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LOT 1352
Heavy Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
LATE 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
5 3/4 in. (741 grams, 14.5 cm).
With swept blade, large socket with shallow raised circumferential rib and a vertical rib to the rear.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
For similar examples of axes see Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003), pl.XX, no.44 (Mundigak, layer III, third quarter of the 3rd millennium B.C.).
FootnotesIn the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C., the most widespread types of axes were those made for splitting and those for cutting. In the last third of this millennium there emerged a sharp differentiation between such axes. Such a sharp division by function should be associated with the influence of the Syro-Palestinian tradition. Such differentiation, in the absence of some multifunctional forms, can be observed from the end of the 4th millennium B.C. and during the 3rd millennium B.C.
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LOT 1352
Heavy Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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100 Civil War Period Lead Musket Balls
Circa 17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Mixed group of lead-alloy musket and carbine balls,some with casting seam and sprue nipple. 1.57 kg total, 9-19 mm
Found Hertfordshire, UK. -
Indian Quatar Iron Dagger
18th-19th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £550
Comprising a broad blade tapering to an armour-piercing point, the steel side bars and balustered grips decorated with copper Koftgari work flowers and scrolls. 488 grams, 48 cm
General condition very good.
Property of a London gallery.
Unique to South Asia, the quatar or katar was a dagger that held at the crossbars with a clenched fist. The weapon was meant to be thrust into the opponent or prey from a close range. Rajput and Mughal royalty used this weapon to hunt tigers and even crocodiles to demonstrate their bravery and martial skill. -
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Khazar Iron Sabre with Gilt Bronze Cross Guard
9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
A single-edged hand-forged sabre with a gently curving blade, an iron band welded beneath the cross guard, together with a tongue along the side of the blade; the separate gilt cross guard with spherical ornamented finials to the quillons, the central panel with a stylised face flanked by a pair of leaping lions biting the top of the head, the other side with a lozenge within a ropework frame. 610 grams, 80.5 cm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector. Accompanied by an academic report by military specialist 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.114437-196034.
This exceptional sabre shows similarity with examples from the Caucasus and Kuban regions. The blade could be Khazar-Magyar, and certainly its best parallels are the specimens from Verchne-Szaltovo area. According to M. Gorelik, some of these sabres were produced by the Kabarians, a breakaway tribe from the Khazar State, who formed an alliance with the Magyars. The extra band welded beneath the quillons, together with the side tongue, not only protected the scabbard from being cut by the blade but, more importantly, defended the warrior’s fingers which were wrapped around the quillons when fighting.
