Central Asian Collectibles and Curiosities

An exceptional, museum quality very large 18th century Greek icon of the Pentecost. Egg tempera and gold leaf on wood, primed with gesso. Attributed to Mount Athos...

Beautifully polished lapis lazuli mineral specimen from Afghanistan. This semi-precious stone has been prized since antiquity due to its intense, beautiful blue coloring and golden speckles. It was also used in the fine arts, in a crushed powder form, as a component of artist's pigments and, as such, was the most expensive pigment during the Renaissance period. Lapis Lazuli Specimen...

Antique ship model of the Donald Mc Kay Clipper Ship "Sovereign of the Seas". Awesome scale model by noted early twentieth century model maker Th...

A large scale freestanding polished lapis lazuli freeform originating from Afghanistan, one of two similar naturally-formed lapis lazuli specimens we are selling. With its naturally...

True tales of lost art, built around case studies of famous works, their creators, and stories of disappearance and recovery From the bestselling author of...

Beautiful Dutch Demijohn. Hand blown bottle; with naval battle scene. Portrait of dutch admiral martin tromp, "The bravest and most skillful enemy t...

A stunning pair of very fine quality French Neo-Gothic gilt metal church reliquaries. circa 1860s Most impressive objets d’art, born in France in the second half of the 19th century, most likely Parisian gilded bronze and brass ormolu work, exceptionally executed sculptural form, the exquisitely detailed architectural cathedral shaped case having a removable pointed steeple roof with cross finial, opening to relic display case surrounded on all sides by original glazed glass panes, stepped base, rising on disc feet. Signed, stamped by maker / bronzier "BC" (unknown) model "5096" and other faint marks to lid interiors. Additional photos available upon request Dimensions: (approx) 14.75" High, 6.75" Wide, 6.75" Deep; 13.25 lbs total History: A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine, by the French term châsse or monstrance) is a container for important religious relics. The earliest reliquaries were essentially boxes, either simply box-shaped or based on an architectural design, taking the form of a model of a church with a pitched roof. These latter are known by the French term chasse, and typical examples from the 12th to 14th century have wooden frameworks with gilt-copper plaques nailed on, decorated in champlevé enamel. Limoges was the largest production centre; NB the English usage differs from that of the French châsse, which denotes large size rather than shape. Relics of the True Cross became very popular from the 9th century onward and were housed in magnificent gold and silver cross-shaped reliquaries decorated with enamels and precious stones. From about the end of the 10th century, reliquaries in the shape of the relics they housed also became popular; hence, for instance, the skull of Pope Alexander I was housed in a head-shaped reliquary. Similarly, the bones of saints were often housed in reliquaries that recalled the shape of the original body part, such as an arm or a foot. A philatory is a transparent reliquary designed to contain and exhibit the bones and relics of saints. This style of reliquary has a viewing portal to view the relic inside. The feretrum was a medieval form of reliquary or shrine containing the sacred effigies and relics of a saint. During the later Middle Ages, the monstrance form, primarily used for consecrated hosts, was sometimes used for reliquaries. These housed the relic in a rock crystal, or glass capsule mounted on a column above a base, enabling the relic to be displayed to the faithful. Reliquaries in the form of large pieces of metalwork jewellery also appeared around this time, housing tiny relics such as pieces of the Holy Thorn, notably the Holy Thorn Reliquary now in the British Museum. Condition: Superb museum quality examples, in excellent original unrestored antique condition with beautifully aged patina. Wear consistent with age and use. Heavily patinated - scattered oxidation. Overall wonderful examples. Typically reliquaries were not sold in pairs, so to find a matching pair such as this is exceptionally rare. Worldwide shipping available Local pickup available near Dallas, Texas Additional: We here at Lynx Hollow Antiques love religious antiques, from Christian tabernacles, Catholic altarpiece, life-size Buddhist temple sculptures, Hindu votive offerings, 16th century Islamic mosque architectural salvaged windows...

ABOUT A mid to late 19th century carved wooden horse with horsehair mane and tail, fabric ears, saddle, harness and nail-head eyes. CREATOR Unknown. Made in Germany or the USA....

19th Century cross. Nice XIX century cross in olive wood. Measures: 23x12 cm. In good condition. Good condition.

19th Century Scottish capercaillie foot brooch A Scottish capercaillie foot, also known as the leg of a grouse set as a brooch or kilt pin mounted on silver (not hallmarked) The bac...

A gorgeous slab of vibrant lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli inclides lazurite (intense blue), calcite (white veins) and pyrite (gold flecks). Prized since ancient times, this is a wonder...

Stunningly powerful and meaningful work of religious art. With works of religious art being one of our specialties, over the decades we have sold quite a few special antiques in this field. With this bronze antique the artist clearly shows us a fragment out of one of the most famous scenes that took place in the history of mankind. Christ has already been beaten, mocked, given a wreath of thorns and having to carry the enormous cross. As you can see the quality of the details and the workmanship is excellent, but the scene and its meaning ofcourse is even more impressive. Please notice how particularly the facial features reveil the peaceful state of being that lies underneath the exterior of this Christ sculpture...