Loading, please wait...
LOT 2022
British Bronze Age 'Bannockburn Type' Palstave Axehead
CIRCA 1800-1200 B.C.
4 3/4 in. (329 grams, 12.13 cm).
With a short square-ended butt, lateral flanges to both sides, a firm stop-ledge, broad curved edge with spur ends. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of the late Mr W. Magee, Hartlepool, County Durham, UK, 1960s-1990s, thence by descent.
LiteratureCf. Schmidt, P.K. & Burgess, C.B., The Axes of Scotland and Northern England, Prähistorische Bronzefunde, Ab. IX, vol. 7, Munich, 1981, item 435 (Type Bannockburn), for similar.
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:
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.
-
Bronze Age Bracelet
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
A penannular bracelet formed of a round-section bar with overlapping terminals, inked collection number '2726' on the inner face. 20.7 grams, 65 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Large Bronze Age Tanged Sickle Blade
Koban Culture, 12th-8th century B.C.Estimate: £350 - 450 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £175
Of crescentic form with thickening to the outer edge, void to neck, attachment spike. 135 grams, 18.5 cm
Private European collection, 1990s. Private collection, London, UK. -
Corsican Bronze Age Hoard from the Ajaccio Area, Discovered c. 1880–1890
Late Bronze Age, circa 900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £97,500
Including: a) a dagger or short sword in bronze, with grooves on the blade and semicircular guard, oval pommel with a large, two-tiered button in the centre, two smaller buttons at the ends, and two other buttons on the sides; b) the pommel of a second dagger; c) a small axe in crescent shape ornamented by bosses; d) a harness element shaped like a bronze disc fitted with a spike; e) a large violin bow fibula; f) a small boat fibula, decorated on the surface with lines forming a cross; g) a small arched fibula; h) a large bronze ring, with shape and dimensions of a bracelet; i-j) two smaller rings of rhomboid shape. 2 kg total, 7.4-29 cm including stands
Discovered c.1880-90 near Ajaccio, Corsica. Private collection of Mr Ducasse. Thence by descent to Jean Dimitri Ducasse (b.1883), Sarrebourg. Thence by descent. Belle Vente Meuble et Objets d’Art, Cortot et Associés, 26 November 2022, no.133. Acquired from the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of French cultural export passport no.237816. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00228228. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13241-251803.
According to the examination of R. Forrer, the hoard belonged to the culture of the Shardana, who colonised Sardinia and part of Corsica at the end of the first millennium B.C. Forrer dated the hoard to 900 B.C., a period in which the culture of the Nuraghes of Sardinia was at its zenith. The hoard possibly represents a votive treasure, because the axe is without a hole for insertion in a shaft, although the dagger and the other elements could be perfectly usable in the everyday life of the ancient Sardinian people.
