Chinese Serpentine and Gilt Bronze Ceremonial Adze

Substantial with leaf-shaped blade, lentoid in section and with rounded tip, rectangular-section tang; blade with nicked and chipped edge. 890 grams, 42 cm



Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.

A spatha with a double-edged parallel-sided blade, battle nicks to both cutting edges; long tang with a fastening rivet in situ; small trapezoidal bronze pommel. 707 grams, 91 cm



From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. 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 a search certificate number no.12040-216429.

The spatha, often with an elegantly decorated hilt with golden elements, was characterised by a relatively light handle so that the centre of gravity of the weapon was moved towards the tip. The evolution of the 'barbarian' long sword in the west, during the invasions, began around the 5th century.

The hilt with mushroom-shaped pommel, round grip, crescentic guard, long sloping blade with rectangular sectioned mid-ridge. 1.04 kg, 56.5 cm



Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.

This category of swords has been classified by Khorasani as 'swords with a mushroom pommel' and are usually characterised by a solid-cast hilt with a penannular guard, a ribbed or variously decorated grip and the conical hollow-cast mushroom pommel. Usually the blade is multi-fullered and tapers to a sharp tip. Moorey considers them to be from the end of the 2nd millennium B.C.