German Socketted Iron Halberd

Composed of a socketted blade divided into six sections with sharp grooves, the shaft with four circumferential bands. 873 grams, 34 cm



Ex old English collection. London art market, pre 2000. Property of a London, UK, gentleman.

The Chinese, having adopted the use of chariot from the west, judging by the monuments and literature used it primarily for archery combat, as evidenced by the absence of spearheads in chariot burials of the Yin Kingdom. But already from the early Zhou Dynasty chariot warriors used a spear. Massive Yin spears were the weapon of dense infantry formations. The shape of our specimen, probably used as standard finial, recalls that of a spear from Zhongzhoulu, Luoyang, Prov. Henan, dated at the 5th-4th centuries B.C., and of two spears from the Zheng fortress of Xinzheng Country, dated to the 4th-3rd century B.C.

Comprising two terminals in the form of human-headed horned and winged sphinxes; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 218 grams total, 15 cm wide including stand



From an old London, UK, collection. Ex London, UK, gallery.

The most admirable horse bits ever created by man are undoubtedly those from Luristan, a province in the north-west of Iran which extended along the valleys that make up the central part of the Zagros mountains. Worked in cast bronze with the lost wax process, they almost always had a rigid cannon in round or square bars which were flattened and rolled up around themselves at the ends, but their exceptional feature were the figural side bars. The local metalsmiths, in a period of time between 1200 and 700 B.C. managed to create an infinite number of typologies: horses, oxen, ibex, roosters and various mythological animals.

Stamped 2642 in Thai numerals at top of blade with 'tiger mask' mark for Siam, together with original British marks, fitted with wood grip scales and spring release button; the scabbard with original throat and chape, modified in Thailand to replace the original leather main section. 726 grams, 58.5 cm



Property of a Luton, UK gentleman, by inheritance.

The Type 62 is a re-badged British Pattern 1907 bayonet. Siam purchased 10,000 SMLE rifles and Pattern 1907 bayonets from Britain in 1919 to equip the 'Wild Tiger Corps', royal bodyguard of Vajiravudh, King Rama VI (reigned 1910–1925). The tiger figural on the ricasso is representative of the Wild Tiger Corps. Year 2462 on the Buddhist Calendar corresponds to 1919. SMLE rifles and Pattern 1907 bayonets were taken from British stocks, refurbished by Birmingham Small Arms (BSA), and remarked with Siamese markings. The bayonets were shipped with standard steel-mounted leather scabbards. However, the leather rapidly deteriorated in the tropical climate, so the Siamese made a replacement steel scabbard body to which the original steel mounts were brazed.