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LOT 0292
Elamite Bronze Parade Macehead with Animals
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 1/2 in. (10 1/4 in.) (519 grams, 19 cm (647 grams total, 26 cm including stand)).
Tubular sleeve with ribbed collars to the mouth and shank; scooped upper end narrowing to the top; three vertical lines of conical spikes with interstitial crawling lions, rams' heads at the top, ibex heads below the lower collar; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceKuizenga collection, the Netherlands, acquired Hamburg 22 December 1995.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Moorey, P.R.S., Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection, Oxford, 1974, p.49, no.18; and Mahboubian, H., Art of Ancient Iran. Copper and Bronze, London, 1997, p.169, no.177.
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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LOT 0292
Elamite Bronze Parade Macehead with Animals
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Greek Macedonian Lead Inscribed Slingshot
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
A biconical glans with an inscription 'MEP' to one side and 'NA' to the other. 27.5 grams, 28 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The leaden bullets, which were thrown from slings, were called in Greek Molivdainai (μολύβδαιναι), and in Latin glandes- the former indicating the material ‘lead’, the latter the shape ‘acorns’. These bullets were cast in a mould, and bore letters or devices or both, on two sides or on only one. In form they were more like an almond than an acorn, but many are pointed at both ends; in size, they are generally about one inch and a half maximum length, and under one inch in maximum width. Bullets from Mecyberna possess the abbreviated inscription MER (obverse) and NA (reverse), which some scholar translated as Mecyberna. The presence of the Mecyberna inscription is expected, since the Polis of Mecyberna produced clay moulds, which suggests local production. Inscribed bullets with the name of a city may also denote the place of manufacture -
Medieval Iron Macehead with Securing Nail
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Comprising spherical macehead with teardrop and lozenge flanges; a nail with tapering square-section shank and rectangular flat head. 255 grams, 66 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Squat body with domed mouth, misshapen during manufacturing process; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 365 grams, 88 mm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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.
