Details

LOT 0048

Bronze Age Irish 'Balbirnie' Type Decorated Flanged Axe

1750-1550 BC

5 3/4" (474 grams, 14.5cm).

A substantial axehead with square butt, slightly divergent sides and flared blade with very broad convex cutting edge; the lateral flanges broad with hammered 'triple herringbone' decoration; median curved stop and two concentric grooves at the base of the flanges, facet below; marked to one face 'THAMES AT WINDSOR' and red collector's sticker '215'. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Ex Sir Richard Ground (1949-2014) Collection, Derbyshire, UK; acquired Bonham's, sale 18817, lot 226 (part), 13 April 2011; ex Robert Stephen Murray Collection; found river Thames, Windsor, UK.

Literature

Cf. Schmidt, P.K. & Burgess, C.B. The Axes of Scotland and Northern England, Prähistorische Bronzefunde, Ab. IX, vol. 7, Munich, 1981, p.70-1.

Footnotes

Sir Richard Ground notes: 'The piece appears to belong to type Balbirnie, an Irish type roughly equivalent to the Arreton phase [in] southeastern Britain. That does not rule out the Thames provenance: see for instance Museum of London C1140 from the Broadness hoard, and 49.107/809 from Weybridge.' Each piece from the collection is accompanied by Sir Richard's personal illustrated catalogue sheets which describe the piece fully, give details and circumstances of his acquisition, academic references and general notes.

The eminent lawyer Sir Richard Ground, OBE (1949 - 2014), a graduate of Lincoln College Oxford, was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1975. After a period spent specialising in media law, he was, in 1983, appointed Crown Counsel in the Cayman Islands, a position which he held until 1987 when he assumed the role of Attorney General. He served as Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 1998 to 2004, and then as Chief Justice of Bermuda until his retirement in 2012. Highly regarded in legal circles for his decisiveness and impeccable integrity, he was awarded the OBE in 1991 in recognition of his services to the Cayman Islands, and was made a Knight Bachelor in 2012 for services to justice in Bermuda. He had a passion for the natural world and worked alongside his wife, fellow lawyer Lady Ground, to found the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, as well as publishing several volumes of wildlife photography.

Sir Richard was a keen and knowledgable collector of both coins and ancient weaponry. His collection of Roman, Byzantine, English, and European coins fetched exceptional prices when sold by Spink in September 2014. It is with pride that we are able to offer his collection of Bronze Age weaponry for auction.

CONDITION