weight 103,78gr. ;  Ø circa 10,6cm.

Bronze openwork disc with an eagle with spread wings between two small birds, probably ducks. The eagle has a snake in its beak. Very richly decorated with fine details. Three original mounting holes in the rim. This object may have served as furniture decoration. This object was found in the Danube area in central Europe and was probably made by one of the migratory peoples, most likely the Visigoths, who moved from eastern Europe to southwestern Europe. Depictions of eagles and birds were very common in pre-Romanesque Visigothic art. Highly interesting and important object and very rare.

Provenance; from a German private collection, acquired from the German art marked in the 1970′s

dark green patina
intact

weight 2,10gr. ; gold Ø 13mm.

Gold Merovingian tremissis set in a gold pearl rim.
Traces of a fastening needle on the back.

On the obverse we see a (laureate?) portrait to the right surrounded by a text. Due to the mounting of the needle present at the time, hardly anything can be seen on the reverse. The obverse is also heavily worn, which makes identification of the coin type very difficult.

We usually see coin fibulas using (pseudo) coins in the format of the solidus with a total diameter of approximately 25mm. These very small coin fibulae using a tremissis are extremely rare. Gold coin fibulae often served as burial gifts. Highly interestingobject from the Dark Ages.

provenance; ex. collection A. van der Linden → single detector find in Friesland (NL)

worn, but intact except for the needle

weight 28,68 and 25,35gr. ; height circa 48mm. ; width circa 50mm.

Cute bronze two-part lock-face in the form of a dog (hound) with a small bird seated upon its head. Heavily decorated with drilled and incised decoration throughout.

provenance; Found in Anatolia. Ex-German private collection.
Acquired on the German art-marked in the 1990′s.

Dark patina. A very charming piece.
One of the four legs is missing, for the rest intact. Rare.

height 72mm. ; width 43mm. ; weight 38,57gr. ; bronze

The flaring arms each terminating in projecting disks at the corners, one side depicting a standing saint in long dress, holding bucket in right hand and pottery in left, (unidentified) inscriptions on left and right, on the dress and on the reverse. Probably it concerns here a local saint. This object needs more study, which could lead to identification of this saint. Highly interesting and very rare.

Provenance: Found in western Anatolia. From a private collection in North Germany.
Acquired on the art market and from German private collections in the 1970′s and 1980′s.

Wonderful cross-pendant with dark green patina.
intact

weight 12,45gr. ; bronze circa Ø 20mm. (inner size) 

Solid bronze ring. Bezel engraved with unidentified design.

provenance; found in Anatolia. From a private German collection.

Dark patina. Very attractive
intact

cup size; height36mm. ; width 60mm. ; weight 95,78gr.

This cup includes 1 round weight, 8 square weights and 2 polyhedronic
weights varying from 1,40 to 29,63gram. The largest and heaviest weight
of 29,63 gram is a 1 uncia or 10 dirhems weight (see Hendin 413)

Uncleaned with earthen deposits and dark patina.
Intact

weight 4,26gr. ; silver circa Ø 20mm. (inner size)

Oval bezel engraved with hart-shaped floral design.

provenance; found in east Anatolia. From a Belgian private collection.

Acquired on the Belgian art-market in the 1970′s.
intact

height 55mm. ; lead ; 51,24gr.

This example has ribbing on the obverse and a round medaillon
with W on the reverse. Two ringlets / lug-handles at the sides.

This ″flask and shell-shaped″ lead-aloy ampulla pilgrim badge refers to Saint James (Pecten Jacobaeus). Abandoning one′s daily life to go on pilgrimage to a shrine of a saint was an act of religious devotion performed by a substantial number of medieval Christians. One of the most popular souvenirs were ampullae, small vessels containing oil or water sanctified at a pilgrimage shrine. These souvenirs often were mass-produced casts in lead or its alloys. Many of these ampullae are said to be ″shell-shaped″, assuming the shape and treatment referred in the medieval mind to the scallop, the symbol initially of one of the greatest medieval pilgrimages, to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain, and eventually of pilgrimage generally. The ″shell-shaped″ ampullae exhibit a wide range of styles and features.

literature; Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio, U.S.A.), Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture, Ampullae, re-imbured: a formal analysis of medieval ″shell-shaped″ lead-alloy pilgrim ampullae by Greg Campbell.
provenance; a Dutch private collection
Rare and very interesting object of medieval Christianity.
intact

length 51,5cm. ; wide 25/35mm. ; weight 27,48gr.
These type of combs were used in the textile production, for making yarn

provenance; found in the Netherlands in the medieval city of Dordrecht.

literature; J.Baart, opgravingen in Amsterdam, page 131, no.109
In most cases we see only fragments of these type of combs because they are
very vurnerable. This specimen is in a wonderful condition. Rare this nice.
intact

messing Ø 26mm. ; weight Ø 15,47gr.

Saint Barbara standing left, holding martyr-palm in right hand and with
tower building in front. Unidentified text around.

Saint Barbara was born in the third century in Nicomedia, today′s Izmir, Turkey. Died in 306 AD in Nicomedia. Patron Saint protecting against a sudden and unexpected death, patroness of miners, stone cutters, artillerymen, firefighters, bell-founders, blacksmiths and further branches of human activities.

St. Barbara′s curriculum is completely covered with legends. They say that the girl lived in the end of the third century as a daughter of wealthy Dioscuros in Nicomedia, today′s Izmir, Turkey. It was the time of the prosecution of Christians by the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian. Barbara′s exceptional beauty was admired everywhere, as well as her scholarship and bright intelligence. The richest and most handsome boys of the town sued for beautiful daughter from the pagan house, but she felt, that there must be something else in the life, so far uncovered to her, and refused every man.

Again and again left Barbara for the group of Christians living hidden, in permanent fear of Emperor′s persecutors. In the course of long talks the young girl tried to understand the faith and teaching of those people and more and more she became convinced that her further way of life is shown here. Barbara′s Father Dioscuros, Christians′ fanatic enemy, became aware of the change with his daughter and decided to prevent his daughter from contacts with Christians. He had a tower built at his house to put Barbara there. When he returned from a short journey he could see that Barbara had directed the bricklayers to brick in three windows into the tower instead of two windows, planned by him. Wild with rage, Dioscuros asked his daughter about the meaning of that change and Barbara answered him it was a symbol of the Holy Trinity. When Barbara told him that in the meantime he had been away she adopted Holy Baptism in secret, Dioscuros flared up with anger. He stepped to her wanting to beat her, but suddenly a crack opened in the earth and hid the girl. Then Dioscuros dragged his daughter to the Prefect, a wrathful persecutor of Christians. The Prefect had Barbara scourged, beaten with clubs, burned with torches and cut her breasts away. When the Prefect learned that he reached nothing through that torture, he ordered that Barbara be beheaded. Dioscuros carried out that execution over his daughter with his own hands. No sooner had Dioscuros laid down the killing tool when he himself was struck with lightning and killed.

Saint Barbara became the Patron Saint in the end of the Middle Ages; the patronage relates to the legend, that a rock suddenly opened rendering a cover for Barbara on her run from her Father. There is also a song among the miners devoted to Barbara ″Song to St. Barbara″. To avoid disaster and death in mines, the miners light the ″Barbara′s Light″.

Since the fourteenth century Saint Barbara has belonged among the most popular and presented Saints. Also in the Netherlands Saint Barbara was worshiped. The feast of Saint Barbara falls on December 4th.

provenance; found in Netherlands in Leiden with a metal detector, mid 1980′s 

Highly interesting and rare.
intakt