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_900x900.jpg "Early Georgian Incendiary Iron Cannon Ball")
_200x200.jpg "Early Georgian Incendiary Iron Cannon Ball")
.jpg "Early Georgian Incendiary Iron Cannon Ball")
LOT 1093
Early Georgian Incendiary Iron Cannon Ball
EARLY 19TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/8 in. (3.9 kg, 11 cm diameter).
Featuring a circular opening to receive fuse and plug to one face; hollow-formed. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired after 2000.
Property of a Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman.
See McConnell, D., British Smooth-Bore Artillery: A Technological Study to Support Identification, Acquisition, Restoration, Reproduction and Interpretation of Artillery at National Historic Parks in Canada, 1988; see Blackmore, H.L., The Armouries of the Tower of London. I. Ordnance, London, 1976.
FootnotesThe shrapnel shell is named after Lieutenant-General Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842), a British officer who devised the hollow, gunpowder-filled ball that was fused to explode either in the air or on the ground with the resulting ball fragments proving to be an effective anti-personnel weapon; later types were filled with lead musket balls and powder to make the weapon even more effective against troops; such projectiles were used both with field artillery cannon and with mortars.
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:
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
Irregular pear-shaped ceramic vessel with domed filler-hole, impressed rings and vertical bars to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 980 grams, 15 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 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. 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. -
Viking Age Iron Axehead
11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Composed of a sub-circular socket, lozengiform flanges above and below, rectangular hammer-style butt and axe head with straight upper and curved lower edge, convex cutting edge. 729 grams, 17.8 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Byzantine Iron Horse Bit
14th-16th century A.D.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £135
Composed of arched openwork shanks with looped terminals; one end fitted with large hoops and bar between; one end with a tripartite mouthpiece comprising two collared bars connected by a central hoop; Byzantine or early Ottoman. 340 grams, 19.5 cm
Fine condition.
Collection of Dr. Hanns-Ulrich Haedeke (1928-2017), author of ‘Schmuck Aus Drei Jahrtausenden’ and who became the director of the Museum of Klingenmuseum in Solingen, Germany, in 1968; the collection was formed in the early 1960s. From an important private Dutch collection.
This type of horse bit is visible on one of the most important equestrian artworks of the 15th century - the Cappella dei Magi by Benozzo Gozzoli, a painting representing the Three Kings visiting Christ, depicted in costumes belonging to the early quarter of 15th century. All the cavalrymen in the artwork had heavy curb-bits (with short and curved shanks, as in our specimen) and heavy, single reins.
