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LOT 1399
Chinese Serpentine and Gilt Bronze Ceremonial Axe
QING DYNASTY, 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
9 1/4 in. (513 grams, 23.5 cm).
Comprising a serpentine pelta-shaped blade with taotie motif, bronze socket formed as a stylised fish with a lizard on its back, open mouth to accept the staff; in archaic style. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired UK, in the 1980s.
Property of a retired South West London doctor
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Iron Plumbata
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
The barbed head with tapering cylindrical stem and biconical lead weight; socket to the reverse. 95 grams, 13.4 cm
Ex B. Posey collection, UK, 1990s.
The lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae (or 'breasted javelin') were short darts mounted upon a shaft of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 metres by trained soldiers. -
Viking Age Ugro-Finnian Battle Axehead
11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
A hand-forged iron axehead with square chin to the blade, flanges raised to the socket, rear round hammer-head. 200 grams, 15.5 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
The more commonly used weapons of the Finno-Ugrian people were axes, commonly found in all Finnic areas, as well as spears. Iron axeheads of this typology show a sub-trapezoidal asymmetrical blade. -
Luristan Bronze Dirk
13th-12th century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £167
With lentoid-section blade, tongue-shaped in plan, integral tapering hilt with flared finial, lateral flanges to accept a panel of bone or wood to each face forming the grip. 174 grams, 34 cm
Ex Joseph J. Gancie (1923-2010), Washington, Silver Spring, Maryland. with Alex Cooper Auctioneers Inc., sale 1035, 27 January 2013, lot 162a.
The dirk belongs to the type III in the Medvedskaya classification, used in Near East from the 13th to the 6th century B.C. The type is the 32a of the Maxwell-Hyslop study. The Asiatic daggers of this type are confined to Syria and Persia, but Transcaucasia also provides an interesting analogy from Kalekent on the Baku peninsula, where a pointed straight-sided dagger blade has a flanged hilt with the whole of the side flanges bent over the centre.
