Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1551
African Ceremonial Iron Double Axe
LATE 20TH CENTURY A.D.
22 1/4 in. (450 grams, 56.5 cm).
Comprising: tapering wooden shaft with circumferential grooves; iron twibill head with two-part flat socket riveted to two crescent blades, each with punched rectangular slots and holes, butted rings to the inner angles. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Property of a Berkshire, UK, gentleman collector.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Greek Lead Slingshot of Alexander the Great
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved legend 'ΑΛ[EXANΔΡΟ]Υ.', the club of Herakles on the other side. 29.6 grams, 30 mm
Acquired on the German art market before 2000. Private collection, Munich, Germany.
The presence of the club of Herakles connects the slingshot with the Macedonian Dynasty. Similar slingshots were found in Miletos. -
Medieval Knight's Iron Hand-and-a-Half Sword with Inscribed Bronze Pommel
Germany, 14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,300
Longsword of Oakeshott's Type XVa, cross style 8, bronze pommel style J (recessed); strongly tapering, pointed blade of ‘flattened diamond’ section, cross style tapering gradually outward to sharply downturned tips; long grip with slight taper, disc pommel with chamfered edges and a potent cross in the centre surrounded by an inscription (on both sides) '+ IH SU + AAWM'. 1.25 kg, 113 cm
From the private family collection of a lady, UK; acquired in Germany mid 20th century. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13034-24799.
Some wheel pommels of this date have engraved, or inset roundels with armorial or devotional emblems, and a number of sword blades of this date bear religious inscriptions in the form of a prayer. The inscription on the pommel between the two potent crosses is intriguing. The letters 'IH SU' are a clear reference to the name of the Saviour, and can be translated as Ihesu-Jesus, or also Ihesu Merci (Jesus have mercy), a simple prayer for the person carrying the sword. The letters 'A.A. W.M.' could refer to the name of the owner of the sword (WM = Wilhelm) or the maker of the weapon. It is difficult to consider the letters as an abbreviation of the prayer ‘Ave Maria’, usually shortened in the German medieval inscriptions as A.M. -
Turkish Iron Dagger with Brass Hilt and Scabbard
Mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Two-edged jambiya with narrow curved blade, two deep fullers and punched detailing with inset turquoise-coloured pellet; brass bolster and applied bone panels to the grip, silver facing to pommel; brass sheath with low-relief foliage and figural ornament, suspension rings. 211 grams, 23.2 cm
Acquired on the UK art market in the early 2000s.
