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.
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Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. A pair of ceramic figure of a leaping horses, the bodies decorated in red paint with spots to the mane and rump, mouth open to suggest exertion; female rider wearing long robe, the hair drawn into a high bun, hand raised, perhaps to hold attached reins. See Harrist, R. Power and Virtue: The Horse in Chinese Art, New York, 1997. Accompanied by an Art Loss Register certificate. 9 kg total, 48cm each (19"). From the Cheuk family collection. China entered an aristocratic age after the dissolution of the Han empire. The aristocrats of this period were both families of Chinese ancestry and elites of various non-Chinese peoples settled in the north. The latter were descended from the many peoples who originally occupied steppe territories north and west of the settled farming communities of North China. The imperial families of many of the Northern Dynasties were closely related by marriage alliances which continued into the Sui and Tang. A relatively small number of aristocratic families thus dominated the politics and court life of much of China in the Tang dynasty. Their tastes, fashions and habits became powerful influences on the growth of Chinese culture during this period. This figure was part of the burial assemblage of an important aristocrat and burials were constructed and furnished in accordance with restrictive sumptuary regulations that dictated the kind of tomb and the quality and quantity of grave goods. The aristocracy enjoyed both noble rank and official positions on a scale with as many as nine grades and tombs reflected the position of the owner within the political system. The tomb figures are superb examples of the of both the ceramic and sculptural arts that matured during this period. Their rapid development and high achievements are evidence of a society that placed great demands on the artists who crafted these works and rewarded them for their creativity. [2] Finely modelled.
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. A pair of terracotta entertainers consisting of: one of a drummer (?) wearing long yellow robes belted at the waist and with a floral pattern running vertically to the neck, hands held up at chest height; a black 'Phrygian' style cap, painted details to the face; a dancing female wearing a knee length yellow tunic, belted at the waist and with red collar, long sleeves over the hands with red cuffs' white trousers and black shoes; hair pulled into pigtails at the sides of the head tied at the top with a red band; painted details to the face. 1.5 kg total, 23-25cm (9 - 9 3/4"). From a German private collection, Cologne. There is a long recorded history of various forms of dance in China. Some Chinese dances today such as dancing with long sleeves have been recorded since the very early periods, dating from the at least as early as the Zhou Dynasty. The most important dances of the early period were the ritual and ceremonial music and dances called yayue, and these dances were performed at the imperial court until the Qing dynasty, but only survive today as performances in Confucian ceremonies. The art of dance reached a peak in the Tang Dynasty, and the dances of the period were highly diverse and cosmopolitan, dances from Central Asia in particular were popular. A great number of dances were recorded in the Tang dynasty, for example there are over sixty Grand Compositions alone which are large scale performances from the Tang court, and there were tens of thousands of musicians and dancers at the Imperial palaces. The art of dance however declined after the Tang dynasty. This is due in part to the increasing popularity of the practice of footbinding, which may have first arisen from dancers themselves but later tighter binding limited their movements, and greater social restriction placed on women may have also led to a virtual elimination of female dancers. [2] Finely modelled.
1st-3rd century AD. A carved marble figurine of a gladiator in kilt with pteruges, scale manica to the left arm with strap to the chest, left hand gripping the hilt of a gladius. See Shadrake, S. The World of the Gladiator, Stroud, 2005. 387 grams, 12cm (4 3/4"). Acquired on the London art market prior to 1980. The exact identification of the type of gladiator represented by this statue is not possible due to the figure not wearing certain pieces of equipment that would have helped identify his class. However, the inclusion of the manica, or arm guard, narrows it down to a few possibilities, such as the murmillo, retiarius, eques or the hoplomachus. The fact that the figure is shown at ease without a helmet, or much body armour, suggests that the statuette is that of a victorious gladiator. Fair condition.
Middle Palaeolithic, 300,000-30,000 years BP. A knapped flint rectangular blade with pencilled notation '1872', old adhesive label 'Baker's Hole / 1096' and collector's label '500'. 186 grams, 14cm (5 1/2"). Ex Dr M. G. Weller collection, Cornwall, UK; formerly with Henry Dewey (British Geological Survey) collection; found Baker's Hole, Northfleet, Kent, UK, 1872. Baker's Hole is a former quarry at Northfleet, Kent, England. It is known for large Levallois cores and flakes, representing the discarded remains of production on a large scale of stone handaxe tools, probably by Neanderthals. Fine condition.
15th century AD. A small folding beam balance for weighing coins and similar low weight items; the T-shaped centre section for holding the balance while in use, with two hinged arms ending in rings to receive scale pans on cords. See Geoff Egan, 'The Medieval Household', fig. 142 and no. 1055. 5 grams, 85mm (3 1/2"). Found Bedfordshire, UK. Very fine, working order. Scarce thus.
300-65 million years BP. A mixed group of fossils including: two shark vertebrae; a Hybodus shark dorsal spine; a Ceratodus sp. (extinct lungfish) tooth plate, a garfish scale; a fish spine; seven miscellaneous fish scales. 89 grams total, 1-12cm (1/4 - 3 3/4"). From the collection of the paleontologist R Gledhill; collected between 1930 and 1960. [13, No Reserve] Fine condition.
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 BC. A D-section coiled gold hoop with punched scale detailing, broad lozenge-shaped head with lentoid eyes, double-looped tail. Cf. Taylor, G. & Scarisbrick, D. Finger Rings from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day, Oxford, 1978, item 79. 7.91 grams, 19mm overall, 14.53mm internal diameter (approximate size British G 1/2, USA 3 1/2, Europe 5.55, Japan 5) (3/4"). From a private collection; formed 1965-1975. Very fine condition.
1st century BC-1st century AD. A Roman or Parthian sheet silver discoid plaque with beaded border and attachment holes; repoussé bust of Athena facing with plumed helmet, tunic under scale armour. See Rolland, H. Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965 for discussion. 62 grams, 12.5cm (5"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired in the 1980s. Supplied with a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Very fine condition, usage wear.
1st-3rd century AD. A Roman bronze copy of the 5th century BC Greek statue of the athlete The Discobolus of Myron, the discus thrower, a nude male figure in active pose with right arm extended to the rear, left hand stretched across the right knee; with a custom-made display stand. Cf. a marble copy of the Greek original in the British Museum under accession number GR 1805.7-3.43. known as the Townley Discobolus. 231 grams, 11cm including stand (4 1/4"). Found East Anglia, UK, before 2000. The Greek sculptor Myron came from Eleutherai, on the borders of Attica and Boetia, and worked through the Early Classical period. According to Pliny he was the apprentice of the famed sculptor Ageladas, as were other major fifth century sculptors such as Phidias and Polyclitus. The majority of his work that can be dated come from between 450 and 440 BC and he was regarded by ancient writers as being on the threshold of realism in sculpture, though lacking in emotion. His most famous statue was a bronze cow on the Acropolis which was often mistaken as being real by those who saw it for the first time. His Discobolus, or discus thrower, is easily recognised in copies from the Roman writer Lucian's description in the Philopseudes: stooping in the pose of one preparing to throw, turning towards the hand with the discus and gently bending the other knee, as ready to rise and cast. The original was a bronze statue, with all of the later, large scale Roman copies, being in marble, with a few smaller bronze copies being known. The head has touches of the Archaic Period style, as displayed in the cap of hair in the form of shallow carved ringlets. Despite the apparent freedom of the pose the figure is cut in one plane, for a single viewpoint, like high relief without a background. The only known copy in which the head is shown in the correct position is that found on the Esquiline Hill in Rome and now in the Terme Museum. [A video of this lot is available on the TimeLine Auctions website] Fine condition. Rare.
Tinus (Marthinus Johannes) de Jongh (South African 1885-1942) MEIRINGSPOORT signed; a plaque adhered to the front of the frame bares the artist's name and the title oil on canvas 67 by 100cm Tinus de Jongh was a self-taught artist who began his career as a decorator in Amsterdam, only later pursuing a career as an artist, much to the dismay of his parents. After achieving local recognition for his work in Amsterdam, he came to South Africa in 1921, where he would, like the artists before him, fall in love with the South African landscape. Esmé Berman, the highly respected and critically acclaimed art historian, notes that “De Jongh’s pictures amply answer the requirements of the broader buying public: they are sumptuous in scale, local in content, descriptive in character, traditional in style and bright in colour.” “When de Jongh first came to South Africa, he brought with him a sober Amsterdam approach; his scenes were warm and intimate, his palette subdued. His detailed brushwork was rich in impasto highlights and characteristically Dutch in manner. Like most European newcomers to South Africa, he was impressed by the rugged scenery of the Cape and proceeded to apply himself to portrayal of the gabled farm-houses, the verdant valleys and the sunset-tinted mountain peaks. Like so many artists from the duller northern climes he was also lured by brilliant sunlight into rejecting his customary subtle tones and substituting shrill oranges and pinks and purples.” - Berman, E., Art and Artists of South Africa, A. A. Balkema, Cape Town, 1974, p 76 & 77
MONUMENTAL "NUREMBERG" HAND-CARVED WOODEN EAGLEA most impressive, monumental hand-carved wooden statue of a Third Reich "political" eagle, 41" tall and 50" wide at the wings, mounted atop a 17 1/2" x 25 1/2" x 6" wooden base. The eagle faces left, with its wings folded vertically, and its talons clutch a wreath of oak leaves which enclose a stationary swastika. This eagle in nearly identical to the examples created by sculptor Kurt Schmid-Emen, who created such examples on an enormous scale for the German pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition and the National Socialist Party rally grounds at Nuremberg, among others. Experts we have questioned believe that this example may have served as a model or may have been a presentation piece created by Schmid-Emen himself. Reproductions of Schmid-Emen's eagle became the standard for use in Nazi Party administrative and other official buildings, and at important party meetings. Unfortunately, the statue lacks any identifying markings. The wings were separated from the body at one time, probably intentionally to facilitate transport, and they have been professionally reattached. The area of the eagles eyes has been slightly indented from handling, but could be professionally restored. Note: This is a very large and heavy piece. Buyers should be prepared to make arrangements for shipping, with which we would be pleased to assist.
WORLD WAR I ZEISS ARTILLERYMAN'S BINOCULARSWorld War I German Carl Zeiss Jena 6 x 30 binoculars, marked "Dienstglas", typically issued to German officers and artillery. This pair bearing a scale visible at bottom, used for ranging thus belonging to an artilleryman. Strap and cap for eye lenses still present, optics remain very good.
BRITISH WAR OFFICE MAP OF CHERBOURG AND CAEND-Day related map "Cherbourg & Caen", 30" x 35", a topographical and road map showing the Cherbourg to Le Havre in the east, south to Evran and east again to Alencon. The map mainly concerns itself with altitudes, and its scale of colors shows heights from zero to 400 meters. The map was originally prepared in 1914 - this 4th edition was issued by the British War Office in 1943. Folds, very good. The map is from the estate of Brice W. Rhyne of the 8th Regiment who landed at UTAH, sold with a transcript of his May, 1945 recollection of the landing and aftermath. The 8th also participated in the liberation of Cherbourg.
"CHILDREN'S EVACUATION" POSTERScarce Third Reich-era poster, 23 1/2" x 15 3/4", advertising the relocation of German children to the countryside to avoid the large-scale Allied bombing raids against cities during World War II. the poster depicts a group of BDM and Deutches Jungvolk members, smiling and waving as they lean out of a train window. The DJ "sig" rune insignia appears at upper right, and the title "Kommt mit in die Kinderlandverschickung" ("Come With us on the Children's Evacuation") appears below the image. The poster further advises interested parents: "Applications for children 3-10 years old take place at the NSV (Nationalsozialistiche Volkswohlfahrt [National Socialist People's Welfare], and for ages 10-14 in the school". The poster was published in Berlin by the Reichsjugendfuhrung. Bears a 1" vertical tear at the top edge, repaired on the verso with cello tape, with original folds and some toning throughout, else very good.
"THE JEW IS HOLDING THE SCALE" - YUGOSLAVIAN ANTI-SEMITIC POSTER1941 Yugoslavian anti-Semitic poster, 18" x 27", Beraneck, Belgrade, depicts a caricature of Jew holding a balancing scale, one side of the scale holding a representation of ally Josef Stalin, the other holding a quatity of British pounds and U.S. dollars. Captioned in part: "Which side will be heavier? Neither because the Jew is holding the scale...". Folds, a few small tape repairs on verso, else fine.
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