374, Lot: 746. Estimate $200. Sold for $900. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ROMANO-BYZANTINE. Syria. Terra cotta pilgrim’s token depicting St. Simeon Stylites. 6th-7th centuries AD. St. Simeon atop a large central column, flanked by two angels. Two figures approach on the left, while a third figure ascends a ladder on right. Diameter: 20mm. Intact.

Such pieces are generally thought to depict St. Simeon Stylites the Younger, the most famous of the so-called “stylites” (“pillar dwellers”), ascetics who practiced self-mortification while living atop pillars. St. Simeon drew large crowds during his own lifetime (521-562), and his tomb became a major pilgrimage site following his death.