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LOT 1167
Byzantine Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp with Expanding Cross
HOLY LAND, CIRCA 5TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 in. (73 grams, 85 mm).
Stub handle to the rear, the body decorated with pellets and diagonal strokes, an expanding cross on the nozzle, flanked by two rosettes. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Ancient Art Shop, Windsor, UK, 1990s.
Ex private West County, UK, collection.
Cf. Rosenthal R., Sivan, R., Ancient Lamps in the Schloessinger Collection, Jerusalem, 1978, no.460, p.114, for the type.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1167
Byzantine Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp with Expanding Cross
Estimate £60 - 80€70 - 93 (for guidance only)$81 - 108 (for guidance only)
-
Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant with Christ
Circa 10th-12th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Cruciform with raised border, low-relief nimbate Corpus Christi with legend to lower edge of each arm, suspension loop above. 14.6 grams, 42 mm
From the private coin collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the mid 1980s. -
Byzantine Bronze Oil Lamp
Circa 7th-10th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £25
Formed as a stylised bird with a hemispherical body, U-shaped nozzle forming the head, two projecting wings with incised decoration, and a large flaring tail forming the handle with a central cross motif, three stub legs on the underside. 65.9 grams, 12 cm
From an important collection of lamps, Germany, 1970s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Bulbous body with pointed base and domed mouth, two circumferential bands on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 378 grams, 10.3 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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.
