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LOT 1020
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/8 in. (449 grams, 10.5 cm).
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, the upper body decorated with vertical herringbone patterns separated by linear motifs; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards.
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'.
Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16.
FootnotesApart 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.
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LOT 1020
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
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Arab-Byzantine Bronze Casket with Crosses and Naskh Inscription
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Rectangular in plan with tapering sides and flared stub feet; separate lid with chamfered sides; sidewalls decorated with low-relief border of knotwork surrounding roundels with geometric and floral ornament, with a cross motif above and below; iron securing strips to the lid and side; underside with knotwork panel. 959 grams, 14.3 cm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
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Byzantine Cosmatesque Mosaic Panel
11th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Recalling workmanship similar to that found in the floor of the Sistine Chapel and other important Roman churches; comprising a stepped rectangular panel with white marble border, square blocks with cross fourchée motifs on porphyry and other fields; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.06 kg, 38.5 cm wide (1.4 kg total including stand)
French gallery, Paris, 1990s. From a family collection, London, UK.
The Cosmatesque style was a characteristic type of ornamentation of Eastern Roman origin (opus alexandrinum) used by the Roman marble makers of the 12th and 13th centuries AD. It embellishes floors, ciboriums and cloisters of churches by means of polychrome marble inlays of varied and imaginative geometric shapes. The wider use of this decoration began in the 12th century, at which time techniques were improved: the Cosmati floors were made with pieces of stone cut in various shapes and sizes, a property quite different from the mosaics in opus tessellatum, in which the motifs were made from small units all having the same size and shape, or from the opus sectile, intended to create representations with pieces of multicoloured marble cut out and arranged for this purpose. The stones used by Cosmati artists were often material salvaged from the ruins of ancient Roman buildings. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, the upper body decorated with vertical herringbone patterns separated by linear motifs; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 449 grams, 10.5 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards. 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.
