Loading, please wait...
LOT 1048
Ceremonial Polearm with Wooden Shaft
CIRCA 18TH CENTURY A.D.
70 7/8 in. (2 kg, 1.8 m).
Iron-headed 'Lucerne hammer' on a short wooden shaft; the hammer-face with three sturdy spikes, square-section spearhead above and curved bec de corbin to the rear with two short lateral spikes, languets extending down the faces of the shaft.
ProvenanceAcquired UK art market, 1980s-1990s.
Property of a Suffolk, UK, gentleman collector.
Cf. Oakeshott, E., European Weapons and Armour, London, 1980, p. 51.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Viking Age Iron Socketted Spearhead
11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Type N leaf-shaped slender blade, with flattened transition area between blade and socket, continuing far up onto the blade. 255 grams, 39 cm
Ex private collection of Mr M.B., Mainz, Germany, since the 1980s. Acquired from the above, 2004.
The spearheads of type N were a minor group in the Viking spearheads, found throughout the whole of the 10th century A.D. They make up circa 10% of the Viking Age spears. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Piriform body with domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 434 grams, 12.4 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Medieval Iron Anti-Cavalry Caltrop Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Comprising eight caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. 398 grams total, 76-95 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
