Lot 53
53
A BRONZE FIGURE OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL "THE CHIEF COMMANDER"
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A BRONZE FIGURE OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL "THE CHIEF COMMANDER"

BYZANTINE, 14TH CENTURY

Details
A BRONZE FIGURE OF ARCHANGEL MICHAEL "THE CHIEF COMMANDER"
BYZANTINE, 14TH CENTURY
The archangel shown frontal, full-length, dressed in military attire, with a cape and large wings, his halo with circular patterns, holding a herald-staff and raising a scimitar, the cast figure with engraved and punched details
5¾ x 3¾ in. (14.5 x 9.5 cm)
Provenance
The Charles Pankow Collection, San Francisco; Sotheby's Antiquities Sale, New York, 1-2 January 1984, lot 105; Lester Wolfe; Charles D. Kelekian, New York
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The sword with the curved blade held by the archangel was part of the armour used by the Ottomans when fighting the Byzantines. The fact that here it is held by the archangel in a position of attack, might have an allegorical function, implying that the enemies of the Empire will be defeated eventually by their own weapons.

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