African Art & Wonders: A Collection of Cultural Treasures. In partnership with BAIAS Arte.

An Anglo-Indian Scissor-shaped advertising sign
Colonial India, 19th century
Patinated wood.
An interesting ad-sign of an old English tailoring shop, in the shape of a large pair of scissors made of wood.
H cm 55

A rare Indian medical tweezers knife
India, 19th century
A rare Indo-Persian medical knife used for the removal of arrow tips from the body. The tool consists of a pair of tweezers containing a small sharp blade inside.
L cm 13

An Indian mouflon horn adapted as a powder flask
Colonial India, 19th century
A rare powder flask made from a twisted mouflon horn, featuring a steel spout for regulating the flow of black powder needed for the proper loading of the firearm.
H cm 16.5

An Indian Moghul dhal
India, 19th century
Iron with silver, brass and niello decoration.
A large sized buckler of strongly convex shape with four hemispherical bosses. The exterior decorated with niello and floral scrolls.
D cm 37

A fine Persian buckler
Persia - Qajar, Early 19th century
Silver and gold inlay on steel with its original red cotton lining and padding.
Of circular shape with four hemispherical bosses. The exterior decorated with silver and gold inlaid vegetal tendrils, stars and other decorative elements. Small shields like this are named bucklers. Unlike large shields, the buckler allowed great maneuverability. Held with the hand it imposed a particular fighting technique with an outstretched arm to widen the angle of defense of the person.
D cm 25.5

A rare iron and brass chain-mail
Europe, 15th century?
Beautiful collar for suit of arms made of small iron and bronze rings intertwined together to form a beautiful geometrical design on the surface.
Mail of this kind were produced ubiquitously for long centuries from ancient times to the 18th century. The example presented here could be traced back to a European production from the Medieval Era. Usually chain mails were made by skilled blacksmiths, sometimes women as in the case of the famous Alice the Aubergere with her workshop in Cheapside in the 14th century London.
L cm 80
H cm 42

A rare English wooden kosh
England, 19th century
A curious wooden club finished with brass terminals.
L cm 44

An English brass compass
England, Second Half of 19th century
A beautiful gyroscopic compass mounted on a brass gimbal suspension, allowing for a wide range of movement and rotation.
H cm 9

An English brass spectroscope
England, Second Half of 19th century
Mounted on a brass stand that allows for a wide range of movement and rotation, the spectroscope consists of a crystal prism onto which a light beam is reflected to measure the properties of light based on its wavelength.
H cm 21

A fine English hydrometer
Scotland, 19th century
A Sikes hydrometer set manufactured by J. Lizars in Aberdeen, in its original mahogany case in excellent condition.
Used to determine the strength of spirits for the distiller and wine maker, this type of hydrometer, very efficient and easy to use was designed by Bartholomew Sikes in 1816 and until 1980 was the standard used in the UK to measure the alcohol proof of spirit.
L cm 20.5
H cm 5
P cm 9.5

A fine George III wheel barometer
England, Early 19th century
A large sized mahogany dial mercury barometer with hygrometer, level and mercury thermometer.
The first dial barometer also referred to banjo or wheel barometers, were first made in England around 1790 and soon became the style of choice. This example, produced by the well known Lilley Company in London, can be dated to the first quarter of the 19th century.
H cm 106.5

A French wall thermometer
France? Mid 19th century
Gardening shovel-shaped thermometer with brass shovel, wooden handle and embossed decoration.
L cm 58

A fine Indonesian kriss hilt
Indonesia, Java, 19th century
The hilt, crafted from a fossilized stone, is mounted on a forged iron base. The artisan who created this rare hilt, in addition to possessing a keen aesthetic sense and skill in sculpting, chiseling, and engraving, understood the symbolism and magical power of this unusual and precious material. Through it, an invisible bridge was created between the kriss owner and the supernatural world of their ancestors.
H cm 10 (without base)

Flexible fishing club
c. 1930
An unusual leather club with a flexible core and lead spheres, entirely covered in braided leather.
L cm 21.5

A rare German lock with secret mechanism
Germany, 18th century
A rare hand-forged key-shaped lock with a complex secret mechanism that allows it to transform into a lock, which can be opened with a small secondary key. Cleaned and lubricated, this particular chef-d'oeuvre is in perfect condition.
L cm 8

Three Indian small savings safes
India and Pakistan, Early 20th century
Lot consisting of three mould oilcloth-bound booklets featuring dry-embossed prints of two period palaces and a distinctive cartouche of the banking institution. Originally given to new clients as a sign-up bonus for the bank, these three unusual booklets conceal a small secret compartment functioning as a money box, complete with a key.
H cm 12

A pair of Indian safe-shaped piggy banks
India, Mid-20thcentury
Two small hand-painted metal piggy banks originally given to new clients as a sign-up bonus for the bank. The miniature safe design evokes the heavy, antique vaults of the 19th century.
H cm 11

School of Cusco, Michael the Archangel
Perù, School of Cusco, 18th century
Oil on canvas.
A fine image of the Archangel Michael with the flaming sword in his right hand.
Lower left the painting bears a later inscription with the name of Archangel Zadkiel, but the iconography does not correspond.
The painting reflects the traditional style of the School of Cusco, the artistic movement that developed in Perù during the 16th and 17th centuries, blending indigenous artistic taste with European Baroque.
cm 28x18

School of Cusco, Virgin Mary and Jesus
Perù, School of Cusco, 18th century
Oil on canvas.
Depicting the Virgin of Carmen with Jesus in a gilded frame. The painting reflects the traditional style of the School of Cusco, the artistic movement that developed in Perù between the 16th and 17th centuries, blending indigenous artistic taste with European Baroque.
Cm 30x24

A fine and large Russian Icon with Madonna
Russia, Moscow, 19th century
Of very large size this beautiful Icon shows a fine replica of the famous Madonna della Seggiola painted by Raffaello in 1513. The image of the Virgin with Jesus and Saint John is protected by an unusual silver filigree riza in elegant neoclassical style.
City hall mark Moscow, essay mark I.V (Cyrillic) 1850, maker's mark MN? (ciliric) 84 zolotniki (875/1000) .
cm 36x30

Saint Alexius, Russian Icon
Russia, 19th century
Oil on board with silver embossed riza.
At the center of the icon, framed by an elegant silver riza, it is the image of the Saint Alexius, the venerated Russian Archibishop and Regent on the throne of the reign of Moscow until the coming of age of the designated prince Dmitrij Ivanovic.
Unidentified maker's mark.
cm 33x29

A fine Russian icon of Abram of Smolensk
Russia, 19th century
The painted image of the Saint and the one of the Virgin Mary, almost completely covered by the rich embossed parcel gilt-silver riza. Venerated as Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Russian Orthodox Church, Abram was a Russian monk and priest, born around 1150. Of noble origins he abandoned his comforts to retire to a meditative life, were, according to tradition, he worked many miracles in favor of the poor and the sick.
Essay mark: 1840, maker's mark NG (Cyrillic), 84 zolotniki (875/1000), city hall mark shield with a crown.
cm 24.5x20

A fine Russian icon
Russia - Saint Petersburg, 19th century
The image of the blessing Christ, protected under a fine vermeil silver embossed riza.
Essay mark: I.Z (Cyrillic) 1865 - Silver mark 84 zolotniki (875/1000).
cm 22.5x18

A cast bronze sculpture of a faun
Europe, 20th century
Depicted with goat legs and large, spirally twisted mouflon horns, the faun is an ancient mythological figure, protector of fields and flocks, provocateur of idyllic visions and nightmares, as well as a revealer of the future through mysterious voices.
H cm 11.5