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LOT 1464
Byzantine Bronze Horse Fire Steel Handle
CIRCA 6TH-10TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (5.45 grams, 37 mm).
Formed as a standing horse in profile with ring-and-dot punched decoration to both sides of the body. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1464
Byzantine Bronze Horse Fire Steel Handle
Estimate £60 - 80€70 - 93 (for guidance only)$81 - 108 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
-
Byzantine Bronze Seal Matrix with Inscription
Circa 14th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Comprising a bulbous ribbed shank with loop above, bell-shaped base with four radiating busts with band of abraded text beneath; underside with pelleted border and Greek legend 'N / INOM / ΛΙΓOP / OIΘIΓ / KEb'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 12.8 grams, 27 mm
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Two Saints
6th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £30 - 40 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Ellipsoid bezel with two facing nimbate figures in floor-length robes. 2.86 grams, 23.50 mm overall, 20.20 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S 1/2, USA 9 1/4, Europe 20.63, Japan 19)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 390 grams, 96 mm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια, where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
