Curiosities, Objects de Vertu and a Selection of African Art. In partnership with Baias Arte.

An old gold thread embroidery
Europe, 16th century
A fine silver and gold thread embroidery with a central coat-of- arm, flowers and a winged cherub.
Cm 25x31

Diurama with Saint Antony
Italy, Early 20th century
Grass box containing small coral branches, conchs and a Saint Antony porcelain image.
H cm 20.5

Ammonite fossil on stand
Africa?
Section of an ammonite on a metal base. The fossil displays the highly mineralized and crystallized internal chambers of the cephalopod.
Fossil: Length 21.5 cm

Two coral branches
Italy, Early 20th century
Two small coral branches on bronze base.
L cm 14.5

Set of six culverin iron balls
Europe, 15th Century
An unusual group of six spherical iron projectiles associated with the use of long-barrells firearms known as culverins, employed between the 16th and 18th centuries in both land-based and naval contexts.
Largest diameter: cm 4

A small betel mortar
South-East Asia, 19th century
Small stone mortar carved from a fossilized tusk.
H cm 6

A wooden book with Holy land flowers
Jerusalem, 19th century
Edition containing twelve samples of flowers and plants of the Holy Land in a hard cover realized in olive wood.
Cm 10.5x16

A large botanical print
Germany, 19th century
Large print depicting a specimen of Urara macrostachya printed by Engelmann Graf Condeb & co.
With frame: cm 75x55.5

A water-colour flower
Italy? 19th century
Guache on paper trompe-l'oeil representing a peony flower. Signed lower-left with monogram E.G.
With frame: cm 58x52

Albertus Seba, Cabinet of Natural Curiosities
Taschen
This volume faithfully reproduces the plates from the renowned 'Thesaurus' of Albertus Seba (1665-1736), a Dutch pharmacist and naturalist who spent decades collecting animals, exotic plants, snakes, insects, and shells in a monumental 'cabinet of curiosities'. Published by Taschen, the book pays tribute to the tradition of the Wunderkammer and offers a visually captivating journey through richly illustrated and meticulously detailed images-suspended between scientific precision and baroque aesthetics.
Hardcover cloth-bound edition, over 580 large-format pages (approx. 25 x 37 cm), lavishly illustrated.

A fine carnelian cameo
England? Early 19th century
A fine low-relief cameo depicting two horses heads in the style of the Phidias Parthenon frieze.
H cm 3.5

Pair of tribal hairpins with spiral design
Eastern India, early 20th century
A pair of ritual hairpins made of antimony alloy, originating from tribal communities in Eastern India, likely from the Orissa or Chhattisgarh regions. The two pieces feature an intricate double-spiral structure with a bifurcated pin-shaped terminal.
Maximum length: cm 14

Votive Ring depicting the Bull Nandi
India, Late 19th Century
An example of popular ritual goldsmithing, this bronze ring features the figure of Nandi, the sacred bull who serves as the vehicle and guardian of the god Shiva-a central figure in Hindu iconography. The cast use the direct lost-wax technique and devoid of ornamental finishes, the piece retains the essentiality and expressive power typical of devotional craftsmanship.
H cm 4

A fine silver necklace
Probably Yemen, 19th century
Heavy silver necklace embellished with small gems and enamels. The entire surface finely chiselled.
L cm 18

Two pairs of silver earrings
Horn of Africa, 19th century
Two beautiful pair of large earrings with glass inserts.
D cm 8

Horse ornament in red dyed horsehair
Turkey (?), Early 20th Century
Composed of a thick tuft of bright red dyed animal hair, mounted on shaped metal with leather fittings.
Length: cm 31

A tribal sculpture

New Guinea? 20th century

Wood sculpture with human figure adorned with two wild boar defenses.

H cm 37

A wooden spoon and a bowl
Oceania? 20th century
A large carved spoon with anthropomorphic handle and wooden bowl in form of a duck.
Spoon: L cm 38
Bowl: L cm 21

Four Tribal Tobacco Containers
Asia and Africa, 20th Century
Four small boxes, hand-carved or handwoven using natural materials such as wood, plant fibers, pigments, and resins.
Crafted with an archaic sensibility and a striking formal variety, these objects speak an ancient language of function, form, and spirituality.
The biggest: H cm 17

A fine war club
Papua, New Guinea?
A hardwood club with engraved head.
L cm 55

An African terracotta vase
Africa, Probably 18th century
Globular vase with anthropomorphic neck.
H cm 32

A bronze African Akan box with weights
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo - Akan people
Lot comprising a square copper alloy box and cover for Akan gold weights (Abrammuo) and eight bronze weights.
The bronze box resting on four feet is embellished with moulded figures of bronze coins, and the upper handle of the lid is shaped as an Ashanti royal stool.
The box measures cm 16x9x9

Twenty-two African Akan bronze weights abrammuo
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo - Akan people
A group of Twenty-two cast bronze small figures depicting both humans and animals used by the Ashanti people and in general by all the members of the larger group of the Ackan of West Africa as currency for trading.
H from cm 9 to 10

Two African brass masks
Africa - Nigeria e Cameroon?
Two heavy cast brass or bronze masks depicting male faces.
The biggest one: H cm 17.5