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LOT 0493
Greek Lead Slingshot with Alpha
1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 1/4 in. (26.2 grams, 32 mm).
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised iconic Greek letter A (alpha) on one side and the other side with a thunderbolt(?).
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Schinco, G., Small, A.M., 'A previously unknown siege of Botromagno/Silvium: the evidence of slingshots from Gravina in Puglia (Provincia di Bari, Puglia)' in Papers of the British School at Rome, 2019, pp.1-52, fig.31,22 (type Volling IIb); for Hellenistic sling bullets with thunderbolt see Yuzefovsky, B., 'Lead Sling Bullets' in Re'em, A. (ed.), The Qishleh Excavation in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 2018, p.199-200, fig.2.
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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Greek Gold Bead Collection
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
A collection of necklace pendants and dress appliques comprising: a hollow bead with a truncated conical shape, featuring appliques for precious stone inserts; three studs with a hemispherical dome; a pair of appliques decorated with rosette and mask-shaped elements; a pendant in the form of a myrtle berry, and another fragment. 11.19 grams total, 10-31 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13023-246772.
The iconography of Hellenistic jewellery often incorporates vegetal motifs, reflecting the Greek value of fertility. With its heavy incorporation of plant motifs, including tendrils, blossoms, and a bursting pomegranate, the diadem design symbolises a woman’s reproductive potential and alludes to the female wearer’s social responsibility to produce offspring. -
Graeco-Roman Bronze Ram-Headed Iron Knife
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Comprising a single-edged knife set with a balustered bronze handle with rope decoration, and the pommel formed as a ram with curving horns. 26.5 grams, 11 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Eastern Greek Scaraboid Gemstone with Gryphon
4th-2nd century B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £650
Scaraboid type with incuse design to the underside of a winged gryphon with one foreleg raised; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 1.24 grams, 13 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
