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LOT 0228
Heniochi Dagger with Beast Heads
4TH-2ND CENTURY B.C.
11 in. (15 3/8 in.) (170 grams, 28 cm (753 grams total, 39 cm high including stand)).
A short iron dagger with triangular blade, short straight guard surmounted by a bronze pommel characterised by twinned beast heads projecting from each side; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1971-1972.
From the collection of the vendor's father.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
See Gamkrelidze, G., Shatberashvili, V., Pirtskhalava, M., Charkviani, M., Weapons and Armor in Georgia (5th century BC – 4th century AD), Batumi, 2018, pls.X no.6, XI, no.11, for similar examples.
FootnotesThe tribe of the Heniochs, according to Artemidorus of Ephesus, existed during the 5th-1st century B.C., on the Black Sea littoral that is part of present-day Abkhazia. Aristotle describes the Heniochi as a group of people "ready enough to kill and eat men." The dagger shows similarities with the pommel of a sword from Akhul Abaa grave 4 with twinned beast heads. These weapons of subtype I, according to the classification of Gamkrelidze-Shatberashvili-Pirtskhalava-Charkviani, were popular not only in Abkhazia, but throughout the territory of west Georgia during the 4th-1st century B.C.
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African Yaka Sword with Scabbard
19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
An iron sword with leaf-shaped blade decorated with a simple punched line punched and zig-zag ornament; the hilt partially covered with leather with stitched junctions, twisted iron wire 'cage' and elongated iron pommel; accompanied by a fragmentary wooden leather-covered sheath with spatulate end. 684 grams, 70 cm long
Acquired locally by donation. Property of Sense Charity, Cambridgeshire, UK.
The Yaka are an African ethnic group found in the south-west of the DRC, with the Angolan border to their west. The Yaka people were historically known for their excellent diplomatic and military abilities which enabled them to found the Yaka kingdom in the 17th century. One of their distinctive weapons was a long, straight sabre which developed into an increasingly elaborate style during the 19th and 20th centuries A.D. -
Marlik Decorated Spearhead
13th-11th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
A bronze spearhead with long blade and broad midrib with incised decoration to each side, rectangular-section bent tang, reinforced shaft with ribbed horizontal bands interspersed with bands of geometric motifs. 329 grams, 32.7 cm
Ex S. Motamed collection. with Bellman's Auctions, 20th-26th June 2015, lot 2482. Property of a London gentleman.
In this category (Type II of the Khorasani typology) the shaft has a tang with a bend towards the end. The blade has three fullers, and the shaft is usually engraved with diagonal lines. Similar pieces were excavated by Dr Negahban in Marlik. -
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Post Medieval Gauntlet Pair from a Suit of Armour
17th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
A matched pair of iron mitten gauntlets from a tilting armour, each comprising a conical tubular wrist and ropework border in two sections permanently attached with rivets; articulating wrist section of four lames and curved finger section of four larger curved lames; hinged thumb to the side; some remnants of the original leather backing. 1.88 kg total, 33.5-34 cm high
Acquired London art market in early 1960s. From the private collection of the late Walter Steinberg, London, UK.
