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Click here to subscribe14th-10th century BC. A cast bronze macehead with tubular socket, ribbed collars, rows of protruding bulbs and meander fillets to the upper end. Cf. Khorasani, M.M. Arms and Armour from Iran - The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, p.648, Cat.322.406 grams, 18 cm (7"). Property of an American collector; previously from an old Munich collection; acquired on the German art market before 2000. Fine condition. Rare.
17th century AD. Group comprising halfpennies: Suffolk, Woodbridge, Henry Stebbing, Grocer, dated 1667; Yorkshire, Hull, Richard Barnes, grocer, dated 1669, heart-shaped; with a Scotland, Charles I, twopence. Williamson/Dickinson, Suffolk, 361/Williamson/Dickinson, Yorkshire, 133/S. 5602.3.56 grams total.Found Nottinghamshire, UK, 1990s-2000s.[3, No Reserve] Fair to fine. Second rare.
6th-8th century AD. A restrung necklace of hollow-formed gold melon beads and black glass annular beads with interlocking teeth, tubular glass upper sections, black glass melon beads, amphora-shaped hollow gold dangle, modern clasp. 35 grams, 61cm (24"). Property of a gentleman; acquired in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Fine condition. Very Rare.
8th-10th century AD A pair of sheet gold discoid pendants, each with two suspension loops, openwork panel to the obverse with polychrome enamelled tree and peacock motifs. 11 grams total, 32-38mm (1 1/4 - 1 1/2"). [2] Fair condition, one partly absent. Excessively rare. From an old European collection; acquired 1980-1990. A number of symbols were used in Byzantine Christian art to convey the teachings of Christ. The tree symbolised the Tree of Life as mentioned in Genesis 2:9, 'And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.' In the Eastern Orthodox Church the tree of life in Genesis is seen a prefiguration of the Cross, which humanity could not partake of until after the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus. Early Christians adopted the symbol of the peacock to represent immortality. This came from an ancient legend that the flesh of the peacock did not decay. It is also associated with the resurrection of Christ because it sheds it old feathers every year and grows, newer, brighter ones each year. In addition the multitude of 'eyes' upon its stunningly beautiful fan tail, suggested the all seeing eye of God.
Late Period, 664-332 BC. A lapis lazuli scarab with detailing to the carapace and legs to the underside; to the front the head of a hawk wearing a tripartite wig; suspension loop to the centre underside. See Andrews, C. Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, p. 59.1.46 grams, 14mm (0.55"). From an early 20th century collection. Very fine condition. Rare.
8th century AD. A wooden coffin base formed from a split oak -tree trunk with hollowed-out cavity to accept the human remains. Supplied with a copy of the Historic England press release and site plan. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: These rare and exceptional well-preserved graves are a significant discovery which will advance our understanding of Middle-Saxon religious beliefs and rural communities. See: Great Ryburgh: ??A remarkable Anglo-Saxon cemetery revealed, Current Archaeology: https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/great-ryburgh-%EF%BB%BF%EF%BB%BFa-remarkable-anglo-saxon-cemetery-revealed.htm; also see: Great Ryburgh dig finds 81 'rare' Anglo-Saxon coffins, BBC news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-37940012; and see Exceptional Survival of Rare Anglo-Saxon Coffins, Histric England: https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/survival-of-rare-anglo-saxon-coffins. 80+ kg, 1.66x0.43m (65 1/4 x 17"). Found Great Ryburgh Monastic burial site in 2016. Only one similar item is known to exist in public or private collections anywhere in the world - the example in Norwich Castle Museum, Norfolk, England; accompanied by a copy of the initial 63 page Archaeology (MOLA) works report. In November 2016, while preparing for construction of a conservation and fishing site at Great Rybergh in Norfolk as part of the flood defence system for the area, workmen discovered a quantity of waterlogged wooden remains. Archaeologists from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) were called in to perform controlled excavation and assessment of the items, which proved to be part of a 7th-9th century cemetery, the existence of which was previously unknown. The wooden remains included a number of oak coffins, each a tree trunk split to provide the lid and base, hollowed out to accept the body. Such coffins have never before been found in England in an Anglo-Saxon content, although their use has long been theorised and some antiquarian digs of the 19th century mention similar objects. The find proves that the tradition of dug-out coffins, which dates back to the Bronze Age in northern Europe, continued in use into the early Christian period. The site also held six plank-lined graves with remarkably good preservation of the timber. This construction method was previously deduced from finds at other Anglo-Saxon sites but had never before been sufficiently well-preserved for excavation to be possible. The coffins were buried on an east-west alignment and contained no surviving grave-goods, both strong indications of Christian practice. The fact that such burials took place in what was, even in the 7th century, a rural community indicates that the approved traditions of the church had permeated into the daily life of Anglo-Saxon society. Dendrochronology has indicated a date-range of 7th-9th century for the oak coffins, the trees having begun to grow in the 5th century and being around 300 years old at the time of felling. The 7th-8th centuries were a period of immense social change as small tribal groups coalesced into the kingdom of East Anglia, while Christianity established itself across East Anglian society and new religious buildings (the minster churches) sprang up as foci of spiritual and secular authority. The coffins are unique survivals from this period of social and religious change. Fine condition.
9th-11th century AD. A silver bracelet with hinge and pin closure, beaded rims, with granule detailing, panels of rhythmic interlace within a beaded border. 81 grams, 66mm (2 1/2"). From a European collection; previously in a large American collection formed in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1995; previously in the Mansees collection; formed 1950s-early 1990s. Fine condition. Rare.
9th-11th century AD. A silver pendant of a spear with balustered shaft, midrib to the leaf-shaped blade, ribbed loop. 4.74 grams, 52mm (2"). From the family collection of a London gentleman; formed in the late 1940s-1950s; thence by descent. Gungnir 'shaker' is the name of the spear used by the god Oðinn (Odin"). In the Poetic Edda, it is said to have been forged by the dwarves and to have passed to Loki, who gave it to Odin. Very fine condition. Rare.
9th-12th century AD. A silver pendant with pierced lug, flat shank with stamped crescent detailing, T-shaped finial ending in wolf-heads with open mouths. 5.04 grams, 35mm (1 1/4"). Property of a lady living in Kent, UK; formerly part of her grandfather's collection; acquired in Germany after WWII; thence by descent 2006. The animals depicted may refer to Hati and Skol, the two cosmic wolves which pursue the sun and moon across the sky. Very fine condition. Rare.
6th century AD. A sheet gold repoussé pendant with integral ribbed loop, pelletted border, interlaced three-band plait, central boss with radiating billets. Cf. Pollington, S., Kerr, L. & Hammond, B. Wayland's Work: Anglo-Saxon Art, Myth & Material Culture from the 4th to 7th century, Ely, 2010, item 8.59 for type.2.85 grams, 36mm (1 1/2"). From the Johnson collection, Hertfordshire, UK; acquired in continental Europe in the early 1980s. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Extremely fine condition. Very rare.
12th-13th century AD. Malcolm Jones, Sheffield University, Dept. English Language & Linguistics, Senior Lecturer 1994-2009 and advisor to the British Museum and Portable Antiquities Scheme, says: An important 'Hanseatic' bowl, closely related to similar examples in the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum, New York; the central figure, though unlabelled, and seemingly a male head, is perhaps intended as Superbia [Pride] – as on both the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museum bowls, here it is surrounded by three fellow Vices, named as IDOLATRIA [Idolatry], a female head; INVIDIA [Envy] and IRA [Wrath], both male heads (The Cleveland bowl adds a fourth head, LUXURIA [Lust]), here within the central medallion, around the top, is inscribed SUPBERIA [sic], and on a band around the central medallion HAC RADICE MALA NACITUR OMNE MALUM (Pride is the root from which all the other Vices are born), within each oval around the central medallion, flanking the figure [of Superbia] are five Vices named as IDOLATRIA, INVIDIA, IRA, LUXURIA, and LIBIDO, around the outer border the Vices are anatomised into the following triads: MALICIA, VANA, GLORIA; EBRIETAS, CRAPULA, FRAUS; EMULATIO, CONTENTO, AMBICIO; SUSPICIO, CONTENTO, AMBICIO; and COGITATO, PICRICIA VANA, GLORIA DESPERATIO. See Weitzmann-Fiedler, J. Romanische gravierte Bronzeschalen, Berlin, 1981, a corpus of all known such bowls at that date; more recently, Cohen, Adam S & Safran, Linda Learning from Romanesque bronze bowls in Word and Image 22 (2006), 211-8 (proposing a pedagogical function for these bowls); also see similar sold Herman Historica, Germany, Auction 74aw, Thursday, 27 April 2017, lot 2117, sold for 37,000 euros; accompanied by a print out of the auction listing and images of other similar bowls known.445 grams, 26cm (10 1/4"). From the family collection of a London gentleman; formed in the late 1940s-1950s; thence by descent. Accompanied by a report of metallurgic analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr. Brian Gilmour of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford. So-called Hanseatic bowls are a group of bronze vessels with Romanesque ornament, primarily associated with ports in the Hanseatic league and with marine archaeological sites. They are often mentioned in medieval documents, where they are referred to as bacina, pelves, or pelvicula. The majority of these bowls—which date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries—have been found in the cultural area that extends from the Baltic down to the Lower Rhine district and across to England. Because this area was once dominated by the Hanseatic League (a commercial association of free towns), the basins are known as Hanseatic bowls, though the putative link to the Hanseatic league is no longer considered correct but the name is retained for convenience. They are round, some being more convex than others; and the inside is engraved with scenes from classical mythology, with themes from the Old and New Testaments and the legends of the saints, or with allegorical figures personifying the virtues and the vices, the liberal arts, the seasons, and so on. Hanseatic bowls were probably made in the bronze-casting centres where candlesticks and aquamaniles (and indeed all medieval cast bronze) were made: in the Meuse district and Lorraine, in Lower Saxony and the Harz Mountains, and also in England. The decoration on these bowls may have been added elsewhere. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Very fine condition. Extremely rare, most examples in museums.
13th century AD. A bronze figure of Christ crucified with four nail holes, the reverse hollowed out; crowned head bowed to one side and arms horizontally outstretched, crown engraved with detail, eyes inlaid with blue enamel; legs held parallel with the knees bent and the feet resting on a suppedaneum; vertical folds of the knee-length perizonium decorated with enamel inlays; mounted on a custom-made mount. For a similar example see Musée Municipal de l'Evêché, Limoges, accession number 96.538.399 grams total, 30.5cm including mount (12"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired before 1995. From the twelfth century to fourteenth century there was a large industry producing metal objects decorated in enamel using the champlevé technique, of which most of the survivals and probably most of the original production, are religious objects such as reliquaries. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Very fine condition. Rare and important.
12th century AD. A bronze harness pendant, discoid with beast-head suspension lug above, two D-shaped lugs below supporting a hinge; the centre an openwork advancing Romanesque dragon with raised forelegs, coiled tail, central circular hole. See Clark, J. (ed.) The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, London, 2004 for discussion.56 grams, 66mm (2 3/4"). Ex Potts collection; found Renfrew, Scotland, 2017; accompanied by T.T.U. disclaimed documentation. Fine condition. Extremely rare.
14th-15th century AD. A bronze tripod candlestick comprising a domed triangular base with claw feet, openwork body formed as three pairs of griffins biting a surrounding band with incised borders; each griffin with billeted neck and leg, teardrop wing with feather detailing, arched back and facing D-shaped head with lentoid eyes, pricked ears, T-shaped muzzle; fleur-de-lys scroll between each pair of legs; with 15th century replacement stem and hexagonal-section socket. Cf. Zarnecki, G., Holt, J. & Holland, T. English Romanesque Art 1066-1200, London, 1984, item 249 for type. For a similar candlestick see The British Museum, accession number 1878,1101.90.451 grams, 14.5cm (5 3/4"). From the private collection of a German gentleman; formerly in a private collection; acquired prior to 2005. Fine condition, one leg cracked. Extremely rare.
Mid 16th century AD. A very large silver-gilt octagonal-section ring with flared shoulders, hollow bezel with pellet border and waisted shield with crossed stave and scythe; below a later stamped 'broad arrow' and diagonal slash and three vertical lines above the shield, possibly an abraded 'VIII' (for King Henry VIII ?"). Cf. Oman, C.C. British Rings 800-1914, London, 1974, plate 52(E).28 grams, 33mm overall, 23.12mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z+3, USA 13 3/4, Europe 32.57, Japan 31) (1 1/4"). Property of a UK gentleman; acquired from a London gallery in the late 1980s; formerly from a private European collection, formed in the 1960s and 1970s. The shield with rounded base and waisted sides appears first in the Tudor period and is found, for example, on the arms of Anne Boleyn (1533-6"). This ring was made for a merchant and bears his arms, with the later addition of the 'King's Broad Arrow' stamp which may indicate that the merchant was associated with the Office of Ordnance, created by King Henry VIII in 1597, and tasked with organising the supply of guns, ammunition, stores and equipment to the King's Navy. The Office and Board used the 'broad arrow' to signify objects purchased from the monarch's purse; only later (from the 17th century) was its use extended to include government property. Very fine condition. A very large wearable glove ring. Rare.
11th-12th century AD A gold cruciform pendant with gusset to the loop, nimbate bust and text to the discoid finial of each arm, central pelletted cross, 'IC XC' legend to the reverse. 10 grams, 41mm (1 3/4"). Very fine condition. Rare. Property of a London gentleman; acquired by his father in the 1970s; thence by descent.
9th-12th century AD. A bronze model tower oil lamp cover, square in plan with bands of repoussé roundels to the base, rectangular windows below an arcade with roundels; mounted on a custom-made stand. 288 grams, 12cm including stand (4 3/4"). Property of a UK gentleman; formerly in an old German collection; acquired in the 1980s. Accompanied by X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate number 00671-2016BL. Fair condition. Very rare.
A sawn, polished, and etched section of the Muonionalusta meteorite, characterised by an unusually large (c.35mm) chromite crystal in section, in addition to well-developed Widmanstatten crystallization patterns. See Graham, A.L., Bevan, A.W.R. & Hutchison, R. Catalogue of Meteorites, London, 1985, p.249.490 grams, 20.5cm (8"). From the family collection of a London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK meteorite market; found northern Scandinavia. The Muonionalusta is a meteorite classified as fine octahedrite type IVA (Of) which impacted in northern Scandinavia, west of the border between Sweden and Finland, about one million years BC. The first fragment of the Muonionalusta was found in 1906 near the village of Kitkiöjärvi. Around forty pieces have been recorded to date. Other fragments have been found in the Pajala district of Norrbotten County, approximately 140 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The Muonionalusta is probably the oldest known meteorite being 4.5653 billion years old. Extremely fine condition. Excessively rare.
A polished slice from the Bison, Kansas meteorite, classed as an olivine-hypersthene chondrite, amphoterite (LL6"). See: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=506121 grams, 61mm (2 1/2"). From the family collection of a London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK meteorite market. The Bison, Kansas, meteorite was found in 1958 near Bison, Rush County, Kansas, USA. It was found as a single mass about 6.8 km N. of Bison, recorded variously as 3 or 11 kilograms. Extremely fine condition. Rare.
6th-4th century BC. A sheet silver mount with repoussé ornament comprising: outer ring of leaves and pellets encircling a parcel gilt mane with fur detailing, central lion's mask with open mouth and exposed fangs; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 727 grams, 21 x 23.5cm including stand (8 1/4 x 9 1/4"). Property of a London gentleman; part of a family collection since the 1970s; accompanied by an original French Archaeological Passport number 173927. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Fine condition, some restoration to the rim. Rare.
1900-1530 BC. A haematite cylinder seal with figural scene and two columns of cuneiform text: the suppliant goddess Lama (with necklace counterweight) and a kilted priest with holy-water font and aspergillum face the ascending Sun god holding his saw in his right hand and resting his right foot on a trapezoidal chequer-board mountain; traces of a base-line beneath the figures; cuneiform inscription: 1 dnè-eri11-gal 2 dma-mi-tum God Ner(i)gal, goddess M?m?tum. Cf. Collon, D. First Impressions. Cylinder Seals in the Ancient Near East, London, 2005, item 170 for type. For the picture cf. D. Collon, Cataloque of the Western Asiatic Seals in the British Museum. Cylinder Seals III. Isin-Larsa and Old Babylonian Periods, London 1986, fig. 351, 364, 366. For the gods cf. J. Black; A. Green, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia London 1992, p. 135-136. Both gods, N. and M., together also in another OB seal inscription: D. Collon, ibid., no. 343.9.74 grams, 23mm (1"). From a London, UK, collection; acquired 1970s. This representation is rare, as the priest stands between the Lama and the Sun god instead of as usual on the edge of the picture, where one would instead expect the king with a mace, the robed king/god with an animal offering. The god Ner(i)gal, son of Enlil and Ninlil, was associated with the underworld and in this connection also with forest fires, fevers and plagues, and sometimes had a warlike aspect. He was usually regarded as the husband of Ereškigal, queen of the underworld, but also with the goddesses La? and M?m?tu(m"). The last, also a goddess of the underworld, was originally a personification of the oath (her Akkadian name means oath, curse) and its effect on the perjurer. She acts as a judge of the underworld and decides together with the Anunna gods the death-fate of man. Very fine condition.
20th-17th century BC. A rare school exercise tablet with cuneiform writing in large characters inscribed on one side. 238 grams, 85mm (3 1/4"). Property of a Sussex gentleman; acquired from Ancient Art, London, UK. These tablets are always this shape, round, nearly flat on one side and convex on the other. Type IV tablets, also known as “lentils,” are circular tablets containing one or a few lines of a composition written out once by the teacher and then a second time by the student, either underneath (typical of Nippur tablets), or on the reverse. This would appear to be an example of the former. Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A substantial discoid lapis lazuli head for a dress pin with incised guilloche to the rim, reserved kneeling figure to one face with right hand raised, braided hair, similar figure to the reverse with long flowing hair, bare-chested with patterned skirt; remains of bronze pin; mounted on a custom-made stand. 122 grams, 74mm including stand (3"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired London art market, 1970-1980. Fine condition. Rare.
Early 1st millennium BC. A carved chlorite offering dish with frieze of Lamassu, crouching winged lions, the heads modelled in the half-round. 717 grams, 12cm (4 3/4"). Acquired on the UK art market; previously the property of a German collector; acquired 1980-1990. Fine condition; heavy usage wear. Very rare.
4th millennium BC. A large alabaster figure of an 'eye goddess' with schematic head in the form of two large tubular eyes, pierced through the centre; short neck leading to a globular vase-shaped body with flat base. 1.80 kg, 15cm (6"). From an important London collection formed before 1980. Fine condition. Rare.
14th-15th century AD. An islamic silver finger ring with flared shoulders, discoid cell with inset carnelian plaque inscribed with concentric rings and calligraphic text. 8.89 grams, 23mm overall, 19.48mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.0, Japan 20) (1"). Property of a Hampstead gentleman; from his family collection formed since the 1970s. Fine condition. Rare.
Copper Hoard Culture, Uttar Pradesh, Northern India, mid-2nd millennium BC. A large copper flat-axe with rounded butt and slightly eccentric curved blade. 1.9 kg, 29cm (11 1/4"). Property of a West London gentleman; previously in an important weapons collection formed in the 1980s and early 1990s. See Yule, P. The Bronze Age Metalwork of India, Prähistorische Bronzefunde XX, München, 1985 for discussion. Very fine condition. Extremely rare.
3rd millennium BC. A carved marble stylised idol head with sloped posture, D-shaped face with reserved triangular nose, ledge to the reverse, long slender neck. 2 kg, 23cm (9"). Private collection, London, UK; formed 1970s-1980s; formerly in the private French collection of M. Foroughi; acquired in the 1960s; accompanied by a copy of Art Loss Register certificate number S00097176, and an original French Archaeological Passport number 156504. Very fine condition. Rare.
Neolithic, 6th-4th millennium BC. A ceramic figurine of a standing male with prominent horned headdress and nose, stub arms extended, incised detail to face and body. See Villes, A & Luci, K. Dieux des Balkans. Figurines Néolithiques du Kosovo, Paris, 2015 for discussion.274 grams, 15cm (6"). From an old European collection; acquired in Munich in the 1970s. Fine condition. Rare.
3rd century BC-1st century AD. A very large limestone bust of a male with diadem across the head, almond-shaped eyes, slit mouth, beard to the chin; long neck with square base. See Billingsley, J. A Stony Gaze: Investigating Celtic and Other Stone Heads, Taunton, 1998, for discussion.78 kg, 52cm (20 1/2"). From the private collection of the late John Moor, York, UK; acquired from the beneficiaries of the estate. Fine condition. Rare.
A rare composition speaker, modelled with Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, with the 'Wilfredian League of Gugnuncs' (WLOG) logo, 36cm high Pip, Squeak and Wilfred was a cartoon strip that was published in the Daily Mirror from 1919 to 1956. It was conceived by Bertram Lamb.In 1927, the Pip, Squeak and Wilfred club began. It was named the 'Wilfredian League of Gugnuncs' (WLOG) and organised many competitions and events for thousands of members. 'Gugnuncs' is a combination of two baby-talk words. There was a WLOG member's badge in blue enamelled metal, featuring the long ears of Wilfred - among the WLOG rules was one should never eat rabbit!The medals awarded to soldiers after the First World War were irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.
Israel-Isaac (Lippy) Lipshitz (South African 1903-1980) STILL LIFE WITH FRUIT signed, dated 1946 and inscribed 'monotype' in the margin monoprint sheet size: 34,5 by 54cm Although Lippy Lipshitz was considered one of South Africa’s most distinguished sculptors during his lifetime, it is as a graphic artist that he receives consideration from Esmé Berman in Art & Artists of South Africa . “…a large portion of his work has taken the form of coloured monotypes and are an important aspect of his total production, and indeed for several years he showed monotypes and woodcuts far more frequently than he exhibited carvings or his rare bronzes.“Referring to Lipshitz’ last exhibition of monotypes completed during his stay in Greece in 1966, Berman observed that “the exhibition possessed a slightly 'period’ flavour, an accomplished but nostalgic harking back to an earlier “modernism” which has mellowed with the passing of years”Viewed today in the context of the 21st century, it is precisely these attributes which make Still Life with Fruit so appealing. Lippy had lived in Paris in the 1930’s and been accepted into a circle of Montmartre painters and sculptors imbuing his work with “an earlier modernism”.Lipshitz is remembered for his teaching career as Associate Professor of Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town. His overseas and local exhibitions of sculpture and graphic work and as a supportive and sympathetic friend to Irma Stern. She painted a captivating portrait of Lippy at work as a sculptor, presently held in the Permanent Collection of the IZIKO South African National Gallery. A retrospective exhibition of his work is planned for the near future, drawing on the memories and collections of his friends and descendants in celebration of his artistic life. - Carol KaufmannBerman, E., Art & Artist of South Africa , A. A. Balkema, Cape Town, 1974, p182 - 183
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