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LOT 0253
Assyrian Belt Fragment Group
9TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
9 - 11 7/8 in. (609 grams total, 23-30 cm).
Comprising two bronze belt sections, each with a ferrous backing; applied sheet-bronze rectangular plates held in place with domed rivets and washers, some decorated with a border of pelleted triangular punchmarks topped with a pellet or ring-and-dot motif; one fragment with finial with remains of a riveted hook, the other with corresponding hole. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Axel Guttmann collection.
LiteratureCf. Esayan, S.A., Gürtelbleche der Älteren Eisenzeit in Armenien in Beiträge zur allgemeinen und vergleichenden Archäologie, vol.6, pp.97-198, pls. 8 & 25, nos.25 and 26 (belts from Golovino).
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Heavy Western Asiatic Leaf-Shaped Spearhead
14th-10th century B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
The leaf-shaped ovate blade with rounded, gently curved shoulders and raised midrib, flat rectangular-sectioned tang tapering to a sharply bent end with a fastening button. 844 grams, 46.2 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
Similar spearheads were excavated in the Marlik Royal cemetery by Dr Negahban, see for example in tomb 47, Trench XXIIE. They were the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with straight tang and square section, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. The foliate blade was wide and exaggerated in some specimens excavated at Marlik. -
Migration Period Iron Sword with Garnet Cross Guard and Scabbard Fittings
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
With a double-edged parallel-sided blade with broad pointed tip; the lower guard inlaid with garnet cloisonné divided into four segments; accompanied by a rectangular scabbard slide inlaid with two rows of garnets and other stone; and a part of a sheet-silver chape. 903 grams, 91 cm
Cleaned and conserved.
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. 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.11819-206855.
The sword belongs to the group of blades with wide guard coming from Eastern Europe, in particular from the regions of the Black Sea. The most striking examples are the sword of Dmytrivka (in the Zaporizhzhia), from a Hunnic grave, the guard and its extending reinforcement collar inlaid with precious stones; the sword of Lermontovskaia (North of Caucasus), from the grave of an Alan warrior (5th century A.D.), having the guard inlaid with coloured glass; the Pokrovsk-Voskhod swords (Region of Saratovo, on the Volga), from a Nomad grave of 5th century A.D., with garnet cloisonné on a gold background (Lebedinsky, 2001,pp.121ff.). -
Viking Iron Sword with Cross Guard Surmounted by Interlaced Dragons
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,450
Comprising a double-edged cutting blade with tapering fullers and hefty tang; the bronze cross guard in Jellinge style with dragon head finials and a central human face to the lower edge; the pommel with seven lobes; accompanied by a bronze openwork chape with central bird motif decorated with stamped ring-and-dot design. 900 grams, 89.5 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. 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.11821-206859.
The blade of the sword is very similar to Petersen Type K; the hilt is a typical Type K, but having seven rather than five lobes to the pommel. The chape, the parallels of which are mostly of late 10th and early 11th centuries, is probably a later addition, possibly reworked to be fitted to the sword.
