Loading, please wait...
LOT 0351
Bronze Age Ceremonial Cup Stone Slab
CIRCA 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
22 3/4 in. (50.6 kg, 57.5 cm).
Irregular slab fragment with weathered upper face, cluster of seven cup-marks without surrounding rings. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
See Glob, P. V., Helleristninger i Danmark Vol. VII, Jysk Arkæologisk Selskabs Skrifter, Odense, 1969; Milstreu, G.& Dodd, J., The cup-mark: the smallest, most frequent, cosmopolitan and most complicated symbol in Adoranten, 2018.
FootnotesThe fragment plausibly represents one corner of an arrangement such as that at Tanum, Denmark (Milstreu & Dodd, 2018, fig.8) in which a cluster of shallow depressions forms a larger pattern. The depressions may have been used to collect dew or rainwater, visualised as a gift from the gods provided without human intervention, as well as for ceremonial uses.
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 Double Looped and Socketted Axehead
Circa 2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
With a slightly curved cutting edge, chevron decoration to the shaft; thickened collar below the socket with two lateral loops joining the collar. 158 grams, 84 mm
Numisart collection, Munich, Germany, 1990s. Acquired in the 2000s. From the private collection of John Lawton, Surrey, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a previous catalogue information page. -
Bronze Age Ceramic Vessel
Middle Bronze Age, circa 1200-800 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Squat jar with burnished surface, low rim to the neck. 450 grams, 14 cm wide
Found Norfolk, UK. Ex Clare Morris, UK, 2012. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Clare Morris. -
Bronze Age Rivetted Dagger
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Tapering blade with low mid-rib, butt extending to form a short tongue, originally probably containing three rivets. 111 grams, 17.8 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The bronze industries of the Near East were the first to create beautiful examples of personal equipment, especially weapons. Many of them came from the copper-rich areas of Western Iran, where tribesmen buried their dead according to local tradition, well equipped with weaponry, in small but durable stone-built tombs.
