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Early Cycladic II Period, 3rd millennium BC. A marble head from a Cycladic figure, with long slender head with flattened top arching back slightly, long nose and long slender neck; mounted on a custom-made stand. For a similar piece see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 64.246. For a discussion on Cycladic art see, Stampolidis, N. and Sotirakopoulou, P. Aegean Waves: Artworks of the Early Cycladic Culture in the Museum of Cycladic Art at Athens, Milan, 2008. 496 grams total, 14cm including stand (5 1/2"). Fine conditionEx an important collection; from a Mayfair gallery in the 1990s, and duplicates from the Ian Woodner collection, New York (he amassed a large group of Cycladic works of art before his death in 1990 some of his collection is exhibited in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC").The Cycladic islands of the Aegean achieved a certain level of prosperity due to the wealth of natural resources on the islands such as gold, silver, copper, obsidian and marble. This prosperity allowed for a flourishing of the arts and the uniqueness of Cycladic art is perhaps best illustrated by their clean-lined and minimalist sculpture which is among the most distinctive art produced throughout the Bronze Age Aegean. Most of the figures were sculpted from slim rectangular pieces of marble using an abrasive such as emery. There are on occasion surviving traces of colour on some statues which was used to highlight details such as hair in red and black and facial features were also painted onto the sculpture such as eyes. Representations of the mouth, however, are very rare on Cycladic sculpture. Their most likely function is as some sort of religious idol and the predominance of female figures, sometimes pregnant, suggests a fertility deity. Supporting this view is the fact that figurines have been found outside of a burial context at settlements on Melos, Kea and Thera. Alternatively, precisely because the majority of figures have been found in graves, perhaps they were guardians to, or representations of, the deceased. Indeed, there have been some finds of painting materials along with figures in graves which would suggest that the painting process may have been a part of the burial ceremony. .

1st-4th century AD.A carved schist head with tight curled hair, wreath to the brow, curled moustache and beard; mounted on a custom-made stand. For a similar head, in terracotta, see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1979.507.2 3.8 kg, 28.5cm including stand (11 1/2"). Very fine conditionFrom an important London, W1 collection; acquired 1960-1980s.With the arrival of Greek colonists into Central Asia and Northern India and the establishment of the Indo-Greek kingdom came Greek culture and religion which merged with that of the local population. Greek deities, such as Dionysus, were often merged with Buddhist deities, or worshipped in their own right. The image of Dionysus as a mature male with beard and wreath is often referred to as the Indian Dionysus as it depicts the god after his triumphant return from the East with his retinue of Maenads. The adventures of Dionysus in India are recounted in the Greek epic poem, the Dionysiaca. The image of Dionysus returning from India in a chariot pulled by tigers was a favourite for Classical artists and often appeared on sarcophagi as an allegory for the rebirth of the soul. Drinking wine, dancing, and music making were popular subjects for the embellishment of early Buddhist religious centres. The Buddha condemned intoxicants, and music and dance were considered unfit for the monastic community, although they were tolerated in lay contexts. The reason for the depiction of scenes of revelry, along with the Greek god Dionysus, may be the earlier, pre-Buddhist practices celebrating abundance and agricultural prosperity, which involved wine drinking. Dionysus may have been transformed and and understood in the Gandharan context as the South Asian god Indra, whom lay followers would have known as the deity who rules over the paradise known as the Trayastrimsa heaven. As the lay Buddhist community was more concerned with having a positive rebirth (enlightenment being out of reach for all but the most learned of monks) the idea of being reborn in a heaven associated with Indra would no doubt have been attractive. It is thought that the influence of Dionysus on Indian culture may have inspired the development of the Hindu deities Shiva and Krishna, both of whom share similar characteristics to the Greek god. .

Campania, South Italy, 330-310 BC. A large ceramic black glazed bail-amphora with a pierced and ridged stirrup-shaped handle to the top, rolled and angled rim with long tapering neck and rounded shoulder, both painted with series of vertical lines in black; the body decorated to one side with a seated female in a robe, hair tied in a headscarf and holding a pair of dishes towards a second, standing female, also in long robes and hair tied in a headscarf, to the centre a disc with X-pattern, behind the seated female a crooked staff; to the other side a group of three female figures, two seated and one standing, all in loose robes and hair arranged in a bun, the standing figure holding forward a dish to the seated figure holding a tympanum , small altar to the feet of the lower seated figure; below and encircling the vase is a black wave pattern on a reserved band; tapering pedestal foot with band of black paint. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website]  2.86 kg, 60cm (24"). Fine condition, painting degraded.From an old British private collection; formed between 1975 and 1985.Cf. Mayo, M. The Art of South Italy: Vases from Magna Graecia, Virginia, 1982 p. 207; for a similar example see The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1967.245.The bail-amphora was one of the innovative new forms of pottery that was developed by Greek settlers in South Italy and Sicily. The form bears some similarities to the loutrophoros and probably had a similar function for holding water used in ritual bathing. The scenes on such pieces indicate the nature of these rituals which would appear to be associated with marriage and religious customs reserved for women. The institution of marriage in ancient Greece encouraged responsibility in personal relationships. Marriages were usually arranged by the parents; professional matchmakers were reluctantly used. Each city was politically independent, with its own laws affecting marriage. For the marriage to be legal, the woman's father or guardian gave permission to a suitable male who could afford to marry. Wintertime marriages were popular, and a common month in which Greeks married was Gamelion or January, which was sacred to the goddess Hera; note the two females on this vase wrapped in heavy robes against the cold. The couple participated in a ceremony which included rituals such as veil removal but the couple living together made the marriage legal.

Three boxes of antiquarian and vintage books, non-fiction/reference works. Includes: 'Workshop Receipts for the Use of Manufacturers, Mechanics and Scientific Amateurs', Ernest Spon, 1895; 'The Gentle Art of Faking Furniture', Herbert Cescinsky, 1931; 'Wrought Iron and its Decorative Use', Ayrton & Silcock, Country Life Ltd, 1929; 'The Old-World House, its Furniture & Decoration', Herbert Cescinsky, Macmillan, 1924 (two vols); 'A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines', Andrew Ure, 1853 (two vols); 'Turning and Mechanical Manipulation', Charles Holtzapffel, 1843; 'Life of Gladstone', John Morley, 1903 (three vols); 'The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton', Karl Pearson, 1914 (four vols); 'Vade Mecum: Or, the Necessary Pocket Companion', London, 1772; 'Footsteps of the Reformers in Foreign Lands', published in London by The Religious Tract Society, 1862 (First Edition), colour plates by Kronheim & Co. (3)

A WILLIAMITE TOASTING GOBLET, Dublin c.1775, mark of John Lloyd, of plain ovoid form on waisted stem terminating in spreading circular foot, inscribed “The Glorious and Immortal Memory of King William”, (c.108.8g). 9.5cm, 5.5cm diameterThe Orange Order founded in County Armagh in 1795, as a Protestant fraternal organisation, signified a resurgence of the ‘cult of William’ and ‘williamite’ iconography within the society of the 18th century, often expressed as in this present example through objects of decorative art. The order emerged in response to the sectarian conflict between Catholic and Protestants in Northern Ireland in the late 18th century. Throughout the 1780s, sectarian tension had been building in County Armagh, largely due to the relaxation of the Penal Laws established to force Irish Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters to accept the reformed religious doctrine as decreed by the Anglican Church and the Church of Ireland.The Orange Order functioned as a way to protect and promote protestant ascendency in the region. They solidified their religious position within society through the association with William of Orange, the Dutch born Protestant king who defeated the Catholic King James VII & II during the Williamite War in Ireland 1688-1691. The order was named in tribute to him and the legacy of his victory. By mythologizing the figure of William as a champion of their struggle, they created a powerful iconography which has sustained itself to present day. The production of toasting goblets such as this present example decorated with inscriptions and imagery associated with William reinforced the symbolism of the order founded in memory of late Protestant king. The implicit intention of the name, ‘toasting goblet’, becomes explicit in the very action of ‘toasting’ to William’s continued and uninterrupted 'Glorious Memory' within the Orange Lodges.

§ Derek Clarke, ARSA, RWS, RP (British, 1912-2014) Palm Sunday signed lower right "Derek Clarke '47" oil on board 44 x 35cm (17 x 14in) Other Notes: Derek Clarke studied at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1931 - 1935. In 1947 he taught at the Edinburgh College of Art where his pupils included Elizabeth Blackadder and John Bellany and he stayed there until his retirement in 1979. As well as being inspired by the works of Van Gogh, he was influenced by his Catholic faith and produced a number of religious works. This work dates to the period when he went to Ireland in 1946 for a year to convalesce after being injured in the Second World War. He had a great love of the Irish landscape after first visiting in 1937, and he produced a number of paintings depicting the local people. He had a solo show with the Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, and was given a retrospective exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in 2013.

§ Evelyn Mary Dunbar (British, 1906-1960) Joseph's Dream signed lower right "Evelyn Dunbar" oil on board 45 x 74cm (18 x 29in). London, Suffolk Street Galleries, "Winter Exhibition of the New English Art Club", 1943. London, Tate Gallery, Pictures For Schools Exhibition", 1948Provenance: Purchased by Cambridge Council in 1948 from the Pictures For Schools exhibition Other Notes: Evelyn Dunbar was a mural artist, illustrator and teacher, born in Reading, Berkshire, She studied at Rochester and Chelsea Schools of Art and The Royal College of Art (1929 - 33). She painted murals at Brockley County School, Kent and at Bletchley Training College. During the Second World War war Dunbar was the only woman artist to receive a salary for commissions, depicting civilian contributions to the war effort on the Home Front. After the war she was appointed as a part-time teacher at the Oxford School of Art as well as a visiting teacher at the Ruskin School, Oxford. Evelyn Dunbar painted "Joseph's Dream" between 1938 and 1942 and demonstrates her strong religious beliefs as a Christian Scientist. It would have been a popular choice for the Cambridgeshire Education Committee who would have viewed the work as a morally educational painting. The story of Joseph and his Dreams, as told in the Book of Genesis, was Dunbar's inspiration for several paintings illustrating his life, and a number of preliminary sketches survive. One small rub mark in the sky, otherwise fine.

OBVERSE: In field: Armoured bust to right, holding sheathed sword in right hand, with name of the Sasanian ruler    Khusraw in Pahlawi to right and gdh apzwt (‘may his glory increase’) to left.   In border: bismillah la i- laha illa Allah wa – hdahu Muhammad ra – sul Allah, divided by stars-in-crescents except above the bust, where the star-in-crescent is replaced by a pellet-within-annulet.  REVERSE: In field: Arch supported on columns, within which is a vertical barbed spear which has two pennants floating    to the left just below the head; to right and left of the columns: khalifat Allah - amir al-mu’minin; to either side  of the spear-shaft: nasr – Allah.   In border: Four stars-in-crescents, with Pahlawi ap (‘praise’) at one o’clock.  WEIGHT: 3.54g.  REFERENCES: Treadwell 2005, 2 same dies; Walker p.24, ANS.5, same reverse die = Gaube 2.3.2.4.  CONDITION: Very fine to good very fine, excessively rare and a type of considerable historical significance.   One of the greatest and most sought-after rarities of the Arab-Sasanian series, the ‘Mihrab and ‘Anaza’ drachm has been rightly described as ‘extraordinary’ (Grabar, O., The Formation of Islamic Art, revised and enlarged edition, Yale, 1987), and ‘a very valuable little archaeological document’ (Miles, ‘Mihrab and ‘Anazah’).   Many of the difficulties of interpreting this piece stem from the fact that it lacks both date and mint-name.  Most scholars have assumed that it was struck at Damascus.  Firstly, the mean weight of extant specimens is about 3.6-3.7g, which is somewhat lighter than the standard maintained at mints in the East but consistent with other Arab-Sasanian issues struck at Damascus in the early-mid 70s.  Secondly, Damascus was the Umayyad capital where other experimental drachms were struck, including the Standing Caliph type with which the Mihrab and ‘Anaza drachms have often been compared.  This may very well be correct, although it will be suggested below that other possibilities should also be considered.  The latest study of this issue is that of Treadwell (2005), who plausibly interprets the imagery on this coin as a reaction to perceived problems with the design of the Standing Caliph drachms, which he argues must have been struck immediately before the Mihrab and ‘Anaza type.  On this analysis, the Standing Caliph type was produced to accompany the Standing Caliph dinars and fulus introduced in Syria in the previous year.  Treadwell notes that the gold and copper issues conformed to ‘the traditional numismatic formula that located the ruler on the obverse and a religious symbol on the reverse,’ while the ‘Standing Caliph’ drachm ‘contained two conflicting images of rulership…it is the Shahanshah’s imposing bust that dominates the imagery of the coin, not the cramped figure of the caliph on the reverse’  (Treadwell, p.11).  The Mihrab and ‘Anaza type rectifies this by changing the design of the Sasanian bust so that it is recognisably the Caliph who appears on the obverse, and by replacing the standing figure on the reverse with an image of the Prophet’s spear mounted within an arch.  Unfortunately, while this argument neatly explains the imagery, it clashes awkwardly with the legends.  The bust which Treadwell identifies as the caliph himself is in fact labelled in Pahlawi as that of Khusraw, while the spear on the reverse carries the legends khalifat Allah – amir al-mu’minin.  It is possible to argue, as Treadwell does, that ‘the Standing Caliph drachm was an unsuccessful hybrid that had been cobbled together at speed [and so] it would not be surprising if its hastily executed substitute were also deficient in some respects.’  But the addition of nasr Allah beside the spear on the reverse shows that the legends were not merely slavishly copied from a preceding type, and it seems hard to imagine that such sophisticated thought should have been given to the imagery only for the legends to have been applied so inappropriately.  Furthermore, closer examination reveals that the images on both sides of this type are less straightforward then they may first appear.  The figure on the obverse, whom Treadwell identified as being the caliph, wears a peculiar type of headgear, has cross-hatching across his breast to represent a different type of dress from the norm, and rather awkwardly carries a sheathed sword.  Treadwell notes that the figure on the reverse of the Standing Caliph drachm, like that on the obverse of the gold and copper Standing Caliph types, similarly carries a sheathed sword, and he therefore suggests that this feature identifies the Mihrab and ‘Anaza bust as that of the caliph also.  He has no explanation for the design of the crown or helmet, beyond noting that it is does not look like any other crown seen on the coinage of any Sasanian ruler.  As for the cross-hatch pattern on the figure’s breast, Treadwell’s explanation is that this is chiefly an artistic rather than a naturalistic feature, designed to allow the sheathed sword to feature more prominently.  Unfortunately, neither the cross-hatching nor the headgear looks even remotely like the dress of the Standing Caliph figure and so, much as with the problematic legends, these features do nothing to support to the suggestion that the Mihrab and ‘Anaza drachm was designed to improve and rectify the Standing Caliph type.  The object on the reverse, to which Miles devoted most of his attention, has traditionally been identified as a spear or lance within a mihrab.  It was Miles who refined this, specifiying that the spear was the ‘anaza of the Prophet himself, and suggesting rather more cautiously that the mihrab could be identified more precisely as the niche type (mihrab mujawwaf).  If so, this coin would be the earliest depiction of this important Islamic architectural feature.  Miles’ interpretation of the arch as a mihrab has met with a mixed reception among later scholars.  Some have endorsed his view that the feature is indeed a Muslim mihrab rather than any other kind of arch, while others (including Treadwell) have pointed out that arches of this type are found on coins struck by all three Abrahamic religions.  Connections with the Christian sacrum in Jerusalem (the arch which stood over the True Cross) have been suggested.  In this way, this remarkable coin would have played its part in the so-called ‘war of images’ between the Christians and Muslims during this period.  It is perhaps worth remembering, however, that the Mihrab and ‘Anaza type is not so securely tied to Damascus during the mid-70s Hijri as some might imply.  Treadwell reports that Miles himself ‘did not consider that the coin, as he had described it, fitted smoothly into the series of Damascus silver coinage of the mid-690s.’  The type is not dated, and while the metrology does argue against these drachms having been struck as part of the main series produced in the East, Damascus was not the only place where lighter Arab-Sasanian drachms were being issued at this time.  Drachms struck in Armenia and the North (see lot 1) during the 70s seem to have been struck to a weight standard in the region of 3.3g, and like the Mihrab and ‘Anaza type carry on the obverse a bust which is clearly Sasanian but is obviously different from the familiar Khusraw II type which had become the standard in the East for decades.  Another curious feature of the Mihrab and ‘Anaza drachms is the large number of dies used: the seven specimens listed by Treadwell were struck from seven obverse and six reverse dies.  Is this consistent with a short-lived, experimental type concocted hastily in Damascus and quickly abandoned, or might this be better explained in the context of a short-lived, specific event such as a military campaign?For the full version of this footnote please see the PDF at www.mortonandeden.com/pdfcats/85.pdf

* ALFRED W HALLET ARCA (BRITISH 1914 - 1986),PORTRAIT OF A INDIAN MANoil on board, signed lower right60cm x 50cmFramed.Note: Hallett studied in London, and exhibited in two Summer Exhibitions in 1937 and 1939 at the Royal Academy.. In 1938, he was invited to India to paint by the Kashmiri owner of Nedou's Hotel in Srinigar. He offered his services to the British Government during World War II, but refused to take up arms. He was given a job as a censor, and rose to the position of Chief Censor in the Punjab. After the end of the war, Alfred decided to stay in India. After the Partition of India in 1947 he finally bought a church property previously used for furloughs by missionaries at Dharamkot, He was a keen gardener and developed a friendship with the 14th Dalai Lama with whom he used to share cuttings, seeds and gardening tips. He was well known for his portraits, landscape and flower paintings some of which are exhibited at the Naam Art Gallery in the small rural locality of Sidhbari, near Dharamshala in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. He also painted imaginative religious paintings some of which may be seen in the Catholic Church and school in Amritsar. He died at his home in Dharamkot on 26 April 1986.

Statue de sainte baroque en bois polychrome, mains amovibles, avec son cul de lampe. Sud de l'Allemagne.H. 66 cm. Condition: très peu de manques de polychromie, manque la coiffe, éclats au bout des manches.Beaux-Arts Paintings & SculptureArt Religieux/Sacré - Religious Art - Sakrale Kunst;Haute Epoque - Haute Epoque - Haute Epoque;Sculptures - Sculptures - Skulpturen

Tangka tibétaine représentant au centre Manjushri en orange. Le Bodhisattva de la Sagesse trône devant un disque lunaire rougeoyant, sur son trône de pétales de lotus (école de Zanabazar) et tient de ses mains la tige de 2 fleurs de lotus sur lesquelles sont posés une épée en feu et un livre, symboles de sagesse. Présence de caractères tibétains sur les murs blancs. Tibet XIXe.71x53 cm. Référence:Provenance Kohler Zurich 1991 lot 79/3 est. 6000.- Condition: quelques pliures et usures.Arts d'Asie Asian ArtGravures - Estampes - Prints and Engravings - Grafik;Tibet Népal - Tibet and Nepal - Tibet und Nepal;Art Religieux/Sacré - Religious Art - Sakrale Kunst;Arts d'Asie - Asian Art - Asiatica

Mr Thomas Hardy a J H Barratt & Co portrait tile designed by George Cartlidge, dated 1924, covered in a sepia glaze, framed in oak, impressed marks to reverse, GC monogram to front, 22.5 x 15cm. Literature Tony Johnson The Morris Ware, Tiles & Art of George Cartlidge, private press, page 82 catalogue number 222. Provenance Tony Johnson This lot is sold with a copy of The Morris Ware Tiles & Art of George Cartlidge, by Tony Johnson. George Cartlidge (1868-1961) Born in 1868 he trained at Hanley School of Art, staying and painting at the school until 1897 when he was apprenticed to Sherwin & Cotton Tile Works. Here he helped to develop a series of portrait tiles from photographs - subjects included international politicians, military leaders, artists and religious figures. He experimented with the technique of Emaux Ombrants - a technique of flooding glaze onto a shallow relief design which created a smooth graduated tone giving a realistic 'photographic' quality to the design. In 1916 he moved to Sampson Hancocks designing a range of tubelined pottery proudly titled Morris Ware to the base. The range was released at the British Industries Fair in 1918 and competed commercially with the tubelined designs of Frederick Rhead, and William Moorcroft who had recently set up his own factory in Burslem. George Cartlidge was Tony Johnson's great uncle - who Tony unfortunately never met.

A Greek omphalos phiale in bronze5th – 4th century BC; diam. cm 19,5; alt. cm 3; A bronze phiale with a ridged rim, a shallow tapering basin and an omphalos at its centre. The inside of the basin is ribbed and the omphalos is encircled by an intricate series of interweaving lines. There are traces of the original metal plating. In ancient Greece the term omphalos (navel) referred to the stone sacred to Apollo, situated in the sanctuary of Delphi. The omphalos form featured inside some phialae not only bestows religious value but also facilitates ease of handling: the phiale was held in one hand with the middle finger in the outer depression and the thumb supporting the side. PROVENANCE:English private collection, purchased in 2000s from Herakles Numismatik und Antiquitäten GmbH (München); previously acquired on the European art market in the 1970s.

A daunian stele7th – 6th century BC; alt. cm 62; A daunian stele on a rectanguar limestone slab, with some fragments missing. The decoration is incised and arranged over various horizontal and vertical strips that frame a central band in which stylized male and female figures are depicted in procession.The decoration consists of geometric motifs and concentric circles. The circles, which have dots incised at their centres and a vertical band extending from their edges are particularly interesting. They could be an array of various kymbala, a sort of magical bell used to ward off evil spirits, or opium poppies, which were used widely in the daunian civilization, especially in the religious sphere.PROVENANCE:English private collection, purchased in 2000s from Herakles Numismatik und Antiquitäten GmbH (München); previously acquired on the European art market in the 1970s.

New World, Spanish Colonial period, ca. 19th century CE. One of my favorite santos! Finely painted in rich jewel tones, an exquisite rendering of a silver winged Archangel Michael in full battle attire, holding a silver repousse shield and a silver sword. He wears conquistador-style armor, complete with a rounded helmet, dashing flowing vestments and boots, both detailed with gold leaf designs, and is posed dynamically atop a pedestal with a delicately painted floral design. Size: 6.25" W x 14.5" H (15.9 cm x 36.8 cm)This Santo is among the most expertly carved and polychromed examples we have come across. Just look at how the sculptor modeled the flowing vestments and wavy coiffure, truly making fabric and tresses from wood! No less impressive is the movement of the figure that the artist conveys. Furthermore, the gold leafed details are so skillfully painted, applied with a fabulous eye for design.Santos played an important role in bringing the Catholic Church to the New World with the Spanish colonists. These mannequin-style religious figures were hand-sculpted and often furnished with ornate religious clothing (though this example features such finely delineated, painted, and gilded clothing that there is no need for added vestments), usually funded by religious devotees, and were used as icons to explain the major figures - Mary, Christ, and the saints - in the religion to new, indigenous converts. Likewise, they served as a connection to the Old World for colonists far from home. Provenance: From the Lilly and Francis Robiscek Collection of Religious Art, Charlotte, NC Condition: Face has been repaired; sword has been reattached and may not be original. Shield and sword are both removable. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119815

Russia, ca. 19th century CE. Beautifully painted in egg tempera and gold leaf, this wood Russian icon presents the Virgin Hodegetria ("She who shows the way"), the composition depicting the Mother of God holding the Christ child in one arm, as he makes a blessing gesture. On her shoulders and head, Mary wears a triple, star-shaped cross, which is an ancient Syrian symbol of her virginity - before, during, and following the birth. Size: 14.75" W x 18.75" H (37.5 cm x 47.6 cm)Since the artist only depicted her head and shoulders, the viewer is invited to gaze upon Christ with the subtle inclination of her visage, particularly given those expressive eyes. The Christ Child is characteristically depicted in a rigid, vertical pose - wearing regal vestments. Adoring diminutive angels peak at the pair from behind the Virgin's halo. The pair is 'framed' by a decorative border with scrolled and floral motifs. Gold leaf highlights accentuate various areas of the composition. This use of golden hues, the serene and regal countenance of Mary's face, as well as the pantomime-like gestures reference classic Byzantine splendor. According to the text accompanying this icon in the brochure for "Windows into Heaven" exhibition, "The example on the left, with its flattened features and stylized drapery, shows adherence to Byzantine painting norms." (p. 16)The pamphlet also discusses this icon as a fine example of the Mother of God of Kazan version of the Russian Theotokos. "Per tradition, the prototype of this icon came to Russia from Constantinople in the 1200s. It disappeared after the Tatars besieged the city of Kazan in 1438, and then was dug up in Kazan in 1579 by a girl named Matrona and her mother after the Virgin appeared repeatedly in the girl's dreams, telling her of the buried icon. The Kazan Mothr of God later became Russia's symbol of national unity. The icon accompanied soldiers freeing Moscow from the Poles in 1612, and traveled with the troops fighting Napoleon in 1812." (p. 15)Icons were some of the first religious artworks brought to Russia from Byzantium. These sacred pictures of the Greek Orthodox church reached a high point in the Byzantine era, however, the Russians brought their own style to the art of the icon. Icons were initially created for use in churches and processions. In time they became smaller and were used increasingly within households. To this day they remain an important form of visual culture in Russia's orthodox religious community.The existence of back slats demonstrate that this icon predates 1880/1890. A lovely example inspired by the icon of the Hodegetria that arrived in Constantinople from Jerusalem, where it was found in the 5th century by the sister-in-law of Emperor Theodosius II. According to Alfredo Tradigo's "Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church" (2004), "Hidden from the Iconoclasts in a wall at the Hodegon Monastery, it was later carried to the city walls when Constantinople lay under siege and became, under the Palaiologan dynasty (1261-1453), a major palladium protecting the capital. Copies made their way to Rome, the Near East, the Balkans, and Russia." (Tradigo, p. 169)Exhibited in "Windows Into Heaven: Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art" at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) which presented highlights of one of the world's great artistic traditions through an extraordinary group of sixty-five 18th and 19th century Russian icons on loan from the private collection of Lilly and Francis Robicsek. Also featured in an exhibition of the same name at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, North Carolina October 4, 2013 through March 5, 2014. Published in the catalogue accompanying the North Carolina Museum of History written and compiled by curator Jeanne Marie Warzeski.Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Some icons are encased in precious metal covers (oklads) adorned with pearls and semi-precious stones or glass-fronted wooden cases (kiots). Icons are not worshiped, but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."The “Windows Into Heaven” exhibition profiled a magnificent chapter of Russian artistry, the embrace of the Russian Orthodox faith of religious icons during the Romanov centuries. The Russian religious faith was an offshoot of Byzantine Christianity, which in 1054 parted ways from Roman Catholicism. Icons were and continue to be religious images created for veneration. As a focus for prayers and meditation for believers, icons serve as “windows into heaven.” Provenance: Ex-Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art, Charlotte, NC; exhibited at Mint Museum of Art "Windows Into Heaven", Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) and North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, North Carolina October 4, 2013 through March 5, 2014 Condition: Nice age to surface with craquelure, age cracks, and losses as shown. Back slats are intact. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119594

Russia, ca. 19th century CE. Finely painted in egg tempera and sumptuously adorned with gold leaf and enamel on wood, this icon features the miracle-working Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker dressed as a bishop in a cross adorned omophorion holding candlesticks in each hand, flanked by two saints; a heavenly apparition of the Holy Trinity in the celestial realm above. Surrounding the arched composition is a gilt and enamel border of jewel tone and golden hues, enamel also featured on the 'pearl' haloes of Nicholas and the saints. Size: 12.25" W x 14" H (31.1 cm x 35.6 cm)Nicholas, one of the most beloved saints of the church, who served as an intercessor, performing miracles of healing and rescue, has an interesting history. A strong opponent of the heretical bishop Arius at the Council of Nicaea, Nicholas, after slapping Arius in the face, was denied his holy insignia and tossed in jail. However, Christ and the Virgin appeared to him and gave him back his freedom and his episcopal office. Here shown with a serious countenance, a high furrowed forehead, concentrating eyes framed by arched brows, and a short, gray beard, Saint Nicholas is portrayed as a staunch champion of the Christian faith, a defender against heresy, and a healer. Saint Nicholas is regarded as the archetypal Bishop and the archetypal Saint – these titles supported by the presence of the Holy Trinity amid heavenly clouds above. The stunning gilding surrounding the arched composition as well as the decorative gilded and jewel tone enameled border add to the sacred nature of this icon.Exhibited in "Windows Into Heaven: Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art" at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) which presented highlights of one of the world's great artistic traditions through an extraordinary group of sixty-five 18th and 19th century Russian icons on loan from the private collection of Lilly and Francis Robicsek.Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Some icons are encased in precious metal covers (oklads) adorned with pearls and semi-precious stones or glass-fronted wooden cases (kiots). Icons are not worshiped, but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."The “Windows Into Heaven” exhibition profiled a magnificent chapter of Russian artistry, the embrace of the Russian Orthodox faith of religious icons during the Romanov centuries. The Russian religious faith was an offshoot of Byzantine Christianity, which in 1054 parted ways from Roman Catholicism. Icons were and continue to be religious images created for veneration. As a focus for prayers and meditation for believers, icons serve as “windows into heaven.” Provenance: Ex-Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art, Charlotte, NC; exhibited at Mint Museum of Art "Windows Into Heaven", Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) Condition: Gilded and painted surfaces with some expected wear and loss as shown, but overall very good. Age cracks visible on verso, small loss to wood on periphery. Mint Museum label and suspension wire on verso. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119447

Roman, the Levant, late Imperial Period, ca. 3rd to 5th century CE. Composed of tiny stone tiles (tesserae/tessellae), including marble, slate, and mica, this mosaic panel shows a scene of two women interacting at a bathhouse. Both wear bracelets and necklaces; one is draped with a cloth that falls around her bare buttocks, while the other stands nude, with a cloth falling behind her. The nude woman has her visible arm raised, as if gesticulating in conversation. The small remaining fragment of the other woman's face reveals that it is turned back, as if listening. The colors of the women's bodies are warm, mostly pinks and darker reds with some white stones to highlight shadow and light. Mounted on frame with honeycomb backing. Size: 29" W x 44.25" H (73.7 cm x 112.4 cm); size on frame: 30.8" W x 46.5" H (78.2 cm x 118.1 cm)The women are in a room with clean, pale yellow walls, standing on a glossy grey floor, dappled with sparing areas of pale brown that make it appear to be glistening with water. The women's clothing is red, grey, and pale yellow, outlined in black to give the impression of folds. One area that shows particularly skillful artistic execution is where the partially clothed woman's knee bends, catching the fabric and bunching it. Mosaics (opus tesellatum) are some of our enduring images from the Roman world. They reveal everyday life, social interactions, and even things like clothing styles, personal ornament, and the interior of buildings in ways other styles of Roman art generally do not. A scene like this would have taken place in a bathhouse, an informal public space where women could mingle and speak with one another in a close social setting. This mosaic may have graced the wall or floor of a bathhouse, and was probably originally set into a large, ornate border, as many of the mosaics from the Roman Levant are. In the Roman province of Syria, which encompassed most of the ancient Near East/Levant, mosaics seem to have developed as a common art form relatively late, with most finds coming from the 3rd century CE or later. Syria was one of Rome's wealthiest provinces, but it was also far removed from Rome itself and Roman culture was overlaid on enduring cultural traditions from Hellenistic Greece and the great civilizations that came before it. Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern day Antakya, Turkey), was the capital of northern Roman Syria, and its excavations in the 1930s revealed more than three hundred mosaic pavements - of which many embellished public baths. Often the known mosaics from this region are mythological or religious scenes, but sometimes we see one like this, showing a touchingly human scene from upper class life.We cannot find a perfectly comparable example with this type of subject matter and size. To give you an idea of what is available, see for example this larger mosaic with mythological subject matter: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-roman-marble-mosaic-panel-circa-3rd-5321865-details.aspx that sold for $30000 in 2010; this pair of smaller panels with less sophisticated subject matter: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-late-roman-mosaic-panel-circa-4th-5th-2034792-details.aspx that sold in 2001 for roughly $6000, and this similar-sized but more colorful example: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-late-roman-mosaic-panel-circa-4th-5th-5509263-details.aspx that sold for $25000 in 2011. Provenance: Ex-Private New York City Collection Condition: No restoration; mounted on frame with honeycomb backing. Losses to edges as shown. Some of the tesserae have small flaws All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #121211

Byzantine Empire, ca. 9th to 13th century CE. A gorgeous, huge bronze reliquary in the form of two crosses fitted together, hinged at the bottom. At the top is a hinge attached to a thick, horizontal loop for suspension. Comes with custom stand. Size: 2" W x 3.5" H (5.1 cm x 8.9 cm); height on stand: 4.95" (12.6 cm).On one side is an incised design of four faces - perhaps representing the four Evangelists? - with a drilled, shallow circle in the center. On the other is an abstract design of drilled holes and incised lines forming a cross within the main body of the cross and some unreadable letters. Relics - physical remains of saints or objects associated with Christ, such as pieces of the True Cross, the shroud His body was wrapped in, or, mythically, the Holy Grail - held tremendous power in medieval Christianity. Reliquaries, objects designed to hold relics, were usually kept in cathedrals or churches, but some wealthy individuals were able to possess them. The less wealthy could purchase replicas of reliquaries, small reliquaries containing less precious items like soil from a holy site, or metal items produced as a form of souvenir from shrines. Later, many of these objects were destroyed in times of religious conflict or strife; ones that are intact have often been passed down through generations of families. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has several of these items in its collection, including on display – see the small hinged cross reliquary depicting Christ and the Virgin (1999.519.9). Provenance: Ex-private east coast, USA collection Condition: Excellent, with light patina. Both hinges have their original iron pins; the bottom one is non-functional due to patina. The loop for suspension has a tiny loss to one side and appears, based on patina, to have been made in a different workshop and may be an ancient repair, but is certainly roughly contemporary with this cross. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #120859

Pre-Columbian, Gulf Coast of Mexico, Veracruz culture, ca. 500 to 700 CE. An amazing, tall, hollow, buff ceramic figure with incredible iconography. The figure - who is of indeterminate sex - stands with feet slightly planted, hands down at sides, and head slightly raised. Atop the head perches a smaller human figure, hands holding tightly to the headdress of the larger figure. Size: 5.9" L x 9.8" W x 27.8" H (15 cm x 24.9 cm x 70.6 cm)Further details appear as you look closer: the taller figure wears a huge, hollow, curved pectoral with applied fired clay twisted to look like thick braided rope hanging over it and, underneath it, a longer, hanging curved piece. This is secured around the neck with further thick, twisted bands of ceramic, emphasizing its great weight on the wearer's neck. He/she also wears large spool earrings, bracelets at the wrist, and a knotted loincloth. Atop his/her head is a rounded, disc-shaped headdress that the second figure is using like a podium. The larger's figure's face is lifelike, with well-shaped features, and, most notably, with the eyes closed in a tight squint.The smaller figure, in contrast, has wide open eyes and a direct, forward-facing gaze. He/she is also of indeterminate sex, and wears a tremendous headdress that almost dwarfs his/her head. The headdress has a wide brim and a tall, flat crest and has applied ceramic elements that look like rough woven fiber around its brim and band. The figure also wears an elaborate, sleeveless robe, with applied, layered flaps on the back that might have been intended to look like feathers. Turning the figure around, you can see that the larger figure's headdress has a loop that encircles the smaller figure's lower body; a delightful detail of the piece are the tiny feet hanging down from under the robe, leaning against the larger figure's upper back. Excavations near the town of Remojadas have revealed two types of impressive, detailed pottery figures: the Sonrientes, the joyous "smiling faces" depicting people of all ages and sexes, and figures like this one, more serious, mostly adult females, with elaborate costumes, themes, and sometimes props that all seem to point towards religious or political ceremonies. These figures are often found with the bodies smashed into pieces and the heads largely intact - they were ritually destroyed as burial offerings.What is the meaning of this particular fabulous sculpture? Much of the religious practice of this culture and others in Mesoamerica involved shamans or priests entering an altered mental state, often through the use of strong alcohol or hallucinogenic drugs. Once in that trance-like state, they would become someone different. The closed eyes and tilted head of the larger figure here contrasted with the open eyes and forward-facing head of the smaller one suggest that this is a depiction of a religious trance. The tall figure has entered it and is now seeing the world through the eyes of the smaller figure. Published and exhibited: “East/West Ancient American Art from the Coastal Regions of Mexico” from January 25th through April 30th, 2000 at William King Regional Arts Center, Abingdon, Virginia Provenance: Ex-J. Smith Collection, Roswell, GA Condition: Repaired from multiple pieces, many of them large (especially on the lower body); repairs well done and many are largely invisible. Ceramics like these were often broken in ritual shortly after being made, as discussed in the description. Expected age wear to form All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119782

Pre-Columbian, Peru, Chimu, ca. 1100 to 1400 CE. A silver kero or drinking vessel comprised of sheet silver, hammer-molded to form a drinking cup depicting a stylized human/bird head with bold repoussé facial features and coiffure, having a flared headdress adorned with a band of circular motifs, perhaps representing corn kernels as fermented corn beer or chicha was and continues to be a favored beverage in Peru, framed by diagonally striated registers, the flat rim with a finely incised cross-hatched design. Size: 4.125" W x 9.25" H (10.5 cm x 23.5 cm)On the back of the figure's head are two corn cobs modeled in relief, another detail that suggests this beaker was used for ceremonial chicha (corn beer) ceremonies, and that the figure may represent the corn god. A similar example is illustrated in "Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru" (Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 53, ill. 25) The kero form was also created by Huari and Inca cultures as well as other peoples of the ancient world. However, the indigenous of Peru created these for more than domestic purposes. Rather they were used during life and after life at funerary ceremonies that incorporated intricate religious libations and imbibing rites. To create this piece, the ancient metalsmith hammered a silver piece into a very thin sheet, approximately the size of the finished work. Then the artisan used fine-grained stone anvils and hammer stones made of hematite or green porphyry, sometimes with animal hide attached, and a wooden template was used to create the form and its repoussé ornamentation, as the metalsmith hammered the silver sheet upon the wooden template. Provenance: Ex- Neil Becker collection, Harrison, NYC, Ex J. Carpa collection, ex Sotheby's Condition: Silver sheet shows bending, several small losses, tears, and expected tarnish as shown. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #120360

3rd millennium BC. A gold hair ring consisting of a sheet of gold with ridged body; hole to one end, thin projection with curved end to the other. 4.83 grams, 30mm (1 1/4"). Ex Bunker collection, Hertfordshire, UK; acquired at an art fair in Oxford, 1970. Supplied with a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. During the Bronze Age gold ornamentation became increasingly popular with the emerging warrior aristocracy across Europe. These new groups sought to establish trading links that often stretched across Europe and did so by the tight control of natural resources and precious commodities, such as gold and bronze. Gold not only helped establish an individual as someone highly important in society, but it also had religious connotations, being associated with the solar cult that was expressed through the building of megaliths. [No Reserve] Very fine condition.

11th century AD. A silver cross pendant comprising three balustered arms with central cruciform void, rectangular collar, wolf-head above with suspension loop formed as the open mouth of a wolf with ears turned back. Cf. similar silver pendant from Foss, Iceland, in Graham-Campbell, J. & Kidd, D. The Vikings, London, 1980, item 45. 1.42 grams, 24mm (1"). Property of a North European collector; acquired on the UK art market. The fusion of Christian and pagan religious motifs is typical of Iceland where the worship of the old gods continued into the 11th century. The Christian cross was used as a symbol of the new faith but the pendant also includes elements of pre-Christian ideas. [No Reserve] Very fine condition. Excessively rare.

15th century AD. A large facetted D-section gold hoop with expanding shoulders, ridged rectangular bezel; pentagonal panel to one shoulder with radiating strokes beneath, reserved image of crowned and nimbate Virgin Mary with nimbate infant Jesus; similar panel to the other shoulder, reserved Calvary scene with Corpus Christi and nimbate winged head above; left panel of bezel with reserved image of nimbate S. Peter holding a key; right panel with similar image of St. Paul with book and drawn sword; to the inner face engraved legend in Lombard script '*Crucem.Christi.Gero*' (I bear the cross of Christ"). Cf. Oman, C.C. British Rings 800-1914 London, 1974, plate 22(D); Dalton, O.M. The Franks Bequest Catalogue of Finger Rings, London, 1912, item 753 for type. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 21 grams, 30mm overall, 23.36mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z+3 1/2, USA 14, Europe 33.29, Japan 32) (1 1/4"). From an important jewellery collection; by descent through the Smigielski family; formerly with the current owner's grandfather Franz Retyk; acquired in Europe by her father or his brother in Belgium during the 1920s. Accompanied by a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. Iconographic rings appear to be English in origin and originate in the late fourteenth century and continue into the fifteenth century, losing favour under the Reformation of Henry VIII. Iconographic rings are mostly religious in their subject matter with the most popular saints depicted on them being St Christopher and St Catherine, both of whom had important cults in medieval England and offered protection and intercession to the wearer. Other popular images included the Virgin Mary and, as on this ring, the Crucifixion. Some bear inscriptions that are either religious in nature, and therefore could have acted as prayer rings for personal devotion, or which sometimes have messages of love and therefore could have been given as love tokens and which underscores the the gift giving aspect of small scale jewellery. There are contemporary literary references to the rings being given as gifts, particularly at New Year, to protect the wearer, and many as such are inscribed with these sentiments. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Very fine condition. A large wearable glove ring.

Kassite, 14th century BC. An exceedingly rare chrome chalcedony cylinder seal with seated profile figure and Sumerian cuneiform inscription in eight columns; depicting a seated bearded divine figure facing left, holding a trident, three right-facing locusts above; the eight lines of scholarly Sumerian cuneiform text with a prayer to Ninurta for the prosperity of Kurigalzu's reign. Accompanied by Professor Lambert's transliteration and translation for each column which reads: (1) dkur-da-ru gada gìr / 'Ninurta, powerful lord' (2) sa? kal šà-aš-DU / 'special chief, foremost' (3) ururu mah an-ta-?ál / 'the lofty city (?) being in heaven' (4) ur-sa? dili-ni rib-ba / 'champion on his own standing out' (5) [di?ir] ní-su-ši ri-a / 'the god moving with a halo of terror' (6) ku-ri-gal-zu / '(on) Kurigalzu' (7) nun nì tuku-tuku-zu / 'the prince who reveres you' (8) bala šà dùg-ga ?ar-bi / 'place a reign of sweet heart'. The seal fitted with an antique gold pin passed through the original longitudinal perforation and a loop to enable it to be worn as a pendant; supplied with a museum-quality impression. Lüle, Çigdem, Non-destructive Gemmological Tests for the Identification of Ancient Gems, in Gems of Heaven, British Museum Research Publication 177, 2012, pp.1-3 for information on chrome chalcedony and its use in ancient times; examined by Dr. Ronald Bonewitz, with a scholarly note from him regarding the fabric of the seal, dated 17 December 2016. Lambert, W.G. Objects Inscribed and Uninscribed, in Archiv für Orientforschung, vol.23, Graz, 1970, p.49; Limet, H. Les légendes des sceaux cassites, Brussels, 1971, p.93, 6.26 and accompanied by copies of both articles, with images therein showing the gold pin in place. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 24 grams, 51mm (2"). Property of a London gentleman; part of his family collection since the 1970s; inherited by the present owner from his father who acquired it between circa 1938 and 1950. The extremely rare green variety of chalcedony was only known to the ancients and the Romans, until circa 3rd century AD, when it disappears from history. It is only known from small worked pieces such as beads and intaglios. The source has been recently discovered as being from northern Turkey (Anatolia"). The colour derives from the presence of chromium; this piece is also of an excessively rare large size; with a printout of the Çigdem paper. Kurigalzu II (circa 1332-1308 BC on the short chronology) was the 22nd king of the Babylonian Kassite dynasty, placed on the throne by the Assyrian king, Aššur-Uballi?, who may have been a family member. He shares the same name as another king who apparently reigned earlier in the same century. Towards the end of his reign, Kurigalzu II turned against his Assyrian allies and defeated them in battle at Sugagu on the River Tigris. Kurigalzu's name is linked to a zaqiqu or 'incubation omen', in which a Kassite king (identified with him) tries to find out why his wife cannot bear a child. The transliteration of the text by Professor Lambert (1970), differs in detail from that of Limet (1971), but generally agrees as to the content of the text. Lambert identifies the text as 'Sumerian of the Cassite period seals, that is, a totally artificial language expressing Babylonian syntax and phraseology in a Sumerian often rich in recondite words and sign-values' and offers a reconstructed Akkadian version of the text as well as an English translation. 'Kuradaru' is a name of the deity Ninurta which occurs only in this text and in two other citations. The text is construed as a 'prayer for the Cassite king Kurigalzu, the second and last of the name, who ruled in the 14th century B.C. 'The seal 'obviously belonged to a servant of the king, but his name is not given.' The god shown seated in a long flounced robe raises his hand 'in a religious gesture ... a Cassite-period rendering of a very common figure on seals from the Old Akkadian to the latter part of the Old Babylonian period'. The three locusts above him may have been intended to identify the god, but if so the information is lost to us. The trident in the god's hand is less well executed than the rest of the design, leading Lambert to speculate that it may be a later addition. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Extremely fine condition. Excessively rare and important; a museum quality exhibition piece.

Warring States, 475-221 BC. A bronze vessel with cylindrical body with two separate horizontal bands decorated with low relief gilt frieze of wheeled covered vehicles and retainers on horseback; tao-t'ieh masks with lose rings; supported on three legs in the shape of bears with carnelian turquoise inlays; to the lid a stylised mountain with ring with series of deer and birds below; frieze with mounted archers hunting deer; to the frieze three rats on hind legs. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 2.1 kg, 22cm (8 1/2"). Property of a London collector; by inheritance from his grandfather; acquired during travels in the Far East in the 1920s. The zun is a type of ancient Chinese bronze or ceramic wine vessel with a round or square vase-like form, and sometimes in the shape of an animal. Used in religious ceremonies to hold wine, the zun has a wide lip to facilitate pouring. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Fine condition. Professionally cleaned and preserved by Colin Bowles Ltd.,with photographic records a copy of the original invoice for the work done.

14th-16th century AD. A large brass pen box of rectangular shape with rounded corners, composed of a main body, a lid with two hinges and a decorated clasp on the opposite side; with very fine silver and gold inlay of geometric, vegetation and bird motifs around the whole surface; inserted a receptacle with inscribed lid. See Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Accession number 17.190.822, 91.1.536. 1.02 kg, 25cm (9 3/4"). From an important London, W1, collection; acquired 1960-1980s. Muslim metalworkers produced large numbers of pen boxes, known as Qalamdan, many of which were richly decorated with inlays of gold, silver, and copper. A typical medieval Islamic calligrapher's pen box is an elongated rectangular object with rounded corners, about ten inches long, three inches wide, and two inches tall. The interior includes a receptacle to hold the inkwell in one corner while the remaining space is reserved for a variety of reed pens and penknives. Pen boxes were usually inscribed with positive words such as glory, victory, prosperity, wealth or generosity; however we can also find more personalised inscriptions for the owner. The development of Islamic calligraphy is strongly tied to the Qur'an; chapters, and excerpts from the Qu'ran is a common and almost universal text upon which Islamic calligraphy is based. Deep religious association with the Qur'an, as well as suspicion of figurative art as idolatrous has led calligraphy to become one of the major forms of artistic expression in Islamic cultures. Very fine condition.

* Ernst Neuschul [1895-1968]-Verangstigte Kinder:-signed with initials and dated EN '48 bottom rightoil on canvas66 x 56cm.* Notes Exhibited. Ernest Neuschul. From the New Objectivity to the New Unobjectivity. Oil Paintings from 1926 to 1966. Berlin.* Biography. Ernest Neuschul was born in Aussig, in what is now the Czech Republic. He studied in Prague and later Vienna, where he was introduced to the paintings of Klimt and Egon Schiele and the expressionistic works of Oskar Kokoschka.At the outbreak of World War I Neuschul moved to Cracow in 1916 and after the war ended he moved to Berlin, joining the Academy of Arts. In 1919 Neuschul's first one-man exhibition opened in Prague.In Berlin, Neuschul embarked on an active period, painting under the post-war influence of the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) movement. In 1926 he joined the Novembergruppe, first founded in 1918 and a vigorous opponent of Fascism. He also got to know Ludwig Meidner who was painting expressive and highly emotional figure subjects often with a religious theme.In 1932 Neuschul became Professor of Fine Arts at Berlin's Academy of Fine Art and was also elected chairman of the Novembergruppe. In 1933 an exhibition of his paintings was closed down by the Nazis and because of his Jewish birth and radical political opinions Neuschul also lost his teaching post and in March 1933 he returned to Aussig accompanied by his wife Christl.In 1935 Neuschul was invited to exhibit and work in the Soviet Union, painting portraits of steelworkers and revolutionary figures and even gaining a double portrait commission of Stalin and Dimitroff. In 1937 however several of Neuschul's paintings on exhibition in Aussig were vandalised and disfigured with swastikas, a grim foretaste of what awaited him and his family if they remained.Neuschul, his wife and child eventually escaped the Nazis on the last train out of Czechoslovakia, arriving in London in 1939. In 1959, a one-man exhibition was held at the Betzalel National Museum in Jerusalem and in 1966 a major retrospective exhibition in Berlin with the title 'From the New Objectivity to the New Non-Objectivity'.He died in London in 1968

Pre-Columbian, Maya region, Late Classic Period, ca. 650 to 750 CE. An incredible piece of ancient craftsmanship, a black and red on cream-orange slip paint cylinder with a codex register of nine glyphs in the Primary Standard Sequence under the red-painted rim and below that two fish with wonderful detail separated by diagonal bars. Cylinder vessels like these seem, from residue analysis, to have been used for drinking chocolate, a hugely popular and ritual practice amongst the Maya, especially Mayan elite. Size: 4.9" W x 3.8" H (12.4 cm x 9.7 cm)This beautiful cylinder has all the hallmarks of a "codex style" vessel. The glyphs and iconography were hand drawn by a skilled artisan in a fine-line painting technique using a monochrome black-brown slip that would have been made from clay mixed with black iron oxide, manganese, and some plant-based compounds. Mayan scribes seem to have wanted to mark the ownership of valued things, and that is what registers of glyphs like the one found here were made to do - mark the owner's name and describe the item. Below that register, the two depictions of the fish are wonderful examples of elaborately drawn "kay" glyphs. Based on their indented fins, they seem to be based on the Cichlids, who are a large family of freshwater fish that live in the lakes and river valleys of Central America and would have been a source of food and also religious practice for the Maya. On these examples, the round body decorations you can see are characteristic of the redhead cichlid (Vieja synspila). Fish are a recurring theme in Mayan art, and seem to indicate that the setting of the artwork is an aquatic environment. Interestingly, because of its sound ("ka"), the fish head glyph can sometimes be used as a doubled or grouped sign to spell "kakaw", the glyph for cocoa - so the decoration on this vessel may relate to its use as a cup for the chocolate drink. Provenance: ex-private North Carolina Collection Condition: Repaired from approximately four large pieces, but repairs are well done and very difficult to see. Paint is clearly visible with minor wear; excellent root marks overall. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119401

Western Europe, Spain, late 18th to early 19th century CE. A fascinating wooden crucifix scene set inside of a frame with an arch inscribed with Arabic. The Arabic is certainly old but may not be contemporary with the rest of the object; however, it calls to mind the Moorish culture that has greatly influenced Spanish and Portugeuse culture, and particularly the carving of Christ being removed from the cross that is underneath a Moorish arch at Mezquita, the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, in Andalusia. Size: 1.5" L x 5.7" W x 11.25" H (3.8 cm x 14.5 cm x 28.6 cm)There are wonderful painted and carved details on this piece. Inside the arch, Christ and the cross are fully painted, with a sunburst design behind him, and, on the interior of the arch, a series of stars on a dark background. The frame is heavily decorated on all sides, including ornate, unpainted wood work with a cross, flowers, and birds/feathers design on the back. The archway stands upon four columns; below these is a stand showing several symbols associated with Christ, including a rooster, a skull, and a ladder, all above a floral border. A wonderfully ornate piece of religious folk art with an intriguing, interfaith design. Provenance: Ex-Young Collection, New Hampshire Condition: Wear to paint All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #118755

Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Chorrera culture, 1500 to 300 BCE. A large! carved, smooth-polished greenstone object in the form of a jaguar with prominent teeth and a magnificent spiral carved tail. The greenstone has brown and black specks. An incised square pattern provides the mouth full of teeth and four small, rounded feet and a deep well in the center of the back complete the form. Size: 10.2" L x 3.55" W x 5" H (25.9 cm x 9 cm x 12.7 cm)Although the Chorrera culture is not well known, researchers believe that this item and ones like it served as mortars for grinding the ingredients of hallucinogenic drugs that would be used by shamans to enter a religious trance. However, this example - and some others we know of - does not have scratch marks inside the mortar, suggesting that it was not used for its intended purpose, but was instead made to be placed into a tomb, perhaps used once to place an offering of hallucinogens beside the deceased. The form of the jaguar throughout the pre-Columbian New World speaks to the transformation of the shaman into a half-human, half-animal spiritual creature. See a similar example at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA. Provenance: Ex-James Klein Auction Condition: Slight wear to surface. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119390

2nd century BC-16th century AD. A mixed bronze group comprising: two Hispano-Moresque thimbles with textured face; a Roman bronze of Faustina; two studs each with a putto mask; a mount fragment with bust of Christ(?); two square-section fusiform beads; a balustered round-section bead; a biconical pendant; a discoid religious amulet; three fragments of a finger ring with incised motifs; two fragments of a bracelet with acorn terminals; a dice with pellets arranged1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 130 grams total, dice: 14mm (1/2"). Property of a Hampshire collector; acquired on the UK art market. Mainly fine condition. [15, No Reserve]

Art Noveau large religious candle holder

Nikolaos GYSISGreek, 1842 -1901Interior with stoveoil on hardboardsigned on the reverseoil on hardboard24.5 x 33 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, HamburgNOTEthe present work is one of three works by Gysis acquired in 1968 by the parents of the present owner in Hamburg, from the collection of a Greek diplomat in Germany. a second work from the same series titled Eros and the Painter is illustrated in the book by Dr Nelli Missirli. Γύζης, Εκδόσεις Αδάμ-Πέργαμος, Αθήνα, 2006, image 4, page 41. This work was auctioned by Bonhams in 2006. Nikolaos Gysis was born in the village of Sklavochori, on the island of Tinos in 1842. In 1850 his family moved to Athens. As a young boy Gysis showed an early inclination to drawing and at the tender age of eight attended art lessons at The School of Fine Arts, Athens. In 1854 at the age of twelve (when it was legal to start studying) he officially begun his studies and graduated ten years later. This formed the foundation of his artistic education. Later, in 1865, on a scholarship from the Panagia Evanghelistria of the Tinos Foundation, he moved to Munich to continue his studies at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He mostly lived in Munich for the rest of his life.Gysis, artistically, rapidly integrated into The Munch School, and became one of its most characteristic representatives in Greek art. This can be seen in the painting News of Victory of 1871, which deals with the Franco-Prussian War, and in the painting Apotheosis of Bavaria.At the beginning of the 1870s Gysis returned to Greece where he lived for a few years. During this time he produced a series of paintings with more avowedly Greek themes, such as Carnival in Athens and Engagement Ceremony. Together with Nikiforos Lytras, he travelled to Asia Minor in 1873 and then to Paris in 1876. From 1886 onwards he was a professor at The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, in which time his work gradually evolved from detailed realistic depictions to singular impressionist compositions. Towards the end of his life, in the 1890s, he took a turn towards more religious themes. His work is housed in prominent museums and private collections in Greece, Germany and elsewhere.

Tassos LOUKIDESGreek, 1884-1972Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphaelmixed media on papersigned lower left23 x 23 cmPROVENANCEprivate collection, Athens Tassos Loukides was born in Smyrna in 1884.He studied at The School of Fine Arts, Athens, and in 1908 he continued his studies in Paris with F. Cormon and Etschevery. Loukides created both secular (non-religious) and ecclesiastical art, the second being icon and fresco painting.His ecclesiastical art was influenced by the Byzantine tradition and the neo-renaissance, examples of which can be seen in his many church commissions both in Greece and France.In his book Αττική. Ελληνικά Χωρικά Κεντήματα, (published in Athens, 1937), Loukides compiled studies of traditional Greek embroidery designs.He participated in a number of prestigious group exhibitions such as the 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1914 Société des Artistes Français, Paris.His works are found in many public and private collections in Greece and internationally, notably: The National Gallery, Athens, The Athens Municipal Gallery and The National Bank of Greece.

5th century BC. A dark red carnelian cylinder seal with finely cut standing figure of a king holding a lion on each side, accompanied by a typed and signed scholarly note issued by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: Cylinder Seal of Red Cornellian. 22 x 11.5 mm. The design shows the Achaemenid Persian king wearing a tall crown, a tunic, and Persian trousers, divided in the middle. He is bearded and a big shock of hair falls at the back of his head. he is standing and holds off on each side a rearing monster. They are lions with wings and horns. This is an Achaemenid Persian seal, c. 500-350 B.C., from some part of the Persian empire. The design is finely cut and the seal is in excellent condition. The scene is symbolic: the king is defeating his enemies. Accompanied by a copy of the catalogue entry and catalogue cover. For motif see Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Accession Number 36.106.2. 5.73 grams, 22mm (3/4"). Property of a London collector; formerly with Christie's, New York, 11 December 2003, lot 355, private collection 1990s; accompanied by a copy of the catalogue entry and catalogue cover. Cylinder seals from Achaemenid period are rare and are thought to have been restricted to officials of the royal administration. That would explain why the majority of seal depicts royalty engaged in hunting, combat or in scenes court and religious life. . Very fine condition. Very rare.

2nd-3rd century AD. An Eastern Empire marble altar with rectangular base three figures of females dressed in peplos representing triple goddess Hecate (Hekate) surrounded by four smaller figures of nymphs, three dancing and once playing aulos; inscription to one side: In the 7th (?) year. For the continuance of Kl(a)udios. ......akos (the name of the dedicator"). At the behest of Artemis .....; provincial workmanship. For a Hellenistic altar pillar to Hekate and the Graces see The Glyptothek Museum, Munich, inventory number 60; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1987.11.2. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 20.7 kg, 69cm (27"). Very fine condition. Rare.Property of a European gentleman living in London; acquired in the UK 1981.Hekate was a Greek goddess who possibly originated in Asia Minor, and was later adapted also in Roman religion. As an underworld deity, she was associated with witchcraft and necromancy, often depicted holding the keys to the underworld and a flaming torch to light her way during her nocturnal travels. Her animal attendants were snakes and dogs, both associated with the underworld, and black dogs were sacrificed to her. In spite of her nature, she was relatively popular and worshipped goddess, with a small altar to her in front of every house in Athens. Hekate was also worshipped as the goddess of crossroads, traditional meeting place for ghosts and witches over who she held a patronage. She is commonly mentioned on curse tablets and magical papyri as a deity who will carry out maleficent spells. In literal sources, she appears in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and in Hesiod's Theogony, where she is promoted as a great goddess. In the second to third century AD writings of the Chaldean Oracles, she was regarded as a ruler over earth, sea and sky, as well as a more universal role as Saviour, Mother of Angels and the Cosmic World Soul. The dedication to Artemis on the altar most likely refers to Hecate's function as a moon goddess. If Hecate's cult spread from Anatolia into Greece, it is possible that it created a religious conflict, as her role was already filled by other more prominent deities in the Greek pantheon, above all by Artemis and Selene. The triple form could be a result of religious compromise, including Hecate in the pantheon of already established moon goddesses. In one version of her origin, Hecate is a mortal priestess often associated with Iphigeneia. She scorns and insults Artemis, who in retribution eventually brings about the mortal's suicide. According to Strabo, there was an area sacred to Hecate in the precincts of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, where the priests, megabyzi, officiated.

1st century BC-1st century AD. A baked clay plaque formed as a reclining bearded man with large circular eyes lying on a bed, holding a cup (?); zig-zag pattern to the long tunic. 124 grams, 11.4cm (4 1/2"). From a German collection; acquired on the German art market before 1990. The funerary banquet was a popular tradition especially with Eastern Greeks. This tradition was notably widespread in Hellenistic time, when Greek culture expanded and both religious and art ideas were incorporated and adapted in Persian area. Particularly in Parthian art, we can find both large marble panels with banquet scenes together and much smaller clay figurines of individuals in reclining position dating to the late Hellenistic period. [No Reserve]. Fine condition.

3rd-5th century AD. A statuette of Buddha seated cross-legged with hands folded in the lap; coral pink pigment remaining; mounted on a custom-made stand. Cf. Behrendt, K. The Art of Gandhara in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2007, pp. 64-68 for a discussion on stucco sculpture. 2 kg, 27cm including stand (10 1/2"). Property of a North London gentleman; formerly with a Mayfair gallery in the 1980s. The use of stucco, clay and terracotta for the production of images at Gandharan Buddhist sites was particularly popular due to the fact that it was easier and cheaper to work than the usual schist stone. because stucco is susceptible to water damage such sculpture often does not survive. With the rapid expansion of Buddhism in the area and the need for monastic and other religious sites to cater for the needs of the faithful, stucco proved to be a favourite material in decorating these sites; the images range in size from small devotional pieces to monumental sculptures, such as those found at Takht-i-bahi in Pakistan. . Fine condition; neck repaired.

19th century AD. A rectangular wooden icon with painted image of Kazanskaya Mother of God (????????? ??????????), covered by a chipped silver riza (oklad), stamped hallmark and inscription ???????? ????? ??? (shortcut of The Kazan Most Holy Mother of God); fabric-covered reverse. 487 grams, 22.4 x 17.5 cm (8 3/4 x 7"). Property of a lady; acquired from a London fine art gallery in the late 1990s. According to the tradition, the icon was found in 1579 in the city of Kazan by a little girl, to whom the Virgin Mary revealed the location. A special church dedicated to the icon was built in Kazan in 1679, but later it had been moved to Moscow and a copy was installed in the new cathedral of Kazan. In 1821 the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan moved again, this time to St. Petersburg, where it was installed in the new Kazan Cathedral in the heart of the city. By this time the icon had become extremely popular and there were nine separate miracle working copies of it around the country. By the middle of the 19th century, the original icon was encrusted in diamonds, massive emeralds and a gold cover. Like many other religious artefacts, this icon was taken out of Russia during the Bolshevik revolution and nowadays, it is believed that the original is displayed in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan after it was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church by Vatican. . Fair condition.

1st century BC-1st century AD. A baked clay plaque formed as a reclining man with long beard, hair combed in two globular braids under a simple cap, dressed in knee-length tunic, holding a drinking cup. Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 55.162.2; The British Museum, Registration number 1851,0101.99. 165 grams, 12.4cm (4 3/4"). From a German collection; acquired on the German art market before 1990. The funerary banquet was a popular tradition especially with Eastern Greeks. This tradition was notably widespread in Hellenistic time, when Greek culture expanded and both religious and art ideas were incorporated and adapted in Persian area. Particularly in Parthian art, we can find both large marble panels with banquet scenes together and much smaller clay figurines of individuals in reclining position dating to late Hellenistic period. [No Reserve]. Fine condition.

15th century AD. A flat-section gold hoop with pelleted border and text 'AVE*MARIA*GRACIA' applied shoulders with flower and frond detailing, plaque with inset quartz cabochon. 5.69 grams, 23mm overall, 16.96mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.16, Japan 12) (1"). Ex Edwards collection, Nottingham, UK; formerly in a South German collection. The phrase 'Ave Maria Gracia' is based on the greeting of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary in the Gospel of Luke, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Early theologians established a parallel between Christ’s Passion and the Virgin’s compassion: while he suffered physically on the cross, she was crucified in spirit. The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD sanctioned the cult of the Virgin as Mother of God; the dissemination of images of the Virgin and Child, which came to embody church doctrine, soon followed. The Virgin Mary, known as the Theotokos in Greek terminology, was central to Byzantine spirituality as one of its most important religious figures. As the mediator between suffering mankind and Christ and the protectress of Constantinople, she was widely venerated. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw an extraordinary growth of the cult of the Virgin in western Europe, in part inspired by the writings of theologians such as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), who identified her as the bride of the Song of Songs in the Old Testament. The Virgin was worshipped as the Bride of Christ, Personification of the Church, Queen of Heaven, and Intercessor for the salvation of humankind. This movement found its grandest expression in the French cathedrals, which are often dedicated to “Our Lady,” and many cities, such as Siena, in Italy, placed themselves under her protection. . Very fine condition.

1st millennium BC. A carved jadeite D-shaped panel with holes to the upper and lateral edges; to one face a facing mask with narrow eyes, broad nose, downturned mouth, flanked by arched lines. 86 grams, 75mm (3"). From the private collection of a German gentleman; acquired prior to 1999. The Olmecs were the first people in Mesoamerica to create a codified religious universe that we can recognise today through the surviving art. Olmec deities had features of the powerful animals of the tropical rain forests, with the principle deity being a were-jaguar, brought to life through the mating of a human female and a male jaguar. These deities display a mix of human and feline features and the most enduring of these were-jaguar deities is the Rain Baby, a deity whose tears were believed to bring the life giving rains. The mix of human and feline features could relate to the Shamanic practice of trance rituals where the practitioner was believed to enter the body of an animal, such as a jaguar, in order to communicate with the spirit world. The creation of luxury objects from jade required a material which didn't occur in the heart of Olmec culture. Therefore rulers dispatched parties to procure the stone, and over these jade routes the Olmec empire reached into what is now Honduras, as well as to Mexico city area and the Pacific Ocean. This way, the culture expanded through the Mesoamerica and create the base for later Maya culture, traceable in art style, rituals and ballgame. The facial expression with the narrow eyes and crescentic mouth resembles that of the Olmec jadeite mask displayed in the The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York under accession number 1977.187.33. . Fine condition.

7th-6th century BC. A silver phiale mesompholos with intersecting bulbous petals to the base, flaring rim and to the centre a central boss decorated with rosette and framed by lines. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 157 grams, 12.5cm (5"). Private collection, London, UK; formed 1970s-1980s. Accompanied by a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. Elam was an ancient pre-Iranian civilization with its capital at Susa. Its culture played a crucial role during the Persian Achaemenid dynasty that succeeded Elam, when the Elamite language remained among those in official use. Elamite is generally accepted to be a language isolate and thus unrelated to the much later arriving Persian and Iranic languages. The neo-Elamite period is distinguished by the migration of Indo-European speaking Iranian peoples into the area, known as Medes from ancient sources. Among these pressuring tribes were the Parsu, first recorded in 844 BC as living on the southeastern shore of Lake Urmiah, but who by the end of this period would cause the Elamites' original home, the Iranian Plateau, to be renamed Persia proper. Phiale Mesamphalos were the most popular form of drinking vessels and were produced in a number of materials, from clay through to silver and gold. They were used in banquets held by the nobility, but were also used to pour libations at religious festivals. They were a common gift from the king to the nobility which helped cement alliances among the different tribes of the Empire. They were also used as diplomatic gifts to visiting dignitaries and they were extremely popular in the kingdom of Macedonia where they were used for purely religious purposes. . Very fine condition.

Ptolemaic Period, 305-30 BC. A tongue-shaped painted cartonnage panel with a central pair of gilded sandals with interlaced design, a tall decorated lotus between them; four rows to the bottom with red, yellow and green geometric decoration, one row with white, red and pink flowers; fabric to the reverse. 61 grams, 27.7cm (11"). Acquired on the London art market prior to 1980. Cartonnage is a material consisting of several layers of linen or papyrus pasted together, covered by a thin layer of plaster and painted. It became popular from the First Intermediate Period for use in funerary decoration on mummified bodies. It was used to make masks, pectoral panels and even full sized coffins. The pieces are painted with religious scenes to aid the deceased in reaching the afterlife safely. . Fine condition, some cracking.

2nd-3rd century AD. A sheet bronze face-plate from a cavalry sports helmet (Russel-Robinson Type E) with repoussé detailing to the hair and coif, brow-band of square panels with ovoid centres, raised herringbone eyebrows and eyelashes; openwork eyes each with central ring, pierced nostrils and mouth; hole to each side of the chin. Cf. mask from the Straubing Hoard in Travis, H. & J. Roman Helmets, Stroud, 2014, fig.89. See Garbsch, J. Romische Paraderustungen: Katalog der Ausstellung, Munich, 1978, pl. 24.4 for a similar example from Visegrad, Hungary. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 358 grams, 30cm (11 3/4"). Property of a Suffolk gentleman; acquired before 2000. Accompanied by a copy of positive metallurgic analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr. Peter Northover (ex Department of Materials, Materials Science-Based Archaeology Group & Department of Materials, University of Oxford"). The face-plate resembles a mask from the Straubing Hoard. The features have an 'Eastern' appearance enhanced by the construction of the eye-rings. 'Cavalry Sports' helmets are a class of ornate, embossed headgear used in parades, military exercises and on the battlefield. According to Arrian of Nicomedia, a Roman provincial governor and a close friend of Hadrian, face mask helmets were used in cavalry parades and sporting mock battles called hippika gymnasia. Parades or tournaments played an important part in maintaining unit morale and fighting effectiveness. They took place on a parade ground situated outside a fort and involved the cavalry practicing maneuvering and the handling of weapons such as javelins and spears. Parades would have taken place at several times in the year, especially at religious festivals and on days marking the birth, and accession to the throne, of the Emperor. Hippika gymnasia were colourful tournaments among the elite cavalry of the army, the alae. Both men and horses wore elaborate suites of equipment on these occasions, often in the guise of Greeks and Amazons. Calvary helmets were made from a variety of metals and alloys, often from gold-coloured alloys or iron covered with tin. They were decorated with embossed reliefs and engravings depicting the war god Mars and other divine and semi-divine figures associated with the military. . Very fine condition, restored.

20th-17th century BC. A rectangular baked clay plaque with low relief motif of a seated musician in long robe playing a harp. See similar piece in Louvre museum, France, AO 12453. 94 grams, 10.6cm (4 1/4"). From a German collection; acquired on the German art market before 1990. In whole area of Ancient Mesopotamia, music had a vital social and religious function. It was an important part of evens both official,ceremonial and religious. Most likely every palace and temple had its own professional musicians and musical instruments such as harp, lyre, lute, reed pipe and drum. [No Reserve]. Fine condition.

John Kingerlee (b.1936)Grid - Kilcatherine (2007) oil on board signed, titled & dated 2007 on reverse 25.40 x 61cm (10 x 24in) Provenance: Private Collection Picked for USA tour 'John Kingerlee' by former New York Times art critic William Zimmer which exhibited in sixteen cities across the US between 2007 and 2010. Grid Kilcatherine toured American museums for three years as part of a major John Kingerlee retrospective. The grid series represents the summation of this distinguished artist's career, appealing to major collectors and critics across the globe. The series began in 1996 following a trip to the ancient burial mound of Tara near the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland. The experience gave Kingerlee a profound sense of ancient power and our ancestors' attempts to preserve an awareness of this within the landscape. Eventually the artist distilled these thoughts and feelings into an innovative group of landscape paintings that became known as the grids, in which he adapted the cellular web of the Cubists and applied it to timeless elemental settings. The grids have also been dubbed pneumas, from the ancient Greek word for breath or, when used in a religious context, spirit or soul. For the ancient Greek philosopher Anaximenes, pneuma was the primary substance from which all things are made. In the hands of the painter, oil pigment is the medium from which his subject must be brought to life, and Kingerlee's approach with his rows of dissolving 'plaques' stresses both repetition and coherence. His fundamental belief is that all things in the universe are linked, they are parts of an overriding unity, hence in a work such as the present one there is a strong sense of continuation into infinity: the breadth and depth of the composition are not limited by the confines of the picture frame. The multi-layered surfaces of the grids are themselves evocative of geological or archaeological strata, with the upper 'crust' hiding numerous earlier manifestations of the painting (some in bright primary colours), whilst at the same time respecting that evolution by allowing the textured build-up of pigment to push through the upper skin. The process of accumulation and reduction to which each grid is subjected is a metaphor for the processes of nature - birth, growth, germination, disintegration, and regeneration. The artist is acutely aware of these cycles, living as he has done on the exposed west coast of Ireland for over thirty-five years, observing the weathering effects of wind and the erosion of the coast by heavy seas. The light too changes constantly in this primordial setting, revealing and concealing, the very edge of the land intensifying one's awareness of it as the eye is drawn by the huge dome of the sky. In Kilcatherine Grid two rows of five plaques seem to hang suspended in pale blue space. Each one could be a landscape or seascape in its own right, some even evoke suggestions of faces through the smears of paint and the drier accretions of impasto. Dissolution and break-up are, however, held in check by a sense of order that is manifested in the artist's reliance on symmetry and balance. The spaces between the plaques form a row of four linked crosses, their edges blurred to a greater or lesser extent so as to suggest that this colour not only separates but also forms a background to the plaques, like stones projecting above the surface of the sea or clouds scattered across the sky - each element animated, of course, by pneuma. Jonathan Benington, October 2016

Achille Peretti (Italian/New Orleans, 1857-1923), "Interior at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church", 1899, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, "Artists' Association of New Orleans" exhibition label with artist and title en verso, 38 in. x 28 1/2 in., period frame. Note: St. John the Baptist Church’s golden steeple has long been an architectural landmark in New Orleans. Built in the late 1860s and early 1870s, the church’s formal dedication was January 7, 1872. The original structure still stands today. Although the floor plan has not been altered, the interior has undergone several campaigns of restorations. The current lot provides a fascinating view into the original design of the interior. The renowned stained glass, which is now featured in the side windows of the church, had not yet been installed in every window. The stained glass was donated over a course of almost a century – the first donation occurring in 1874 and the last in 1962. In 1963, the church underwent a more extensive renovation and restoration. Unfortunately, the ornate altar featured in this painting was damaged beyond repair by termites and was replaced. In 2002, a renovation took place that saw to the repainting of the interior and the gilding of the column capitals and other details throughout the church.The figures portrayed in the church give the viewer a sense of the Catholic community in the late 19th century. The women depicted are, based on their clothing, fashionable ladies of means, adhering to the latest styles of dresses or blouses and skirts with high necks and long gigot sleeves. Hats with flowers, ribbons, or other decorations were extremely popular during this time period; ladies’ heads would have remained covered in a church during the late 1800s. The inclusion of an African-American woman in the painting indicates that St. John the Baptist Church had an interracial congregation in the 1890s, a circumstance that was more common during the antebellum period than in the later part of the century. Many slaves were baptized and attended the same churches as their owners. After the Civil War, African-American Catholics began forming their own communities. Orders such as the Sisters of the Holy Family, which had been founded in 1842 by Mother Henriette Delille, evangelized and converted both slaves and free persons of color before the war and expanded into full congregations after the war. St. Augustine Church was another community where interracial worship was common. Free black and white people rented approximately the same number of pews, raised funds, and sang in the choir together. Post-Civil War, as more black Catholic communities were formed and money from religious leaders such as Sister Katharine Drexel was donated to those communities, interracial Catholic congregations became less common.Although depictions of exteriors of the beautiful churches of New Orleans are quite common, views of the interior of a house of worship are relatively rare. Peretti, from the time he arrived in New Orleans in 1885 from his native Italy, had an interest in religious art. In addition to painting a number of varied subjects, he also worked decorating churches in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi at Our Lady of the Gulf and in New Orleans at numerous churches, including St. John the Baptist, St. Stephen’s, and St. Patrick’s. Through this fascinating look at a slice of life in the New Orleans Catholic community in the late 1800s, Peretti is able to provide some introspection into both the racial and religious history of the city. Ref.: Nolan, Bruce and Pastor Lori Renee. “Black Catholicism: Religion and Slavery in Antebellum Louisiana.” M.A. Thesis. Dallas: University of Dallas, 2003; Dobie, Ann B. “Achille Peretti.” KnowLA: Encyclopedia of Louisiana. Sept. 12, 2012. www.knowla.org/entry/1328. Accessed Oct. 21, 2016; “History of the Church.” St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. www.goldensteeple.com. Accessed Oct. 21, 2016.

Theora Hamblett (American/Mississippi, 1895-1977), "Girl at the Duck Pond", 1974, oil on canvas board, signed and dated lower right, 10 in. x 8 in., framed. Note: Theora Hamblett began her professional career late in life, dismissing the abstract style popular at the time for something more personal and unique. Many of Hamblett’s paintings concentrated on her childhood memories, especially of the chicken farm in Paris MS where she spent her childhood. In nearly all of her landscape paintings, she included animals or people, with the belief that those additions gave life to the scenes. She also painted many landscapes that featured children playing games to evoke a sense of nostalgia. After an accident that broke her hip and required surgery in 1954, she began to paint her dreams and visions, with many of her visions showing religious scenes. The same year, New York gallery owner and famous collector, Betty Parsons, discovered Hamblett's work and subsequently one of her paintings was included in a 1955 show of new acquisitions at the Museum of Modern Art. In "Girl at the Duck Pond" offered here, the scene showcases two of Hamblett’s hallmarks – pattern and color. Almost obsessively flat areas of color off-set by the equally flat subjects are in drastic contrast to the highly patterned trees. The resulting effect of the foliage evokes movement and accentuates the background, drawing the eye to the key figures of the girl and ducks. Ref.: Wertkin, Gerard, ed. Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. New York, NY: Routledge, 2003, pp. 243-244. "Theora Hamblett." Greg Thompson Fine Art. www.gregthompsonfineart.com. Accessed Oct. 24, 2016.

Two religious carved wood folk art figures, 18/19th C. H.: 34 cm (the tallest)

BOX WITH A COLLECTION RELIGIOUS ART THEMATICS IN FOUR ALBUMS AND LOOSE, MANY SETS AND MINISHEETS ETC.

*Embroidery. Embroidered mirror frame, English, circa 1640, embroidery and stumpwork on silk satin, elaborately worked with Biblical scenes and symbolic motifs on a theme of deception, incorporating figures, animals, insects, a castle, flowers and trees, an hour glass, an angel, etc., worn and fragile in places (some strengthening on verso), 60 x 52cm (23.5 x 20.5ins) A remarkable rare survival depicting the following Biblical characters: David and Bathsheba, Jezebel, Samson and Delilah, Tamar, Aaron, Eve, Laban, and Isaac. Although mirrors existed before, it wasn't until the sixteenth century that the Venetians perfected the production of clear plate glass. Mirrors made during this early period were extremely costly and highly prized, and so the frames that surrounded them were frequently elaborate and beautifully made. In this case the frame is more than just a thing of beauty; it also conveys a message through its stories and symbols. The theme of deception was seen as a very appropriate one for a mirror frame; the allegorical complexities of the mirror have been used time and again in art and literature, most obviously the mirror being the means of distorting an image, or conversely, being a means of robbing the viewer of self-deception. A number of symbolic images convey further instructive messages, for example a snail denotes sloth and sin, the hare lust and fecundity, the squirrel avarice and greed, an hour glass the passage of time, an iris the power of light and hope, a stag piety and religious aspiration, and so on. (1)

Artist: Renzo Roncarolo (1916 - 2000) Artwork Title: Mountain Size: 85 x 65 cm Media: Oil on canvas Artist Info: Renzo Roncarolo (1916-2000) was an Italian neo-realist artist who graduated from Turin's Real Albertina Academy in 1940.During his internment in a Nazi concentration camp in Germany during the Second World War that he embarked on a series of sketches and drawings that were a great influence on his future career. In those terrible circumstances he drew not from despair but on hope and even after the war some of his paintings were commentaries of the the persecution of the Jews. Roncarolo was also sensitive to religious subjects and painted murals for the churches of Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta in Italy. From 1950 he was a professor at the Institute of Fine Art, Vercelli, later becoming the Artistic Director until his death. Notes: During his lifetime he exhibited in over 100 group exhibitions and over 50 solo ones; his works can be found in many public and private collections.

BOOTH (C.) Life and Labour of the People in London. Third Series: Religious Influences, 7 vols. 20 coloured maps (19 folded), text sketch maps & tables; gilt-decorated art vellum. 1902. * or lack of them; the great social analysis parish by parish (though all denominations included); much background on crime, depravity & poverty - as well as optimistic hopes for educational & social reform.

A tray of decorative items, religious plaster cast figure of Christ, art glass vase, two wall lights etc.

Ionia, Ephesos (?) EL Stater. Circa 575-560 BC. Forepart of bridled horse left, sunburst before; lotus flower on its back / Rectangular incuse punch between two square incuse punches, all with roughly patterned surfaces. Weidauer 138 (these dies); Mitchiner 135; ACGC 56. 14.31g, 20mm. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. The lotus flower that appears upon the horse's back is an element common to several electrum staters from uncertain mints attributed to Lydia or Ionia, all struck on the Milesian standard: the recumbent lion type (Rosen 245; NAC 72, 16 May 2013, 369), bull kneeling with its head reverted (Rosen 148), and two rampant lions upright on their hind legs with heads reverted and paws extended (Rosen 149). On all of these coins the lotus flower may initially appear incidental, though its commonality to all types indicates otherwise – it is evidently to be seen as the key element of the obverse type that links the different animal designs together. The lotus flower appears only sporadically in Greek mythology, though it had a deep rooted use in Egyptian art and legend, where it was taken as a symbolic representation of the sun on account of its physical behaviour: it closes at night time and descends into the water, rising and flowering again at dawn. In Egyptian creation myth, the lotus was the first thing to spontaneously form from chaos, and it was from the lotus that the sun itself was born on the first day. The eastern coastal areas of the Mediterranean in the sixth century BC had been for a long time familiar with Egyptian religious beliefs that spread as a consequence of trade and population dispersal; the lotus' insinuation in its Egyptian meaning into Greek culture is evident in the lotus-tipped sceptre carried by Zeus on the coinages of Karia, Mysia and Kilikia (among others), being a legacy of the assimilation of an attribute of the major Egyptian solar deity Ra with the principal god of the Greek pantheon Zeus. The lotus' appearance here as a polyvalent symbol can best be understood then in the context of assimilated Egyptian beliefs, representing at once both a solar and divine aspect, as well as a clear allusion to the minting city's location. Interestingly however, the lotus is not the only solar element present on this coin – immediately before the horse's chest we can discern the presence of a sunburst similar in depiction to those found on the contemporary coinage of Alyattes. This element may have been included on account of its being more universally familiar, being well understood to signify what we now refer to as Anatolia, which comes from the Greek Aνατολή (Anatolē) meaning the 'East' or more literally 'sunrise', used to refer to the Ionian colonies on the west coast of Asia Minor. Moreover the horse was itself considered a solar symbol, not only throughout the East, but also among Celtic and Germanic tribes, suggesting a common ancient root to this association. Such preponderance of solar symbology is indeed only fitting for this metal, and is in fact an overt statement of the coin's composition: ἤλεκτρον, the Greek word for electrum, is derived from the word ἠλέκτωρ (ēlektōr) - 'shining sun'.

Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) NATIVITY hand-painted stone carving; (unique) 17¾ x 18 x 3in. (45.09 x 45.72 x Collection of George and Maura McClelland Images and textures of stone recur throughout Gerard Dillon's oeuvre, from the distinctive wall patterns in his West of Ireland paintings, to his idiosyncratic and playful interpretations of the carved Irish scripture crosses. Nativity, a hand-painted stone carving, is without parallel in Dillon's body of work, a unique and individual exploration of the traditional religious iconography and early Irish stone carving that he drew on throughout his career. Marking a departure from his two-dimensional work on paper and canvas, Nativity reveals Dillon's exploration of the graphic and sculptural potential of shallow-relief carving, as well as the layering of colours and tones on polished limestone.Although more often associated with his scenes of the Western Irish coast, and with his highly personal 'pierrot' or clown series, Dillon frequently employed religious iconography. In his biography of Dillon, James White highlighted the intensely religious visual culture that surrounded Dillon during his youth in Belfast, describing the 'altars with lamps and flowers would be in almost every little Catholic house in the Falls Road area', as well as the 'large coloured reproductions of the Sacred Heart and the Virgin'. (1) Forgive us our Trespasses (1942), for example, depicts the long queue for confession, whereas paintings such as The Holy Island or Fast Day engage explicitly with religious iconography and experience. Dillon's highly personal interpretations in these works, and particularly in Nativity, affirm his importance to the canon of religious art in twentieth-century Ireland. The formal structure of Nativity, with the individual figures depicted in carefully defined compartments, reflects the arrangements on the Irish carved scripture crosses, as well as his 'childhood love of cutting out and rearranging images from newspapers and magazines' (2). The inclusion of the three kings, and the kneeling shepherds at the base of the limestone block, balances the composition and focuses attention on the cross shape formed by the Christ child and angels. Both the formal arrangement and the treatment of colour and figures within Nativity reveal Dillon's deep engagement with Irish and European religious iconography. The figures of Mary and Joseph in profile reflect the flattened and stylised graphic style of Insular manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. The delicate washes of colour on stone and careful incisions delineating mass and form, however, may reflect the influence of medieval and early Renaissance Italian art, particularly the work of Giotto, or even the richly-coloured depictions of the Kings from the mosaics in Ravenna's Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo. The shallow-relief carving and formal arrangement of Nativity also echo early modern Irish grave-slab carving.The tonal depth and delicacy of this work on polished limestone is particularly evident when compared with a similar arrangement in wax crayon on paper, with its brighter and harsher colours, and with a flattened arrangement that resembles a design for stained glass (3). While Nativity remains unique within Dillon's oeuvre, the carved sharp relief of each figure in the stone perhaps influenced the strong graphic style of his later works, and particularly works such as Clown with Magnifying Glass in his Pierrot series. (4) Dr Niamh NicGhabhannAugust 20161. James White, Gerard Dillon: an illustrated biography (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1994), 18. 2. Catherine Marshall, 'Gerard Dillon', in Catherine Marshall, Peter Murray and Andrew Carpenter (eds.), Art and Architecture of Ireland, Volume 5 Twentieth Century, (London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015), p. 141. 3. Karen Reihill, Gerard Dillon, Art and Friendships, Adam's, Dublin, 2013, p.97 (catalogue no. 85 'Nativity'. "A preliminary drawing for a Bord Failte Christmas Card.")4. Karen Reihill, 'Behind the mask', Irish Arts Review, Vol. 29, No. 3, Autumn/Winter 2012, 104-107. L

Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) SINGING 'UNDER THE CANOPY OF HEAVEN', 1950 oil on board signed lower right; titled on reverse 9 x 14in. (22.86 x 35.56cm) Victor Waddington Galleries, 1953;Collection of John Devine;Private collection, 1968;Private collection, Ireland, 1971;deVeres, 27 September 2005, lot 31;Private collection 'Paintings', Victor Waddington Galleries, London, 15 April to 8 May 1971, catalogue no. 25 Pyle, Hilary, Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Andre Deutsh, London, 1992, Vol. I, page 968, catalogue no. 1066; also Vol. III (black and white illustration, p. 541) Many of Yeats' late paintings focus on strolling players and performers winding their way through the Irish countryside, providing entertainment and amusement to those around them. Such works include key paintings like The Entertainers (1945, Private Collection), Left-Left, We Left our Name On the Road, On the Road, (1948, Private Collection) and The Singing Horseman, (National Gallery of Ireland, 1949). Singing 'Under the Canopy of Heaven' explores a similar theme. Two figures, seen only from the mid torso upwards, move through a bare landscape, their mouths open in song. One figure wears a bowler hat pulled down over his ears in a comical fashion. His companion holds a large banner. They are painted in an almost transparent manner that makes them connect intimately with their surroundings. The blue of the sky and the green of the fields are visible through their skin. The title of the painting suggests the feeling of freedom and close connection to nature. The phrase 'Under the Canopy of Heaven' has a distinctly religious connotation. It evokes a Christian idea of God's bounty in providing humanity with a world of natural beauty. It is used in the title of a number of 18th and 19th century paintings of vagrants or gypsies living in the open countryside. It is also the title of a 19th century American hymn. Singing 'Under the Canopy of Heaven' is probably based on the artist's memory of a political or religious parade or march such as those which took place in Sligo and the border counties. Yeats would have been drawn to these events not so much by politics, as by his fascination with masquerade and performance. Standing back from the work a strong sense of perspective emerges. Only the head and shoulders of the men are depicted. The viewpoint is like that of a close-up shot rather than a conventional fine art perspective. It is as if the viewer were standing right beside the marchers. The right-hand figure appears to be positioned closest to the surface of the painting while the banner he is carrying is painted to appear blurred and out of focus. The second figure appears much more diminutive which reinforces the sense of his distance from the viewer. This dramatic perspective adds to the dynamic movement of the group and the energy imparted by the men as they devote themselves to their marching song. Dr Róisín KennedyAugust 2016 L

A painted illuminated religious text in an oak frame, 20 x 118cm, together with a Carlton Ware Art Deco blackened, orange enamelled toast rack.