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LOT 1492
Elamite Bronze Macehead with Faces
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
4 1/4 in. (155 grams total, 10.8 cm including stand).
A hollow-formed decorative mace or sceptre-head formed as a tubular neck with segmented collar, segmented shoulder above three radiating masks each with exaggerated circular eyes, brow developing to a triangular nose above a crescent mouth; neck developing to a ribbed collar below; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProperty of a London gentleman; acquired on the London art market in the 2000s.
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
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AUCTIONS:
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Late Roman Iron Axehead
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Small type with broad curved cutting edge, round socket in a triangular frame; narrow neck. 97 grams, 73 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Vietnamese Officer's Iron Sword with Scabbard
Colonial Period, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
The curved blade with corrugation below the spine, narrowing tip, applied collar at the ricasso; pierced discoid guard, curved grip with decorated sleeve; lacquered scabbard with silver fittings; Vietnamese name lightly inscribed on hilt. 967 grams total, 93 cm including scabbard
Acquired in 2008. Property of a Kent, UK, private collector. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Piriform, undecorated body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 455 grams, 15 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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.
