Loading, please wait...
LOT 1065
Greek Bronze Socketted Spear with Iron Head
12TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
6 in. (119 grams, 15 cm).
With foliate head and short tubular socketted shaft.
ProvenanceEx German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.
LiteratureCf. D'Amato, R., Salimbeti, A., Early Iron Age Greek Warrior, 1100-700 B.C., figs on pp.18-19.
FootnotesSnodgrass assigns the Athenian iron spearheads to the type A, i.e. spearheads with a leaf-shaped blade, a long socket and a midrib running to the tip. The bronze ones were assigned to typologies C – small, with a leaf-shaped blade (like the present specimen) - and D – with the socket as long as the blade, rounded shoulders and pronounced midrib. Both socket types were beaten round a cylindrical bar, a conservative method to produce bronze sockets even if the head was in iron.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 1065
Greek Bronze Socketted Spear with Iron Head
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
-
.jpg)
Assyrian Bronze Relief Fragment
Circa 9th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,900
Displaying a corrugated rim above and below; two advancing soldiers, each striding forwards over the headless body of a dead enemy, carrying a severed head in each hand; the soldiers shown bearded and each wearing a pointed and segmented helmet with a recess to accommodate the ears, a cuirass and thigh-length tunic, with a bow over one shoulder and a sword slung from a waist belt; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 72 grams, 10.8 cm wide (277 grams total, 11 cm high including stand)
Ex S. Moussieff collection, London, UK. Acquired from C.J. Martin (Coins) Ltd. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.203209.
Battle-scenes - and especially images where the Assyrians overrun their enemies and achieve outright victory - appear to make up a large part of 'official' art of the period. Subjecting a defeated foe to torture and death is the theme of much of the wall-decoration of the palace of Nineveh. A battle-scene depicting the siege of a walled city shows similarly equipped infantrymen; it is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.55.121.4a, b. -
Greek Bronze Arrowhead Group
5th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Mainly comprising socketted arrowheads of triangular type, including at least one barbed and one tanged example. 213 grams total, 32-56 mm
Ex private collection, 1980s. Acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. -
Post Medieval Iron Sword Group
18th-19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising mostly military weapons: a bayonet; sabre; two swords. 3.5 kg total, 89-110 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
One of the swords shows analogies with post-1846 Wilkinson types, regulation steel hilt and steel scabbard with two loose rings. The Wilkinson style officers' blade was a compromise cut and thrust sabre blade with a fuller (groove), found on huge numbers of antique British military officers' swords. It replaced the pipeback blade previously used on officers' swords.
