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LOT 1282
Bronze Age European Spearhead
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
14 3/4 in. (211 grams, 37.4 cm).
Leaf-shaped, with bevelled edges and lozenge-sectioned mid-rib, socket pierced twice.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. Leshtakov, L., ‘Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Bronze Spear- and Javelinheads in Bulgaria in the Context of Southeastern Europe’ in Archaeologia Bulgarica, XV, 2, (2011), 25-52, fig.2, no.4.
FootnotesThe shape of the blade resembles a willow leaf with its widest part situated in the middle of its length. The origin of this shape is still not very clear. It was probably invented somewhere in Anatolia or the Near East. In the Aegean it appears for the first time in LH II A, before spreading around Western Europe.
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LOT 1282
Bronze Age European Spearhead
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Bronze Age Central European Axehead
Circa 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £94
Featuring an elliptical socket and wedge-shaped cheeks. 954 grams, 17.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Bronze Age Gold Hair Ring
Circa 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Flat in section and tapering to each end, coiled to secure a braid of hair. 1.01 grams, 12 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s. -
Bronze Age Sacrificed British Long Sword
1500-1100 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Bronze sword or rapier with gently tapering cutting edges, thick midrib with lateral beading for most of the blade's length; flared plate to the hilt with two holes at the end to accept attachment rivets; substantially complete; mounted on a custom-made stand. 918 grams total, 57 cm high including stand
Reputedly found in the River Blackwater, Bradwell, Essex. with Christie's, South Kensington, 13 May 2003, lot 259. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11881-207821.
In the terminology of Bronze Age studies, a weapon of this type less than 30 cm in length is called a 'dirk' and beyond that length it is classified as a 'rapier'. The longer examples are sometimes considered to have been impractical for use as weapons due to the limitations of the casting process making the blade brittle; however, the evidence for repairs and modifications indicates that they were frequently retained in active use for some time.
