Some time ago I bought a stone vase in a charity shop. It has some sculptured anthropomorphic female figures and some face figures. It could be Sheela na Gig and Green Man figures. It might be a stump or a farmacy mortar. It misures 10 cm tall and 10.5 cm width. I contacted the historical museum in Stockholm and they think that it could be a Romanesque object from England. I would like to have your opinion on the object and its value. Thanks Giuseppe Romano
I bought it in a charity shop.
Dear Giuseppe,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
The presented object appears to be a vessel in the shape of a capital. This piece appears to be made out of a cast mass and not carved in stone because of the bulbs which are visible on the surface. On the other hand, this could be a variety of limestone. The iconography reminds of comparable pieces from England and Northern Spain of the 11th and 12th century.
At the end and physical examination is needed for exact dating. An argument against dating into the 11th or 12th century is the size of this piece. It is too small to be a part of an architecture.
This piece is in good condition and there are no serious damages visible.
An estimation would be between 1.500 to 3.000 USD if this piece is authentic.
This estimation is based on actual recent past recorded auction sales of comparables. Retail "asking prices" can be higher and vary.
With kind regards,
Georg
Dear Guiseppe,
Thank you for your email and a Happy New Year. Sadly regarding technical problems, the images and messages were not displayed. I apologize for the delay of the appraisal.
I attach here the link to the conditions of the authentification.
https://mearto.com/authenticate
With kind regards,
Georg
Dear Mr. Georg.
Thank you for the reply.
I checked a bit on the internet and found a lot of medieval Spanish capitals with an identical iconography.
The object appears to be made in limestone. I have a simple USB microscope with which I checked. The structure is typical of limestone. On the inner edge of the mouth of the vase you can see very clearly the marks of the chisel. I wanted to ask you if it is possible to obtain an authentication of the vase from you and how much it would cost.
Kindly Regards
Giuseppe