Loading, please wait...
LOT 0261
Huge Stone Age Acheulean Ovate Flint Handaxe
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 600,000-350,000 B.P.
8 1/4 in. (1.54 kg, 21.1 cm).
Extremely large example of a chopping tool, likely made by Homo heidelbergensis; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceFrom the well-regarded, long-closed quarry site of St Meme, Charente, France.
From an old, large French collection.
Acquired on the European art market.
From a UK private collection.
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord McAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, items 1.10, 1.11,1.12, for similar types.
FootnotesSmaller handaxes continued as components of Middle Palaeolithic industries (Acheulian and Mousterian) associated with the Neanderthal and Homo sapiens. These rather crude handaxes probably reflect the coarser nature of the stone.
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 0261
Huge Stone Age Acheulean Ovate Flint Handaxe
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£200 (EUR 232; USD 270) +BP*
-
Large North American Stone Age Knapped Spear Point Group
Archaic Woodland Period, circa 2500-1900 B.P. or laterEstimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising four ovate points in grey and cream stone. 83.9 grams total, 67-82 mm
From a previous old English collection. From the private collection of a West Midlands lady collector; acquired from a UK auction house. -
African Stone Age Homo Erectus Knapped Acheulean Handaxe
Lower Palaeolithic Period, circa 1,000,000-500,000 B.P.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Piriform in plan, knapped in dark red quartzite with narrow point. 440 grams, 12.2 cm
From the Northern Sahara, North Africa. From a collection formed during the 1970s and 1980s, having been acquired on the British art market; thence by descent to the current owner in 1998. -
Large French Stone Age Magdalenian Bone Awl
Late Upper Palaeolithic, circa 21,000-13,000 B.P.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £250
Well-preserved bone awl with a long tapering point, inked collector's note 'Abris Val de Seine Poinçon, Magdalenien Dragage / Seine 75480'. 25.9 grams, 14.4 cm
From Abris Val De Seine, France. From an auction with Art Remy Le Fur. Acquired on the European art market in the 2020s. Accompanied by a copy of a French export licence no.257541.
The Magdalenian is a technocomplex of the Late Upper Palaeolithic, named after the type site of Abri de la Madeleine, a rock shelter located in the Vézère valley of Tursac in Dordogne, France.
