2nd-3rd century A.D. Modelled naturalistically in the round, directing his gaze upwards left, the eyes with sculpted pupils originally decorated with stone insertions, his face framed by voluminous short curls swept up off the forehead, sideburns and a moustache. See Bianchi Bandinelli, R., Roma, l’arte romana nel centro del potere, Milano, 1969; Schneider, R.M., ‘The Barbarian in Roman Art: a countermodel of Roman identity,’ in Luiselli, B., Pensabene, P. (ed.), The Colloquia of the XIII International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Forlì (Italia) 8-14 September 1996. The Roman Period (in the Provinces and the Barbaric World), Series COLLOQUIA 13, Forlì 1996, pp.19-30. 5.6 kg, 21 cm (8 1/4 in.).Ex Mario Fumasoli (1901-1989) collection, Switzerland, acquired between 1940-1970; thence by descent. with Christie's London, 24th October 2013, lot 92. Private Swiss collection since 1998. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11583-198975.The head was possibly from a relief representing barbarian prisoners of war, perhaps part of a monument commemorating the campaigns of Marcus Aurelius along the lower Danube, recorded on his famous column in Piazza Colonna, Rome. For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]
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20th century A.D. Group comprising: hand-carved stone zoomorphic oil lamp in the form of an animal (possibly a bear); a stone oil lamp decorated with flowers. 895 grams total, 11.7-13.4 cm (4 5/8 - 5 1/4 in.).From an old Tonbridge private ethnographical collection. From the collection of a Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.The vessels are hollowed out allowing it to serve as both fill hole and wick and the body is decorated with dot and circle and stylised plant incisions. [2, No Reserve]
20th century A.D. Comprising: composition shabti on a stand; composition Sekhmet figurine with sun-disc headdress; blue composition plaque with royal cartouche flanked by ostrich feathers and Wedjat eye above; stone Sekhmet figurine without lower legs with inscribed dorsal pillar. 281 grams total, 5.4-12.2 cm (2 1/8 - 4 3/4 in.).Acquired from a private UK collection in the late 1990s. Private collection of Mr T.H., Norfolk, UK. [4, No Reserve]
2nd-3rd century A.D. Decorated with stamped patterns comprising dolphins, vegetal and floral patterns, motifs with ivy leaves and floral border strips with laurel leaves. See for a similar specimen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.31.116a-i; Penn Museum, coffin panel B10280, from Lebanon (Tyre); see also Rahmani, L.Y., ‘Lead Coffins from Israel’ in Israel Exploration Journal, vol.37, no.2/3 (1987), pp.123-146, pls.10,11,14. 38.5 kg, 175.5 cm (67 1/2 in.).Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11992-209844.Although the majority of people were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials, lead coffins and stone coffins from the Roman Empire. Our typology belongs a type diffused in the Eastern Mediterranean. The leaves refer to actual garlands and flowers used to decorate tombs and altars. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife and was a common motif in this period, also used for the slide-fitting of Roman sword scabbards. Romans believed these animals carried souls to the Fortunate Isles, perhaps because they could pass through the air-breathing terrestrial world and into the watery depths that claimed so many Roman sailors’ lives. This symbol would have had a personal significance for the deceased, who may have been a seafarer during life. Romans often ordered their lead coffins long before they died as the process of making them took a long time. For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]
2nd-3rd century A.D. Decorated with patterns comprising sphinxes, dolphins, and masks of Medusa in fields between columns, and floral border strips with laurel leaves. See Payne, G., 'Roman Leaden Coffin discovered at Plumstead' in Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol.17, 1887, fig.10, for the presence of lead sarcophagi in Roman Britain; for a similar specimen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.31.116a-i; Penn Museum, coffin panel B10280, from Lebanon (Tyre). 19.75 kg, 90 cm (35 1/2 in.).Acquired 1970s-early 1990s. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11993-209841.There were many ways of burying bodies during the Roman Empire. Although the majority were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials and lead and stone coffins. This item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section are symbols of the outer-world, including gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples. The roundels featuring the head of Medusa, known for her potent gazes that could turn one to stone, was favoured on sarcophagi and architectural ornaments because it was believed that her image would protect those within. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Very often these sarcophagi were connected by a pipe to the ground above so that mourners could pour in offerings into the grave. For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price
2nd-3rd century A.D. Decorated with a high-relief pattern comprising sphinxes, dolphins and masks of Medusa in fields between columns; ropework and floral border strips with laurel leaves. See Payne, G., Roman Leaden Coffin discovered at Plumstead in Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol.17, 1887, fig.10, for the presence of lead sarcophagi in Roman Britain; for a similar specimen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.31.116a-i; Penn Museum, coffin panel B10280, from Lebanon (Tyre). 6.4 kg, 41 cm wide (16 1/8 in.).From a West Sussex, UK, collection, 1990s.There were many ways of burying bodies during the Roman Empire. Although the majority were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials and lead and stone coffins. This item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section are symbols of the outer-world, including gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples. The roundels featuring the head of Medusa, known for her potent gazes that could turn one to stone, was favoured on sarcophagi and architectural ornaments because it was believed that her image would protect those within. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Very often these sarcophagi were connected by a pipe to the ground above so that mourners could pour in offerings into the grave.
20th century A.D. Group comprising: shallow bowl with two handles, carved from a single block of wood; and a carved stone female head; accompanied by a wooden implement with rounded knop finial stamped SOUVENIR OF WATERLOO. 4.64 kg total, 15 - 50 cm (5 7/8 - 19 3/4 in.).Acquired London, UK. Property of a Harwich gentleman. [3, No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. An iron Campo Del Cielo (IAB) meteorite. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 81 grams, 44 mm (1 3/4 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Nickel-iron meteorite (IAB); supplied in a carboard specimen tray with information ticket. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 70 grams, 46 mm (1 3/4 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. From an old Bristol collection.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Comprising two iron Campo Del Cielo (IAB) meteorites. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 3.7 grams total, 10-11 mm (3/8 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [2, No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Comprising two iron (IAB) meteorites. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 2.95 grams total, 10-15 mm (3/8 - 1/2 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [2, No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Comprising two iron (IAB) meteorites. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 3.07 grams total, 11-15 mm (3/8 - 1/2 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [2, No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Nickel-iron meteorite (IAB); supplied in a cardboard specimen tray with information ticket. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 55 grams, 40 mm (1 1/2 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. From an old Bristol collection.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Comprising two iron (IAB) meteorites. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 3.36 grams, 16 mm (5/8 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. Accompanied by an identification card.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [2, No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. Comprising two iron (IAB) meteorites. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 2.94 grams total, 11-12 mm (3/8 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [2, No Reserve]
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P. An iron Campo Del Cielo (IAB) meteorite set with a suspension loop and suspended on a cord. See Graham, Bevan and Hutchison ed., Catalogue of Meteorites, Natural History Museum, 1985, p.88, for details of this fall. 5.63 grams, meteorite: 21 mm (7/8 in.).From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. [No Reserve]
Each cut and polished to reveal the attractive veins of the stone; each supplied in a labelled cardboard specimen tray. 297 grams total, 35-47 mm (1 3/8 - 1 7/8 in.).From Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ex Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's). [15, No Reserve]
12th-13th century A.D. Recalling workmanship similar to that found in the floor of the Sistine Chapel and other important Roman churches; comprising a central panel with design of alternating green and speckled porphyry lozenges, with interstitial green and porphyry squares flanked by green or blue rhombuses on each edge; the square central panel flanked by two green and porphyry roundels composed of panels with inset squares and triangles, with white dentilled edges over a green background; each roundel enclosed within a mosaic crosier, one filled with yellow rhombuses with dentilled edges composed of white, green and porphyry triangles; the other comprising two parallel rows of squares and rhombuses in porphyry, green and black stones. See Boito, C., Architettura Cosmatesca, Torino, 1860; Hutton, E., The Cosmati, The Roman Marble Workers of the XIIth and XIIIth Centuries, London, 1950; Tosca, P., Storia dell’Arte Italiana, il medioevo, vol. III, Torino, 1965; Glass, D., Studies on Cosmatesque Pavements, BAR Publishing, London, 1980; Matthiae, G., 'Componenti del gusto decorativo cosmatesco,' in Rivista dell'Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte, vol. I, 1952, pp.249-281; Cigola, M., 'Mosaici pavimentali cosmateschi. Segni, disegni e simboli,' in Palladio, Nuova serie, anno VI n. 11, Giugno, 1993, pp.101-110; Grant, L. & Mortimer, R. (eds.), Westminster Abbey. The Cosmati Pavements, Courtauld Research Papers no.3, 2002. 41 kg, 80 x 36 cm (31 1/2 x 14 in.).French gallery, Paris, 1990s. From a family collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no. 11921-209564.A similar pattern to the current panel can be seen on the cosmatesques of the Grottaferrata Abbey, near Rome, variously dated between the 1160 and 1282 A.D., which can be a good chronological indicator for our mosaic for style and composition. The Cosmatesque style was a characteristic type of ornamentation of Eastern Roman origin (opus alexandrinum) in the technique of opus sectile (elements already cut with the final shape: circles, squares, triangles and lozenges; small geometric elements which, expertly fitted together, manage to create the effect of a magnificent embroidered carpet) used by marble-makers of the 12th and 13th centuries A.D. The practice of inlaying glass and stone tesserae into white marble panels in this way, although reaching its zenith under the directorship of the Cosmati, had already been established in the Eastern Roman Empire for at least five centuries, and by the 12th century many marble pavements and panels of Opus Alexandrinum had been used to decorate prestigious churches and religious foundations, both across Italy and further afield, often by reusing old Roman monuments. [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]
Circa 3000 B.C. With incuse frieze of human figures executed by drilling including one seated on a dais; supplied with a museum-quality impression; signed scholarly note issued by W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder seal of pink stone, 27 x 27 mm., Frieze of four walking women holding standards. Mesopotamia, c.3000 B.C. Large and condition fine save for patch of damage.' 39.7 grams, 28 mm (1 1/8 in.).Ex S Collection, London, UK, 1970-1990s. Accompanied by a typed scholarly note signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Circa 2500-2000 B.C. Carved stone seal formed as a bird with the head reversed, with drilled eyes and feather detailing to the wings, underside with incuse bird-in-flight motif; neck pierced for suspension. Cf. Aruz, J., Art of the First Cities. The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, New York, 2003, item 232, for similar drilled detailing technique. 67 grams, 60 mm (2 3/8 in.).Collected from 1969-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
1st century A.D. Lentoid section with a raised 'keel' to one end, depicting a stylised scorpion. Cf. Schinco, G., Small, A.M., 'A previously unknown siege of Botromagno/Silvium: the evidence of slingshots from Gravina in Puglia (Provincia di Bari, Puglia)' in Papers of the British School at Rome, 2019, pp.1-52, figs.38. 25.75 grams, 43 mm (1 3/4 in.).Ex Simmons Gallery, London E11, UK, in the 1990s. From a North London collection.The sling (funda) with its lead (plumbea pondera) and stone missiles was used by special funditores, illustrated on Trajan’s Column where they are dressed in broad tunics with no armour, but carry a shield. Interestingly, this glans has the emblem usually associated with the Praetorian Guard - the scorpion. It was an emblem also used in Ptolemaic Egypt, and it is not impossible that this bullet could be Ptolemaic or Romano-Egyptian. We believe this bullet could be associated with the Praetorian regiments which means this could be one of the first pieces of evidence for their use. [No Reserve]
1st century B.C. Biconical lead slingshot (glans) with inscription in Latin letters 'CN' (Cneius) 'MAG' (Magnus) on one side, and 'IMP' for 'IMPERATOR' (victorious general) to the other side, i.e Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Imperator (Pompey the Great the victorious general). Cf. D'Amato, R. and Sumner, G., Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier: From Marius to Commodus, 112 BC-AD 192, London, 2009, fig.32, p.45, for a similar glandes from Zaragoza Museum, the one with the name of Pompey inscribed coming from Munda battlefield. 47 grams, 39 mm (1 1/2 in.).Ex M.Cummings, UK, 1990s.The shot (Völling type 1C) is marked with the abbreviated name of Gnaeus Pompey; it was used in quantity at the Battle of Monda (or Munda) against Julius Caesar, 17th March 45 BC. The projectiles were made of different materials: lead (glandes) or in pottery or stone (lapides missiles). Sometimes they were signed with the name of the general, like our specimen. [No Reserve]
8th-early 9th century A.D. Plate brooch with raised rim and four applied knops (two absent); central disc surrounding by four radiating arms extending to D-shaped panels at the rim where the knops are attached; the interstitial fields with dense reserved meander-pattern ornament; pierced at the centre with a second eccentrically-placed hole and another offset hole at the end of one of the 'arms'; part of the rim absent; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. See Bain, G., Celtic Art - The Methods of Construction, reprinted London, 1996. 7.73 grams, 29.2 mm (29.19 grams total, 68 mm including stand) (1 1/8 in. (2 5/8 in.)).Found Harston, Cambridgeshire, UK. Ex Essex collection formed in the 1980s. From the collection of Dirk Kennis, Belgium.The 'key pattern' design appears in Irish and Scottish (Pictish) metalwork and carved stone such as the Nigg Stone (Ross Shire, Scotland) as well as in the borders of the Book of Kells. Recorded, studied, and determined by the Secretary of State’s Expert Adviser as an object of cultural interest. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) considered an application to export this object. The Committee concluded that the object satisfied the third Waverley criterion and is therefore currently not exportable.
1st-4th century A.D. Comprising a large quantity of pottery and red-ware sherds from large and small vessels, including an amphora neck and part of a handle. Cf. Van Diepen, L., and Niemeijer, R., ‘Die Terra Sigillata aus Forum Hadriani – Arentsburg, Die Funde der Grabung 2005’ in Müller, M., Terra Sigillata in den germanischen Provinzen, Xantener Berichte, Band 20, Mainz, 2011, pp.163-220, pp. 202ff., for similar terra sigillata. 586 grams total, 7-74 mm (1/4 - 3 in.).Found near Vechten, Netherlands. Netherlands private collection. Acquired from a private collector in 2009. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. Accompanied by a typed information sheet.Fectio, modern Vechten, was a fort in the limes, the frontier zone of the Roman Empire, situated at the site of the bifurcation of the rovers Rhine and Vecht. Numismatic evidence suggests that it was founded by the Roman general Tiberius (the future emperor) during the 4/5th campaigns. It probably served as a military base during punitive raids. Around the middle of the 2nd century AD, the wood and earth fort was replaced by a stone fortification and occupied by the Ala I Thracum, who had previously been stationed in Britain. At the end of the 2nd/beginning of the 3rd century, the silting up of the Rhine’s arm on which Fectio lays had progressed to such an extent that access from the river was no longer possible. In the more than two and a half centuries of its existence, the camp was destroyed and rebuilt several times until the fort site was finally abandoned - as evidenced by archaeological traces of fire after a final destruction in 270/275 A.D. [78, No Reserve]
1st-4th century A.D. The group comprising: a bronze handle or a furniture mount with ribbed body and looped terminals; a lead disc with Roman numerals 'VII' in two lines; a whetstone and two moulded stone fragments. 118 grams total, 23-88 mm (7/8 - 3 1/2 in.).Found Nottinghamshire, UK. Acquired from Ancient & Oriental in 2003. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. [5, No Reserve]
1st-4th century A.D. Comprising large tile and vessel fragments, some with inked notes; and a group of white and grey tesserae, including one large redware tessera. See Ilid, A., Verulamium, St. Albans, 1978, plate II, for similar. 2.3 kg total, 1-17 cm (3/8 - 6 3/4 in.).Found St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. Acquired from the finder in 2008. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman.The great monuments of Verulamium were efficiently destroyed by the medieval builders of Saxon and Norman abbeys. They sought Roman bricks and, above all, limestone which could be burnt for mortar. Most of the ancient Roman town stone monuments were broken up and thrown into lime kilns. These surviving fragments give a hint of what was once there. For the monuments and buildings Romans used Northamptonshire limestone, but the more delicate, finely carved inscriptions were realised in Purbeck marble from Dorset. [37, No Reserve]
Circa 6th century A.D. Corner piece with polished face; an old handwritten label to the side reading 'Stone from Ananiani's house Damascus May 1861'. See S., Ko?cielniak, K., ‘The Churches of Damascus according to Ibn ‘As?kir (d. 1176), The Destruction of the Church of St. John the Baptist by Caliph Wal?d I’, in Rocznik Orientalistyczny, Vol. LXIV, Z.1, 2011, pp.133-139, p.135. 182 grams, 82 mm (3 1/4 in.).Found Damascus, Syria, in May 1861. UK private collection. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. With a late 19th century handwritten identification label attached.The Chapel of San Anania is a religious building located in a two-room crypt in Damascus, approximately four meters below the current street level, reachable by descending a staircase of twenty-three steps from the courtyard of a house that traditionally is attributed to Ananias, the Christian martyr who helped Saul (who became Paul the Apostle), baptised him and helped him hide and leave Damascus, after he had attracted the hatred of the Jews who had organised his killing. It is an apse of an Eastern Roman basilica from the 5th-6th century, cited several times by Arab historical sources such as al-Mussalabeh (of the Holy Cross), brought to light by the excavations carried out by the count Eustache de Lorey. [No Reserve]
Circa 10th-15th century A.D. Comprising: a penannular bronze earring pair with integral granulated pendant drops; a bronze penannular pair with thick hoop, a white stone bead attached with coiled wire to the hoop; a pair of silver earrings with round-section hoops; a pair of annular bronze hoops with collars, one with a blue glass bead and the other with a collared silver bead. 35.2 grams total, 31-44 mm (1 1/4 - 1 3/4 in.).Acquired in the 1980s-1990s. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. [8, No Reserve]
Circa 520 A.D. Sub-rectangular in form with three polished faces; old handwritten label to one side reading 'Stone from Golden Gate Jerusalem July 1861'. Cf. Doron, C., 'On the Golden Gate in Jerusalem and the Baptistery at Emmaus-Nicopolis' in: Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 97, 2/1981, pp.171–177. 165 grams, 66 mm (2 5/8 in.).Found Jerusalem in July 1861. UK private collection. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. With a late 19th century handwritten identification label attached.The Golden Gate, so called in Christian literature, or She'ar Harahamim ('Gate of Mercy') is the oldest of the city gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located on the eastern side of the ancient city walls and it is believed that the meeting at the Golden Gate of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne took place there, an episode depicted in various pictorial cycles dedicated to the life of Saint Anne (including the one by Giotto in the Scrovegni chapel in Padua). The current gate was probably built on the ruins of the older one, in the 6th century A.D., as part of Justinian's building program. According to another theory, the construction took place at the end of the 7th century, by Roman craftsmen hired by the Umayyad caliphs. [No Reserve]
1979-1987 A.D. T.H.McK. Clough & W.A.Cummins - Stone Axe Studies - CBA Research Report no.23 - 1979, card covers, 137 pp, monochrome photographs, sketch maps; Susan M. Nicholson - Catalogue of the Prehistoric Metalwork in Merseyside County Museums - Dept. of Prehistoric Archaeology Work Notes 2 - 1980, card covers, 148 pp, line drawings, sketch maps; Ann Brown et al. - Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of the Lord McAlpine of West Green - 1987, card covers. 142 pp, colour and monochrome photographs. 1.7 kg total, 30 x 21 - 30 x 21.5 cm (11 3/4 x 8 1/4 - 11 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.).Property of a Stowmarket, UK, gentleman. [3, No Reserve]
2nd millennium B.C. Composed of bone, stone and ceramic objects: a fragmentary alabastron; a lion head stamp; a possible amulet of axehead form showing carved detailing; bone implement; the lower half of a carved bone figure, and other items. 449 grams total, 3.9-12.5 cm (1 1/2 - 5 in.).Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998. [8, No Reserve] For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price
Circa 1st millennium B.C. and later. Restrung with two central feature beads; composed of graduated beads of various types of stone, glass and shell. Cf. Hussein, M.M., Altaweel, M., Gibson, McGuire, Nimrud The Queen’s Tombs, Baghdad-Chicago, 2016, p.180, pls.18,144 lett.b and c, for similar bead necklaces made of a mixture of stones, included faience. 18.9 grams, 46 cm long (18 in.).UK gallery, early 2000s.Similar beads were found during the excavations of the royal tombs of Nimrud. Thousands of beads were discovered in the sarcophagi, including those of Nimrud’s Queens; they probably originally formed part of wide collars with multiple strands. [No Reserve]
Circa 3rd millennium B.C. With carved frieze showing fighting scenes with a hero and animals; shell or polished stone. Cf. Collon, D., Near Eastern Seals, London, 1990, item 45, for type. 13.9 grams, 27 mm (1 in.).Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector, collection no.06. London collection, 2016. [No Reserve]
Circa 1st millennium B.C. Restrung, composed of small, pale stone or shell smoothed cylinder beads. Cf. Hussein, M.M., Altaweel, M., Gibson, McGuire, Nimrud The Queen’s Tombs, Baghdad-Chicago, 2016, pl.163, for similar necklaces of stone and glass. 10.5 grams, 44 cm long (17 3/8 in.).UK gallery, early 2000s.Similar beads were found during the excavations of the royal tombs of Nimrud. Thousands of beads were discovered in the sarcophagi, including those of Nimrud’s Queens; they probably originally formed part of wide collars with multiple strands. [No Reserve]
Mid 7th-6th century B.C. Holes close to the rim for attachment of a lining; the surface executed in repoussé technique, filled by scenes horizontally divided with guilloche of two interlaced serpents; in the lower register two opposed lions (an antithetic pair, a lion and a lioness), both in profile, attacking a boar; the lions with open jaws and prominent muscles; the mane marked, and the tails forming a reversed S-curve between the hind legs; the anterior part of the boar collapsing under the lion's attack; rosettes filling the field and in the upper register, two large bosses separating three semi-human figures, maybe representing evil spirits, advancing in crouching pose with elbows bent and hands palm-upwards, rosettes and fungi in the field, their arms elevated in prayer; restored. See Rawlinson, G.M.A., The five great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World, III vol., New York, 1881; Schmidt, E.F., Persepolis II, Contents of the Treasures and other discoveries, Chicago, 1957; Soudavar, A., Iranian complexities, a study in Achaemenid, Avestan and Sassanian controversies, Houston, 1999; Garrison, M., 'Notes on a boar hunt (PFS 2323) in Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies vol. 54, No. 2 (2011), pp.17-20; Muscarella, O.W., Archaeology, Artifacts and Antiquities of the Ancient Near East, Boston, 2013. 495 grams, 42 x 25 cm (16 1/2 x 10 in.).From the collection of a West London businessman, formed in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Property of an important West London collector. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. Accompanied by a metallurgic analytical report, written by metallurgist Dr Brian Gilmour of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, report number 618/129067. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11982-209461.Our specimen is a well preserved decorative votive plaque of Early Achaemenid age, although some elements could suggest the plaque as belonging to the late Elamite period. Usually these plaques are rectangular in shape and contain one or more figures. One of the predominant figures is the lion, an old symbol of power in Ancient Mesopotamia. It appears often in a similar form, for example in the Achaemenid seals (Schmidt, 1957, pp.42-44), as a hunter. The king of the beasts was considered a worthy foe, but sometimes was used as a symbol of the dynasty. Boars are also visible in seal patterns (Rawlinson, 1881, p. 240; Schmidt, 1957, pp.12,15,40,41,49). The rosette motif is well known in the Achaemenid art, like on Miho's Artaxerxes plate (Soudavar, 1999, p.11) or in decorated architectural fragments left on the ground in Persepolis (Soudavar, 1999, p.20 fig.14), and, more important, in the famous Otane's plaque (Soudavar, 1999, p.29 fig.32; p. 42 fig. 41a-b-c) or on the plaque reporting the Behistun text (Soudavar, 1999, p. 56 fig. 45). The rosette is a representation of solar emblems, and it is already visible in works of the first millennium B.C. (Muscarella, 2013, pp. 682-683, 781), and on the diadems of the Elamite rulers represented in the Achaemenid art. The representation of the Ansh?nite sun flower under a rosette vary in shapes and it is not always clear whether it predates the Darian Persepolitan style. Here, the presence of convex more than concave rosettes points more to a date anterior to Darius' kingdom (522-486 B.C.). The representation of the snakes is singular, considering that there is a general negativity in the Persian ancient culture associated with the word (snake) and the animosity that Zoroastrianism developed towards snakes. However, according to the Sh?hn?meh, the discovery of fire was ushered by the appearance of a magical snake, at which the legendary king Hushang threw a stone; it missed its mark but hit another stone and produced sparks that lit a fire. The Achaemenid Empire dominated the Near East and the eastern Mediterranean for about two centuries, from the mid-sixth to the mid-fourth BC, when it was conquered by Alexander the Great and the last Persian king, Darius III Codomannus, was killed by his generals. It was one of the largest empires in the world and in many ways one of the most successful. Votive plaques were dedicatory offerings in the temple, like a modern ex-voto. The motive of the boar hunt in Achaemenid art is visible on seals, and represents the warriors (lions) hunting the enemy (ibex, boar), a typical war-training exercise for soldiers, commanders and princes. The theme of the boar hunt by Persian warriors has traditionally been associated closely with later Achaemenid glyptic from the western realms of the empire, but in this ancient plaque representation the lions appear symbolically replacing the warriors.
A collection of mainly British Banknotes to include: Two Bank of England 10 Shillings, these banknotes features the signature of the 24th Chief Cashier, John Standish Fforde, Serial numbers B73N 859594 and M56 762771. Four One Pound notes, three signed by Chief Cashier D H F Somerset, Serial numbers CT14 136720, DY04 610309 and CX51 583016 plus one signed by Chief Cashier J B Page serial number A54N 838815. Two earlier UNCIRCULATED One Pound Notes of larger size, signed by J S Fforde, serial number M15R 714876 and signed by J Q Hollom serial number A70X 512014. Isle of Man Fifty New Pence note signed by W Dawson Treasurer of the Isle of Man, serial number C468893. Series C Five Pound Note issued from 1963 designed by Reynolds Stone it was the first £5 note to depict a portrait of a monarch (Queen Elizabeth II). On the rear there was a full body depiction of Britannia holding an olive branch with her famous shield and trident; she can be seen sitting next to a pile of coins, serial number H65 578783. Five pound note, QE11 to front and Elizabeth Fry on back, serial number LB27 937444. Series D Twenty Pound note with the Monarch QE11 on the front and William Shakespeare on back, signed by Chief Cashier D H F Somerset, Serial number 37C 129238. Series D Ten Pound note with the Monarch QE11 on the front and Florence Nightingale on back, signed by Chief Cashier D H F Somerset, Serial number AY15 935420. Comes along with an uncancelled British Postal Order to the value of Two Shillings and Sixpence, issued in Staple Hill, Bristol, on 23 May 1945, an American One Dollar Note and a Canadian One Dollar Note.
A collection of vintage 20th century Chinese curios / items. Comprising of Chinese Famille rose porcelain china serving bowl, a collection of glass scent bottles with decorated bodies, pair of green apples with foliage, stoneware bowl and two soap stone carvings of Elders / Scholars on bases. Bowl measures approx. 25cm diameter.
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