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LOT 0204
Byzantine Gold Inlaid Ceremonial Axe Head
CIRCA 9TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/4 in. (28.88 grams, 10.9 cm).
A miniature tzikourion comprising a crescentic blade with long neck, flared socket and leaf-shaped blade to the rear; gilt surface with reserved florid and tendril detailing, stylised cross to the flared socket.
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no. no.12340-225024.
See similar forms (iconography) in Nicolle, Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350 AD, volume II, Islam, Eastern Europe and Asia, London, 1999, figs.33p &118c, pp.355 and 373; for battle specimens from the territories of Eastern Roman Empire cf. Yotov, V., Въоръжението и снаряжението от българското средновековие (VII-XI век), (Arms in Bulgaria in medieval period, 7th – 12th century), Варна 2004, no.637; Gorelik, M., ‘Arms and Armour in South-Eastern Europe in the Second Half of First Millennium AD’ in Nicolle, D. (ed.), A Companion to Medieval Arms and Armour, Oxford, 2002, pp.127-148, pl.XL-8, nos.33 ,34 (Khazar Khanate equipment).
FootnotesIt is possible that this axe was used as a status symbol for officers or their family. The axe was known to be a symbol of the Varangian Guard who protected the emperor.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0204
Byzantine Gold Inlaid Ceremonial Axe Head
Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,700
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Byzantine Bronze Steelyard Weight of an Empress
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
Filled with lead and formed as the upper body of an empress wearing a pleated palla, her hair arranged in loose curls around the face, suspension loop to the head. 630 grams, 94 mm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired by the current owner in 1999. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00038155.
The choice of the image of the empress for an official weight may have been to display fairness and equality before the law in commercial matters, as well as to bolster the authority of the imperial family. -
Byzantine Bronze Marriage Ring with Facing Busts
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Comprising a flat-section hoop and raised rectangular bezel, intaglio motif of two facing busts. 4.23 grams, 26.13 mm overall, 21.25 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Post Byzantine Adoration of the Magi Shell Plaque
17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Octagonal in plan with carved scene of the Adoration of the Magi with star above; stepped border, pierced for attachment. 30.2 grams, 68 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
