Circa 3000 BC. A carved black stone cylinder seal with kneeling figures in front of a triangular structure, accompanied by a typed and signed scholarly note issued by W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham 1970-1993, which states: Cylinder Seal of Black Stone, 18 x 16 mm. The design is a frieze of three kneeling female figures, all raising their hands and wearing pigtails. Two are separated by a single vertical row of four fly-like motifs, the other intervening space has two row of the same kind. This is a variant of a Jemdet Nasr Sumerian design, but quite distinct in that the female figures are not squatting, but kneeling, they hold nothing in their hands, and the rows of apparent flies are not from the Jemdet Nasr repertoir. This is reported to have come from Kerman, and that would explain the phenomena. It is a little worn, but it is a rare item. It dates to c. 3000 B.C. 10.11 grams, 18mm (3/4"). Property of a London gentleman; part of his family collection since the 1970s. . Fine condition.
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Neolithic, 4th-2nd millennium BC. A mixed group of stone tools comprising: five polished axe blades; two tanged arrowheads; six flint scrapers. 351 grams total, 46-84mm (1 3/4 - 3 1/4"). Property of a professional gentleman, acquired 2011; formerly in a private collection formed before 1950. [13, No Reserve]. Fine condition.
10th-12th century AD. A group of items comprising of: an iron torc with coiled ends forming loops; a string with cylindrical and square-section glass beads, circular bronze pendant with scroll decoration, openwork D-shaped bronze pendant, a Byzantine coin, bronze bell, silver ring with amber(?) bead, stone cross, large animal tusk. 183 grams total, 19-90cm (7 1/2, 35 1/2"). Property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent 1972. [2]. Fine condition.
A polished three-sided 'pyramid' of lace agate with numerous twists and swirls picked out in various shades of white and green, the base unpolished to expose the patterns in the raw stone. See Bonewitz, Dr. Ronald Louis, Rocks & Minerals, 2008, p.230-231. 140 grams, 95mm (3 3/4"). Found Mexico; from the historic ‘Victorian Museum’ and later collection of Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's); formerly Gregory, Bottley & Co. (1932-1981) and previously J. R. Gregory & Co. (1898-1932); originally James Reynolds Gregory (1858-1898"). This item is part of a historic collection of fossils and minerals which has recently been reviewed by leading geological expert Dr. Ronald Bonewitz. The firm Gregory, Bottley and Lloyd (Gregory's), was acquired by TimeLine Auctions in 2016. London-born James Reynolds Gregory (1832-1899) founded the company, which is the second longest-running gem and fossil dealership in the world. James was educated at Archbishop Tennison's School, and afterward found employment in a jewellery company on Regent Street. In 1858 he established his own business in King William Street. A few years later he moved to ‘very extensive premises’ in Golden Square, Covent Garden. He was one of the best known dealers in London, exhibiting at major commercial shows throughout the world and winning awards for excellence in Paris in 1867, Sydney in 1879 and London in 1862, 1883 and 1884. James primarily bought his stock at auction, from collectors and other dealers, and supplied many major collectors and scientists of his day. He built superb personal collections, a selection going to the British Museum. He wrote many papers and was a member of several learned societies including the Society of Arts. The business became known as J.R. Gregory & Company in 1896, still under James' management with the assistance of his son Albert Gregory (b.1864"). When James died three years later, the business passed to Albert. At the end of the 19th century most London dealers had folded or retired, many selling out to J.R. Gregory & Co. Albert continued by acquiring Russell and Shaw (Est. 1848) in 1925 and Francis H. Butler (Est. 1884) in 1927. Percy Bottley (1904-1980) took over the company in 1931, renaming it Gregory, Bottley & Company with respect to his predecessors. Percy’s company survived the 2nd World War by buying out all of its competitors, including the supplier to Pitt-Rivers, Samuel Henson (Est. 1840) and G.H. Richards (Est. 1897) in 1936. Percy also added many important collections to his stock including those of Rev. F. Holmes in 1940, and the Graves collection in 1943. Following Percy's death in 1981, the business was sold to Brian Lloyd, whereupon it became Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd. Brian had been Sotheby’s main Natural History expert in the 1960s and 1970s, and subsequently traded from Pall Mall. The business continued to thrive, and Brian purchased the Joseph Neeld (1789-1856) collection in 1974 and the historic gold collection of H.S. Gordon, first exhibited at the Empire Exhibition, South Africa in 1936. Brian moved the business to 12-13 Rickett Street in 1982, and to 13 Seagrave Road in 1993. He carried on the company's specialization in historic collections, most recently acquiring that of Robert Ferguson (1767-1840) in 2000. The business moved to Walmer in Kent in 2008, and was acquired by TimeLine in April 2016. Trading History Est. 1858 (59 Frith Street, Soho) 1859 - 1861 (3 King William Street, Strand) 1862 - 1866 (25 Golden Square, Covent Garden) 1866 - 1874 (15 Russell Street, Covent Garden) 1874 - 1895 (88 Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square) 1896 - 1906 (1 Kelso Place, Kensington) 1907 - 1926 (139 Fulham Road, Chelsea) 1926 - 1981 (30 (Old) Church Street, Chelsea) 1982 - 1993 (12-13 Rickett Street, Fulham) 1993 - 2007 (13 Seagrave Road, Fulham) 2008 - 2016 (59 Liverpool Road, Walmer, Kent) 2016 - (363 Main Road, Harwich, Essex) [No Reserve]. Extremely fine condition.
3rd-7th century AD. A mixed group of stone stamp seals in carnelian (3), black agate (3), agate (2), and chalcedony (1), with various intaglio motifs comprising: one with a bird; one with birds amid foliage; one with a fish; three with ibexes; three with tamga motif. 31 grams total, 9-16mm (1/4 - 3/4"). From an important private London collection; formed in the 1970s and 1980s. [9]. Fine condition.
6th-7th century AD. A gold cross with tubular arms, central shield with granulated bead border framing a garnet; suspension ring decorated with interlaced wire pattern. 5.58 grams, 55mm (2 1/4"). From an important London collection, acquired in the 1990s. The stone was examined in detail by Dr. Bonewitz who observed: 'Minor chip to garnet but otherwise good transparency and colour.' . Fine condition, restored
19th-17th century BC. A carved stone cylinder seal with three standing figures, 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 Dark Brown Stone, 17 x 8.5 mm. On the right a god in horned tiara and long robe raises one hand to a facing figure, bare-headed, but in similar long robe, who also raises one hand. To the left is a nude female, shown frontally, and to her left a divine symbol, a monkey, is placed between the two facing figures. This is an Old Babylonian seal, c. 1900-1600 B.C., from Mesopotamia or a neighbouring area. 2.62 grams, 17mm (3/4"). Property of a London gentleman; part of his family collection since the 1970s. . Fine condition.
9th-11th century AD. A mixed group of spindle whorls in glass, stone and ceramic of mainly biconical profile. 240 grams total, 20-45mm (3/4 - 1 3/4"). Property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent 1972. [12, No Reserve]. Fine condition.
Circa 1800 AD. A 'stone bow' or bullet-shooting crossbow by J. Johnson of Manchester with rifle-type wooden stock, iron trigger, sights and mechanism, iron inlay plaques to the upper and lateral faces, long iron curved bow with hooked ends, tapered nose with rib detailing. 2.3 kg, 81cm (32"). Property of an Essex collector; acquired on the UK art market. . Fair condition. Scarce.
1st century AD. A flat-section gold hoop with expanding shoulders and flat plaque; applied beaded wire borders and fillet to the underside extending through pairs of pellets and opposed filigree volute scrolls; the bezel an elliptical beaded wire frame with granule detailing, with a modern facing mask of a youthful male, perhaps Eros. Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L. Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 232. See Kondoleon, C. Aphrodite and the Gods of Love, Boston, 2011, pp. 107-149 for a discussion on Eros in the Greek and Roman world. 12 grams, 26mm overall, 18 x 20.82mm internal diameter (approximate size British W, USA 11, Europe 25.0, Japan 24) (1"). Very fine condition. A large wearable size.Property of a London collector, acquired before 1980.Eros, (Roman Cupid), was regarded as the deity who awoke the passions and fostered love in the hearts of both gods and mortals. The poet Hesiod sings his praises as the most beautiful of the gods. His worship seems to be much more ancient than that of the winged boy in popular imagination. At Thespiae, in Boeotia, his cult had ancient origins and the main image at his temple was a block of stone, most likely a meteorite, a common object of worship in many of the more ancient cults of Greece. His power to rouse and move the world was viewed by the Orphic mystery cult to regard him as the creator of the world. Although there are many visual images of Eros there are surprisingly few literary references to him from ancient times. The only mythological account of the birth of Eros comes from Plato's Symposium, where we learn that he was conceived by Poros and Penia, plenty and poverty. It was not until the seventh century BC that the poet Sappho describes him as the son of Aphrodite. The worship of Eros was not highly organised and, aside from his temple at Thespiae, his worship seems mainly to have been one confined to the home, or in conjunction with Aphrodite at her temples. By the Roman period his image and worship becomes more recognisable and depictions of him are found on many objects; however there was no formal worship of the god and he seems to have been largely worshipped in the home, as in Greece.
Mid 2nd millennium BC. A rectangular-section rhyolite stone idol with incised facial features, robe with central vent and lacing, belt with pellets. 108 grams, 14cm (5 1/2"). Property of a German gentleman; acquired before 1989. Such deep patination of rhyolite only develops over millennia. . Fine condition.
2nd-3rd century AD.A gold ring with tapering shank, widening at the shoulders to a flat bezel set with a carnelian intaglio engraved with the portrait of a bald philosopher with long beard, possibly Chrysippus. 6.88 grams, 21.76mm overall, 19.40mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/2, Europe 20.98, Japan 20) (3/4"). Very fine condition.Property of a London gentleman; acquired before 1995.Chrysippus of Soli lived from 279 to 206 BC and was a renowned Stoic philosopher and head of the school in Athens. He excelled in logic, the theory of knowledge, ethics and physics. He created an original system of propositional logic in order to better understand the workings of the universe and role of humanity within it. Chrysippus adhered to a deterministic view of fate, but nevertheless sought a role for personal freedom in thought and action. The stone was examined in detail by Dr. Bonewitz who observed: 'The carnelian is very good quality and the carving is to a very high standard.'.
9th century AD. A bronze mount depicting a scene of a male figure with almond-shaped eye, pointed curved chin, small nose, long hair with a curl above the forehead; dressed in a loose short-sleeve tunic(?), with hands and neck tied together; facing a bird with large almond-shaped eye, curved beak and prominent crest or feather(?) on the top of its head, finely incised feather decoration; a pin to the reverse; foreign workmanship. 12 grams, 47mm (2"). Property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent 1972. Accompanied by a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. The design on this mount is definitely inspired by Scandinavian and British Isles Viking art, however the style of execution points towards foreign workmanship, possibly continental European. Some features are very distinctive for Viking art, such as a curl on the top of the head and almond-shaped eyes, which can be found also on small mounts of female figures holding a shield, found both in Scandinavia (Vrejlev, Denmark) and England (Ipswich, Suffolk"). The face style, with distinctive curved chin, is typical of those on picture stones from Gotland, Sweden, especially the ones from Stora Hammar and Sanda. The style of bird is unusual, but the closest parallel can be found on the Franks Casket, which could have served as an inspiration for the style of the mount. The story is most likely the one of Wayland (also known as Volundr or Weland), the most famous blacksmith from Germanic mythology, attested both in Viking and Anglo-Saxon mythology. The poem Volundarkviða from the Poetic Edda tells how Volundr and his two brothers married swan maidens (valkyries) and lived with them for eight winters, after which their wives abandoned them. Unlike his brothers, Volundr decided to stay at home waiting for his wife to return, but was captured by kind Niðuðr and imprisoned on an island. A ring, which was given to Volundr by his wife, was taken from him and Niðuðr gave it to his daughter, Boðvildr. In revenge, Wayland killed the king's sons when they visited him in secret, and fashioned goblets from their skulls, jewels from their eyes, and a brooch from their teeth. He sent the goblets to the king, the jewels to the queen and the brooch to the king's daughter. To humiliate the king even more, he raped princess Boðvild when she visited him to mend the ring given to her. He then escaped with artificial wings he created from birds' feathers. The suffering of a blacksmith is attested also in the Old English poem Deor, in which there is also a mention of his imprisonment by king Niðhad. His story can be also found on artefacts, notably the Franks Casket and the Ardre picture stone. Some of the most famous swords and armour was said to have been forged by this legendary blacksmith. The other interpretation of a bound figure might imply it to be Loki, imprisoned after his betrayal of the Æsir gods and bound with the entrails of his own son. The bird, in this case most likely a raven, can represent a messenger of Odin. We know from the Norse poem Baldrs draumar that Odin visited a volva (seeress or wise woman) in the realm of the dead, Helheim. After an exchange of words, in the end he accuses her not to be a wise woman, but rather the mother of three giants to which she responds that no one will visit her until Loki will be free. Some scholars' (e.g. Ursula Dronke) interpretation is that the volva was Loki disguised, imprisoned in Helheim, who fathered three world monsters with giantess Angrboda (Fenrir, Jormungandr, Hel) and the mount can point to the scene of conversation between bounded Loki and the raven, the messenger of Odin. . Extremely fine condition. Excessively rare.
3rd century AD.A gold D-section hoop with expanding shoulders, flat scaphoid plaque with inset red jasper, intaglio inscription 'VET / XI * CL / LEG'. Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L. Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 246. 26 grams, 29mm overall, 14.26 x 18.35mm internal diameter (approximate size British F 1/2, USA 3 1/4, Europe 4.74, Japan 4) (1 1/4"). Extremely fine condition. A large wearable size.Property of a Surrey collector; acquired in the early 1970s.Accompanied by a positive X-Ray Fluorescence metal analysis certificate. The ring was probably awarded to a veteran (VET) of Legio XI Claudia. In the 3rd century this legion took part in the contest between Emperor Gallienus and the Gallic Emperor Postumus, taking the side of Gallienus and receiving the titles Pia V Fidelis V and Pia VI Fidelis VI (Five times faithful and loyal and Six times faithful and loyal"). Elements of the legion fought in Egypt and Mauretania. The stone was examined in detail by Dr. Bonewitz who observed: 'High quality cutting and carving. The lack of wear on the edges of the stone suggest that it was kept as a keepsake rather than worn.'
Neolithic, 4th-2nd millennium BC. A large knapped and polished flint axehead with broad curved cutting edge and narrow butt. Cf. Evans, J. The Ancient Stone Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain, London, 1897, item 44. 547 grams, 15cm (6"). Property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent 1972. . Fine condition.
Neolithic, 4th-2nd millennium BC. A knapped and polished flint axehead with broad curved cutting edge and narrow butt. Cf. Evans, J. The Ancient Stone Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain, London, 1897, item 44. 279 grams, 12.5cm (5"). Property of an East Anglian gentleman; previously in a 1970s collection. . Extremely fine condition.
1st-3rd century AD. A gold ring with D-shaped tapering shank; wide bezel set with a carnelian intaglio engraved wit the standing figure of Minerva holding a shied above a cuirass on the ground. 2.29 grams, 17.65mm overall, 14.80mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 15.48, Japan 15) (1/2"). Property of a Mayfair gentleman; acquired by the family during the 1970s. The stone was examined in detail by Dr. Bonewitz who observed: 'The carnelian is a good colour and unusually high transparency, and the carving is a very high standard.' . Very fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A mixed group of cylinder seals in marble, haematite and other stone with figural, geometric and other motifs. 97 grams total, 25-43mm (1 - 1 3/4"). Property of a North West London gentleman; formerly with a central London gallery in 1990. [7]. Fair condition, usage wear.
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