and exceptional legal document, providing a fascinating insight into the functioning of Roman society and its economy. From an important London collection since 1975; acquired by a London dealer 1973; formerly the property of Monsieur Alain Sfez, a Belgian collector; acquired by gift from his father Albert Sfez, 1965; acquired by Albert in the early 1950s; accompanied by a copy of a witnessed ownership statement from Alain Sfez. For examples of wooden tabulae re-used as a writing surfaces, see Thomas, J. D., Vindolanda: The Latin Writing Tablets, Britannia Monograph Series No 4, London, 1983; for examples of testamentary documents on wooden tablets that have survived, see FIRA III, p.47 for Anthony Silvanus from 142 AD and see BGU VII 1695 for Safinnius Herminus; for another from Transfynydd, North Wales, see Arch. Camb. 150, pp.143-156. See Münchner Beiträge zur antiken Papyrologie und Rechtsgeschichte, Leopold Wenger Institute (LMU Munich); forthcoming. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. The contract follows standard Roman legal formulae.
Lot 1032
2nd-4th century AD. A bronze key with an iron shank and wards, modelled as a lion couchant emerging from a calyx, ribbed collar below. 74 grams, 89mm (3 1/2"). Property of a European gentleman living in the UK; formerly in a private collection formed in the 1990s. Cf. Pall, M. Schlüssel und Schlösser, Graz, 2012, item 5658. Fine condition.
Lot 3080
88 AD. Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII CENS PER P P legend with laureate head right. Rev: COS XIIII LVD SAEC FEC legend with Domitian standing left, sacrificing from patera over garlanded altar, two attendants standing right, playing lyre and pan-pipes before him, hexastyle temple in background, with wreath in pediment; SC in exergue. 10.84 grams. RIC 623; Sear (1988"). 910; Cohen 85. Good very fine.
Lot 361
10th-15th century AD. A large chert paddle-shaped hoe, plano-convex in section, polished back from the working edge to the long axis and with blunted side edges; showing wear polish to surfaces; inked accession number '4649' and old collector's label '5668'. 1.3 kg, 33cm (13"). Property of a European collector; formerly from the collection of Prof. RNDr. Jan Jelínek, DrSc., anthropologist, and Director of the Moravian museum, and the president of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM"). for eight years; thence by descent 2004; acquired by Prof. Jelinek in 1961; originally collected in Kansas, USA, in 1880. Professor RNDr. Jan Jelinek, DrSc. Born 26th February 1926 in Brno, Czech Republic, Jan Jelinek studied anthropology at Brno University and graduated from the faculty of Sciences in 1949. After graduation, he spent two years taking special courses in the Medical Faculty and made postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Philosophy at the same institution. Jelinek started his scientific work at the Moravian Museum where he founded the Anthropos Institute, covering several scientific disciplines including the study of man in the Pleistocene environment, physical and cultural anthropology, prehistory and palaeontology. The Institute’s exhibition building, the Anthropos Pavilion, opened in 1962 to accommodate a unique exhibition on the origins and evolution of man. In the same year, Jelinek began to publish the quarterly journal Anthropology, and was its editor for 33 years. He also edited a series of Anthropos monographs containing articles by outstanding Czech and foreign anthropologists. In 1958, Jelinek was appointed director of the Moravian Museum. He launched an extensive reconstruction programme for the museum’s premises. His name is connected with the foundation of the Genetics Department, and of the Department for Research into the Karst Phenomenon. The scientific activities of Jan Jelinek focused mainly on palaeoanthropology, on the study of Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene populations with special emphasis on the physical and cultural evolution of man. The beginnings of his scientific work are connected with the anthropological research of Cézavy, a Hallstatt locality near Blu?ina (Southern Moravia). This work developed into extensive research and studies of other prehistoric periods, including the Old Slavonic period in the Early Middle Ages. Jelinek was in charge of the excavation of the Palaeolithic finds in the Mlade? caves, of the Brno II finds, of Dolni V?stonice III and Staré M?sto. He initiated the research of the Old Pleistocene site on Stránska Skála. The results of this research have made Moravia one of the oldest inhabited territories of Europe. Another research project lasting many years was carried out in the Kûlna cave. Jelinek’s research and studies in prehistoric anthropology and palaeoanthropology have resulted in a large number of publications, including: The Great Picture Atlas of Prehistoric Man, 1975, published in 14 languages; The Great Art of the Early Australians, 1989; Disappearing Sahara, published in Czech, in press; Le Sahara Libyen – l’art le plus ancient, published in French, in press. The total number of publications exceeds 250 titles. His extensive international contacts have enabled Jan Jelinek to undertyake a number of scientific expeditions, including two to Australia (1969, 1973), to the interior of Arnhem Land, stimulated by the study of prehistory, anthropology and ethnography of the Aboriginals, especially the Rembrranga tribe. During these expeditions, he documented a rich anthropological and ethnographical material, bark paintings and other unique finds. Jelinek studied rock art also during his expeditions to Eastern Siberia. In 1977-81 he organised five expeditions to the Sahara Desert and during 1976-85 he was commissioned by UNESCO and the Libyan government to take charge of the construction of the National Museum of Libya. Although primarily a scientific worker, Jan Jelinek was also active as a university lecturer. He read cultural anthropology and museology at Brno University. He later taught palaeoanthropology at the Charles University in Prague and anthropology at the Comenius University in Bratislava. One of Jelinek’s pioneering acts was the foundation of the Department of Museology at the J.E. Purkyn? University in Brno in 1964. It was the first department of museology in Europe. In 1990 Jelinek qualified as an ordinary professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the Masaryk University, Brno. Over the years, Jelinek organised a number of international congresses and held important posts in various scientific societies and organisations: 1962-6 – chairman of the International Section of Regional Museums of the International Council of Museums (ICOM); 1965-71 – President of the Advisory Committee of ICOM; 1971-7 – President of ICOM; 1977 – Honorary Member of ICOM; 1973 – President of the Czechoslovak Anthropological Society; 1980 – Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London; 1981-4 – President of the European Anthropological Association, etc. For his distinguished work in the field of anthropology, he received a number of distinctions: Aleš Hrdli?ka Medal (1963), the State Distinction for Reconstitution Services (1968), Pešina’s Medal (1971), J.E. Purkyn? University Medal (1979). Very fine condition. [No Reserve]
Lot 1708
14th century AD. A chessman type bronze stamp seal matrix with hexagonal shaft and suspension loop; the oval face depicting a rampant leopard with *S'-M-EOHORRIS inscription. 7.22 grams, 22mm (3/4"). Property of an East Anglian professional; acquired on the UK art market in the 1970s-1980s. Hammond, B. Benet's Medieval Artefacts of England & The United Kingdom, Witham, 2015, p.412, item BS-22734. Fine condition.
Lot 2486
18th century AD. A gold posy ring with plain band; to the inside inscribed with Cares stay by when pleasures fly. 1.30 grams, 17.26mm overall, 16.26mm internal diameter (approximate ring size British K 1/2, USA 5 1/2, Europe 11.00, Japan 10"). (3/4"). Ex T. Brown collection, Shropshire, UK; acquired 1981, when recorded by M. R. Stokes of the Rowle House Museum, Shrewsbury, UK. Fine condition.
Lot 3083
66 AD. Lugdunum mint. Obv: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P legend with laureate head right and globe at front of truncation. Rev: Roma seated left on cuirass, foot on helmet, holding Victory and parazonium with shields behind; S - C at sides, ROMA in exergue. 23.51 grams. RIC 268; Sear 1961 variant (bust). Good very fine.
Lot 3280
582-602 AD. Constantinople mint. Obv: DN MAVRIC TIBER PP AVG legend with helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shield. Rev: large M, ANNO to left, cross above, regnal year to right; officina letter delta below and CON mintmark. 17.65 grams. Sear 494, MIB 65d-67d. Near very fine. [No Reserve]
Lot 2047
8th-4th century BC. A gold foil plaque with openwork design of a leaping feline with head regardant, legs and tail extended; edges pierced for attachment. 1.42 grams, 46mm (1 3/4"). From a European collection; formerly in an old Oriental collection; acquired 1960. Cf. Vidale, M. Di Oro e di Spazio: Alla Ricerca delle Relazioni di Produzione nel Mutare delle Oreficerie Scitiche in Bonora, G.L. & Marzatico, F. Ori dei Cavalieri delle Steppe, Milan, 2007, items 1, 9 for type. Very fine condition.
Lot 2530
18th century AD. A silver thimble with the band to the base decorated with tow birds either side of the letters M R engraved, below punched letters IR; band of tri-lobed leaves along the edge; body with series of punched depressions. 2.88 grams, 17mm (3/4"). Found near Upminster, Essex, UK. Fine condition. [No Reserve]
Lot 204
Three dress rings, a yellow metal ring collet set with an oval coral cameo, ring size M, an oval slice of malachite collet set in a closed back setting, shank stamped 9ct, ring size N, a circular cluster with amethyst (1), to centre surrounded by seed pearls (12), ring size O. total gross weight approximately 11.5gms. (3)
Lot 2469
16th century AD. A posy ring with rectangular-section hoop in the form of a buckled belt with looped end tie and chape with double-bowed and pinned buckle, the outer face inscribed '+HOPE * IS * MI HOLDE' in Roman capitals and continuing 'TILL * HAP * SHALL * HELPE' on the internal surface. 2.76 grams, 19.17mm overall, 16.63mm internal diameter (approximate size British M, USA 6 1/4, Europe 12.34, Japan 12"). (3/4"). Found Hursley, Hampshire, UK, 26 August 2012. Supplied with a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. See Portable Antiquities Scheme, reference GLO-244613 and Treasure Act, reference 2009 T135 for a similar example. Recorded with Portable Antiquities Scheme, reference HAMP-62C152, with printout of record; disclaimed under the Treasure Act, reference 2012 T805, with copies of correspondence. The inscription is somewhat enigmatic and does not seem to have been previously recorded for a posy ring; the form of the buckle and the knopped chape are typical of examples seen, often in base metal, from the late Medieval to 16th century AD period. Very fine condition. Rare.
Lot 3417
1820-1830 AD. Obv: profile bust with COLUMBIA legend. Rev: Justice, holding scales and sword. 2.85 grams. Davis -; Bell -; see Kyle, M. H., Numismatica Canada, volume 2, no.7, September 2003, pp.148-156 for information. It has been suggested that these pieces originate in British Columbia, Canada but the frequency in which they are encountered in the UK makes it possible that they are English; there are some thirteen obverse dies and fourteen reverses apparently recorded for the type. Very fine. [No Reserve]
![41-42 AD. Rome mint. Obv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M T[R P ] legend with laureate bust left. Rev: Minerva advancing right, br](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/76849b5f-c114-43d4-9250-a64a012b8ae9/1e531858-af30-44ca-c853-ddde34ead4b0/468x382.jpg)
Lot 438
Dated 1912 AD. A tiered bone needle case comprising a bone sleeve truncated at each end with an inner hide sliding compartment attached to a discoid lid; the hide extending from the narrow end of the bone to secure it; the lid with incised ring and radiating strokes, the sleeve with geometric bands to the upper and lower edges, advancing elk motif and hatched lozenge; inscribed 'C.N.V. 1912'. 35 grams, 24cm (9 1/2"). Property of a European collector; formerly from the collection of Prof. RNDr. Jan Jelínek, DrSc., anthropologist, and Director of the Moravian museum, and the president of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM"). for eight years; thence by descent 2004. Jelinek, Jan, Primitive Hunters p.122 (this piece, with a photocopy of the page). Professor RNDr. Jan Jelinek, DrSc. Born 26th February 1926 in Brno, Czech Republic, Jan Jelinek studied anthropology at Brno University and graduated from the faculty of Sciences in 1949. After graduation, he spent two years taking special courses in the Medical Faculty and made postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Philosophy at the same institution. Jelinek started his scientific work at the Moravian Museum where he founded the Anthropos Institute, covering several scientific disciplines including the study of man in the Pleistocene environment, physical and cultural anthropology, prehistory and palaeontology. The Institute’s exhibition building, the Anthropos Pavilion, opened in 1962 to accommodate a unique exhibition on the origins and evolution of man. In the same year, Jelinek began to publish the quarterly journal Anthropology, and was its editor for 33 years. He also edited a series of Anthropos monographs containing articles by outstanding Czech and foreign anthropologists. In 1958, Jelinek was appointed director of the Moravian Museum. He launched an extensive reconstruction programme for the museum’s premises. His name is connected with the foundation of the Genetics Department, and of the Department for Research into the Karst Phenomenon. The scientific activities of Jan Jelinek focused mainly on palaeoanthropology, on the study of Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene populations with special emphasis on the physical and cultural evolution of man. The beginnings of his scientific work are connected with the anthropological research of Cézavy, a Hallstatt locality near Blu?ina (Southern Moravia). This work developed into extensive research and studies of other prehistoric periods, including the Old Slavonic period in the Early Middle Ages. Jelinek was in charge of the excavation of the Palaeolithic finds in the Mlade? caves, of the Brno II finds, of Dolni V?stonice III and Staré M?sto. He initiated the research of the Old Pleistocene site on Stránska Skála. The results of this research have made Moravia one of the oldest inhabited territories of Europe. Another research project lasting many years was carried out in the Kûlna cave. Jelinek’s research and studies in prehistoric anthropology and palaeoanthropology have resulted in a large number of publications, including: The Great Picture Atlas of Prehistoric Man, 1975, published in 14 languages; The Great Art of the Early Australians, 1989; Disappearing Sahara, published in Czech, in press; Le Sahara Libyen – l’art le plus ancient, published in French, in press. The total number of publications exceeds 250 titles. His extensive international contacts have enabled Jan Jelinek to undertake a number of scientific expeditions, including two to Australia (1969, 1973), to the interior of Arnhem Land, stimulated by the study of prehistory, anthropology and ethnography of the Aboriginals, especially the Rembrranga tribe. During these expeditions, he documented a rich anthropological and ethnographical material, bark paintings and other unique finds. Jelinek studied rock art also during his expeditions to Eastern Siberia. In 1977-81 he organised five expeditions to the Sahara Desert and during 1976-85 he was commissioned by UNESCO and the Libyan government to take charge of the construction of the National Museum of Libya. Although primarily a scientific worker, Jan Jelinek was also active as a university lecturer. He read cultural anthropology and museology at Brno University. He later taught palaeoanthropology at the Charles University in Prague and anthropology at the Comenius University in Bratislava. One of Jelinek’s pioneering acts was the foundation of the Department of Museology at the J.E. Purkyn? University in Brno in 1964. It was the first department of museology in Europe. In 1990 Jelinek qualified as an ordinary professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the Masaryk University, Brno. Over the years, Jelinek organised a number of international congresses and held important posts in various scientific societies and organisations: 1962-6 – chairman of the International Section of Regional Museums of the International Council of Museums (ICOM); 1965-71 – President of the Advisory Committee of ICOM; 1971-7 – President of ICOM; 1977 – Honorary Member of ICOM; 1973 – President of the Czechoslovak Anthropological Society; 1980 – Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London; 1981-4 – President of the European Anthropological Association, etc. For his distinguished work in the field of anthropology, he received a number of distinctions: Aleš Hrdli?ka Medal (1963), the State Distinction for Reconstitution Services (1968), Pešina’s Medal (1971), J.E. Purkyn? University Medal (1979). Fine condition. [No Reserve]
![1st-3rd century AD.
A group of three bronze diploma fragments comprising: one subtriangular with '[.]IEN / [.] XX'; one simil](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/76849b5f-c114-43d4-9250-a64a012b8ae9/f7821db9-abce-4dce-bb74-f74938e9664a/468x382.jpg)
Lot 753
1st-3rd century AD. A group of three bronze diploma fragments comprising: one subtriangular with '[.]IEN / [.] XX'; one similar with 'VI[.] / M[.] / ALP[.] / R[.] / CEM[.]' to one face and numerals(?"). to the reverse; one rectangular with 'SIET[...]IAS M[.] / I[...]VAA[.] / I [...] / ALAI I ASTVR[.] / INARIVS P EA[...] / EXS[...] / TINNIAE SOLONNI[...] / ET TINNIAE / ET THADEIO / SALONIA'. 56 grams total, 4-10cm (1 3/4 - 4"). Fine condition. [3] Property of a private collector; acquired before 1975.
Lot 3109
217-218 AD. Rome mint. Obv: M OPEL ANTONINVS DIADVMENIANVS CAES legend with bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: SPES PVBLICA legend, S-C across fields, Spes walking left, holding flower and raising hem of robe. 20.59 grams. RIC 219; Cohen 23; Sear 7454. See Wildwinds.com (this coin). Near extremely fine. Scarce.
Lot 1677
14th-15th century AD. A circular gilt harness pendant with raised pelletted orb at centre and Lombardic '+IE SVI NE DRVRIE' relief inscription around for 'I am a Love Token'; with suspension loop. 7.18 grams, 30mm (1 1/4"). From an old North Country collection; found near Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK, 1984. Cf. Hammond, Brett M., Benet's Medieval Artefacts of England & the United Kingdom, Essex, 2015, no.HP-T0110 for a similar form. Very fine condition, loop restored.
Lot 2496
17th century AD. A D-section hoop with moulded skull and rosette shoulders with black enamel detailing supporting a knopped quatrefoil bezel depicting a three-quarter facing skull in white and black enamel against a black field with a circular surround showing the Roman capital 'BEHOLD THE ENDE' inscription inlaid in black enamel; the outline of the quatrefoil and cross detailing to the knops also inlaid. 6.89 grams, 23.36mm overall, 20.06mm internal diameter (approximate size British U, USA 10¼, Europe 22.75, Japan 21"). (1"). Property of a Surrey lady; acquired by her grandfather in the late 1970s as part of a small collection acquired from Cheshire. Supplied with a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. Cf. Dalton, O. M., Franks Bequest: Catalogue of the Finger Rings, British Museum, London, 1912, no.1450 for a similar example. Very fine condition; slight loss of enamel. Very rare.
Lot 1635
12th-13th century AD. A gilt circular harness pendant depicting a crouching dragon with fleur-ended tail in high relief with an inverted fleur below and pelleted background; with suspension loop. 5.97 grams, 27mm (1"). From an old North Country collection; Norfolk, UK, 1995. See Hammond, Brett M., Benet's Medieval Artefacts of England & the United Kingdom, Essex, 2015, no.HP-T0110 for similar form. Very fine condition.
Lot 1034
2nd-4th century AD. A mixed group of bronze keys comprising: three with cranked wards attached to a broad ring, upright teeth; one with annular bow, ribbed collars to a flat-section shank, cranked wards; one similar with integral bow and broad shank. 77 grams total, 29-55mm (1 1/4 - 2 1/4"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired before 1995. See Pall, M. Schlüssel und Schlösser, Graz, 2012, p.16-19. Fine condition. [5]
Lot 3123
402-403 AD. Milan mint. Obv: DN ARCADIVS P F AVG legend with diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: VICTORIA AVGGG legend with emperor standing, holding standard and Victory on globe, left foot on captive; M - D at sides, COM OB in exergue. 4.37 grams. RIC IX 1205; DOC 265-267; Sear 20724. Good very fine.
Lot 739
2nd-3rd century AD. A gold ring with rope pattern shank, bezel set with red glass intaglio engraved with double headed Capricorn. 1.81 grams, 17.52mm overall, 16.81mm internal diameter (approximate ring size British M, USA 6 1/4, Europe 12.56, Japan 12"). (3/4"). Fine condition. From an important London collection, acquired in the 1990s.
Lot 3220
113 AD. Rome mint. Obv: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P F legend with laureate head right. Rev: S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI legend with Annona standing, holding corn ears and cornucopia with child standing to left; ALIM ITAL in exergue. 3.08 grams. RIC 243; RSC 9; Sear 3117. Good very fine.
Lot 3075
71 AD. Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAES VESPAS AVG P M TR P P P COS III legend with laureate head right. Rev: SALVS AVGVSTA legend with Salus seated left, holding patera and sceptre; SC in exergue. 24.94 grams. RIC 245; BMCRE 574-575; Paris 533; Sear 2334 variant (consular year). Near extremely fine.
Lot 2474
16th-17th century AD. A flat-section gold hoop with inscription to the inner face in seriffed capitals '*I*LYKE*MY* CHOIS*'. 6.07 grams, 20mm overall, 16.94mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.16, Japan 12"). (3/4"). Property of an Essex collector, by inheritance 2013; previously acquired 1982. Very fine condition.
Lot 2514
Published 1919 AD. London, J. M. Dent & Sons; first edition, comprising: a large stiff portfolio (fabric ties damaged, flaps with some tearing at hinges"). with printed title and details; a printed label on inside of front board confirming this set is number fifty-four of five hundred 'first proofs' and signed by the artist, containing twenty-four fine colour plates mounted on card backing with printed border, titled respectively 'Yellowhammer', 'Goldfinch and Blue Tit', 'Herring Gull', 'Heron', 'Woodpigeon', 'Golden Plover', 'Black Leghorn Chick', 'Green Woodpecker', 'Chaffinch', 'Bullfinch', 'Moorhen', 'Barn Owl', 'Wren', 'Nightingale', 'Lapwing', 'Jay', 'Songthrush and Long-Tailed Tit', 'Skylark', 'Hare and Rabbit', 'Squirrel', 'Dormouse', 'Hedgehogs', 'Edible Crab and Smelts' and 'Lobster', each from life in a detailed natural setting, with a tissue guard bearing the title of each picture printed in brown; the colour plate areas 23.5 x 37cm (14 3/4 x 9.6). 3.10 kg, portfolio 40 x 53cm (15 3/4 x 21"). Property of a Kent collector; by inheritance. Edward Julius Detmold (1883-1957), with his twin brother Charle Maurice Detmold (1883-1908), was a prolific Victorian artist and book illustrator; he exhibited at the Fine Art Society in 1900 and his work was used in many famous editions, including Kipling's The Jungle Book and Aesop's Fables; it is rare to find a complete set of all twenty-four plates still in the original publishers portfolio, as issued, with many sets having been broken up and framed to hang (a similar full set is presently on offer for a retail price of £3,900"). Fine condition; outer surfaces of portfolio lightly soiled; mount edges lightly browned; rare. [No Reserve]
Lot 3229
221 AD. Rome mint. Obv: IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG legend with laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: PM TRP IIII COS III PP legend around, S-C across fields with emperor standing left by altar, holding patera and cypress branch resembling a club; star in upper left field. 11.82 grams. RIC 325; Sear 7611. See Wildwinds.com (this coin). Good very fine.
Lot 1584
11th century AD. An iron prick spur comprising the round-section U-shaped shank with two square strap plates and a tubular pricket with tapering spike; the outer faces ornamented with bands of inlaid silver studs. 62 grams, 13cm (5"). From an old Munich collection; acquired on the German art market before 2000. Cf. Wheeler, M. London Museum Medieval Catalogue, reprinted Ipswich, 1993, fig 28(2). Fair condition. [No Reserve]
Lot 262
Published 1973, 1980, 1990 and 1994 AD. Group comprising: Friedrich, The Frederick M. Watkins Collection, Fogg Art Museum, 1973; Christie's, The Castle Ashby Vases, auction catalogue, 1980; various, Euphronios Peintre a Athenese au VI siecle avant J-C, Louvre, 1990 and Manzelli, La Policromia Nella Statuaria Greca Arcaica, Studia Archaeologica 69, 1994. 3.93 kg total, largest 28x22cm (11 x 8 3/4"). Property of a Hertfordshire, UK collector. Fine condition. [4, No Reserve]
Lot 1697
14th-15th century AD. Group comprising: a cast lozenge-shaped harness pendant depicting a unicorn passant facing left in white enamel; a cast two-part gilt harness pendant with moulded quadrilobe pendant suspended within quatrefoil frame; both with suspension loop. 13.47 grams total, 37mm and 32mm (1 1/2 and 1 1/4"). Found Hampshire, UK. See Hammond, Brett M., Benet's Medieval Artefacts of England & the United Kingdom, Essex, 2015, no.HP-40592 for a very similar example of the first listed; see Clark, John, The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, Museum of London, 2004, pp.61-71 for information. Fine condition. [2, No Reserve]
Lot 790
1st-4th century AD. A stone plaque with arched top and flat base; in the centre a wreath enclosing the image of Mithras wearing Phrygian cap, cloak billowing behind, kneeling on the back of a bull and plunging a dagger into its neck; to either side of Mithras' head the bust of Sol and Luna; to the left hand side of Mithras is Cautes holding a torch up, and to his right is Cautopates holding a torch down; below the bull a snake and scorpion, at the neck of the bull a dog; around the wreath a number of scenes relating to the myth of Mithras; traces of pigment. 6.24 kg, 25.5 x 30cm (9 3/4 x 12"). Property of a Finchley, London, UK gentleman; acquired from a sale in Denham, Oxfordshire, UK, in 2014. Cf. Clauss, M. The Roman Cult of Mithras: The God and his Mysteries, London, 2001. Mithras had his origins in ancient Persia and was adopted by the Romans who developed a mystery cult around him based on salvation and the revealing of secrets. The cult was only open to men and was extremely popular with soldiers, with the majority of his shrines being associated with military sites, such as along Hadrians Wall. Worshippers of Mithras had a complex system of seven grades of initiation through which the initiates moved. Initiates called themselves syndexioi, those united by the handshake which is based on the pact between Mithras and Sol. They met in underground temples, called Mithraea, which survive in large numbers; these were small buildings that imitated the cave in which Mithras slew the cosmic bull and where the members celebrated the rites of the god and shared a sacred communal meal. The majority of the information that we have about Mithraism comes from the reliefs, and other images, that have been found in the shrines. In every Mithraeum the centrepiece was a representation of Mithras killing a sacred cosmic bull, called the tauroctony, that was housed in a screen at the apse of the shrine; the tauroctony scene could also have other narrative images relating to the myth of the god. Mithras is shown wearing Persian clothes, such as a baggy tunic and trousers and wearing a Phrygian cap, and kneeling on the exhausted bull, holding it by the nostrils with his left hand, and stabbing it with his right. As he does so, he looks over his shoulder towards the figure of Sol. A dog and a snake reach up towards the blood that pours from the neck; a scorpion seizes the bull's genitals. A raven, the messenger of Sol, is flying around, or is sitting, on the bull. Three ears of wheat are seen coming out from the bull's tail, sometimes from the wound. The god is sitting on the bull in an unnatural way with his right leg constraining the bull's hoof and the left leg is bent and resting on the bull's back or flank. The two torch-bearers are on either side, dressed like Mithras, Cautes with his torch pointing up and Cautopates with his torch pointing down. The event takes place in a cavern, into which Mithras has carried the bull, after having hunted it, ridden it and overwhelmed its strength. Sometimes the cavern is surrounded by a circle, on which the twelve signs of the zodiac appear. Outside the cavern, top left, is Sol the sun, with his flaming crown, often driving a quadriga or depicted as a bust. A ray of light often reaches down to touch Mithras. At the top right is Luna, with her crescent moon, who may be depicted driving a biga, or again, as a bust. In some depictions, the central tauroctony is framed by a series of subsidiary scenes to the left, top and right, illustrating events in the Mithras narrative; Mithras being born from the rock, the water miracle, the hunting and riding of the bull, meeting Sol who kneels to him, shaking hands with Sol and sharing a meal with him, and ascending to the heavens in a chariot. The interpretation of the images is problematical due to the secrecy of the cult and the lack of literature relating to it. The slaying of the cosmic bull clearly has a beneficial role for mankind due to the life giving blood that is shed and the ears of corn that grow from the bull's tail. Some reliefs have been found with the paint surviving and show the inside of the cloak of Mithras decorated with stars, such as that from Marino, Italy . This, and the presence of the encircling zodiac signs, has been interpreted as relating to specific points in the year that were celebrated as key festivals and were depicted in a cryptic manner. Another theory is that the Mithraic mysteries began in the Graeco-Roman world as a religious response to the discovery by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of the astronomical phenomenon of the precession of the equinoxes – a discovery that the entire cosmos was moving in a hitherto unknown way and interpreted as the existence of a powerful new god capable of shifting the cosmic spheres and thereby controlling the universe. Fine condition. Rare.
Lot 330
Palaeolithic, 1.9 million - 70,000 years BP. A large bifacial quartzite piriform hand-axe showing wind-erosion to the surfaces. 2.1 kg, 25cm (9 3/4"). Property of a European collector; formerly from the collection of Prof. RNDr. Jan Jelínek, DrSc., anthropologist, and Director of the Moravian museum, and the president of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM"). for eight years; thence by descent 2004; acquired by Prof. Jelinek during the UNESCO - ICOM expedition in the Sahara Desert at Djebel ben Arive, Lybia in 1984 (The expedition collected anthropology, archaeology and ethnography material for the National Museum in Tripolis). Professor RNDr. Jan Jelinek, DrSc. Born 26th February 1926 in Brno, Czech Republic, Jan Jelinek studied anthropology at Brno University and graduated from the faculty of Sciences in 1949. After graduation, he spent two years taking special courses in the Medical Faculty and made postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Philosophy at the same institution. Jelinek started his scientific work at the Moravian Museum where he founded the Anthropos Institute, covering several scientific disciplines including the study of man in the Pleistocene environment, physical and cultural anthropology, prehistory and palaeontology. The Institute’s exhibition building, the Anthropos Pavilion, opened in 1962 to accommodate a unique exhibition on the origins and evolution of man. In the same year, Jelinek began to publish the quarterly journal Anthropology, and was its editor for 33 years. He also edited a series of Anthropos monographs containing articles by outstanding Czech and foreign anthropologists. In 1958, Jelinek was appointed director of the Moravian Museum. He launched an extensive reconstruction programme for the museum’s premises. His name is connected with the foundation of the Genetics Department, and of the Department for Research into the Karst Phenomenon. The scientific activities of Jan Jelinek focused mainly on palaeoanthropology, on the study of Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene populations with special emphasis on the physical and cultural evolution of man. The beginnings of his scientific work are connected with the anthropological research of Cézavy, a Hallstatt locality near Blu?ina (Southern Moravia). This work developed into extensive research and studies of other prehistoric periods, including the Old Slavonic period in the Early Middle Ages. Jelinek was in charge of the excavation of the Palaeolithic finds in the Mlade? caves, of the Brno II finds, of Dolni V?stonice III and Staré M?sto. He initiated the research of the Old Pleistocene site on Stránska Skála. The results of this research have made Moravia one of the oldest inhabited territories of Europe. Another research project lasting many years was carried out in the Kûlna cave. Jelinek’s research and studies in prehistoric anthropology and palaeoanthropology have resulted in a large number of publications, including: The Great Picture Atlas of Prehistoric Man, 1975, published in 14 languages; The Great Art of the Early Australians, 1989; Disappearing Sahara, published in Czech, in press; Le Sahara Libyen – l’art le plus ancient, published in French, in press. The total number of publications exceeds 250 titles. His extensive international contacts have enabled Jan Jelinek to undertyake a number of scientific expeditions, including two to Australia (1969, 1973), to the interior of Arnhem Land, stimulated by the study of prehistory, anthropology and ethnography of the Aboriginals, especially the Rembrranga tribe. During these expeditions, he documented a rich anthropological and ethnographical material, bark paintings and other unique finds. Jelinek studied rock art also during his expeditions to Eastern Siberia. In 1977-81 he organised five expeditions to the Sahara Desert and during 1976-85 he was commissioned by UNESCO and the Libyan government to take charge of the construction of the National Museum of Libya. Although primarily a scientific worker, Jan Jelinek was also active as a university lecturer. He read cultural anthropology and museology at Brno University. He later taught palaeoanthropology at the Charles University in Prague and anthropology at the Comenius University in Bratislava. One of Jelinek’s pioneering acts was the foundation of the Department of Museology at the J.E. Purkyn? University in Brno in 1964. It was the first department of museology in Europe. In 1990 Jelinek qualified as an ordinary professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the Masaryk University, Brno. Over the years, Jelinek organised a number of international congresses and held important posts in various scientific societies and organisations: 1962-6 – chairman of the International Section of Regional Museums of the International Council of Museums (ICOM); 1965-71 – President of the Advisory Committee of ICOM; 1971-7 – President of ICOM; 1977 – Honorary Member of ICOM; 1973 – President of the Czechoslovak Anthropological Society; 1980 – Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London; 1981-4 – President of the European Anthropological Association, etc. For his distinguished work in the field of anthropology, he received a number of distinctions: Aleš Hrdli?ka Medal (1963), the State Distinction for Reconstitution Services (1968), Pešina’s Medal (1971), J.E. Purkyn? University Medal (1979). Very fine condition. [No Reserve]
Lot 1612
13th-14th century AD. A cusped D-section gold hoop with expanding shoulders, octagonal bezel with stepped sides, inset turquoise cabochon. 2.52 grams, 24mm overall, 16.89mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12"). (1"). Property of a European gentleman living in the UK; formerly in a private collection formed in the 1990s. Cf. Hindman. S. et al. Toward an Art History of Medieval Rings: A Private Collection, London, 2007, item 20. Very fine condition.
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