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LOT 1590
Indian Silvered Bronze Sabre Handle
20TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/2 in. (447 grams, 19.1 cm).
Comprising a lentoid-section bulbous grip with lateral stub quilloons and carinated spur to both faces ending in a trefoil, dished disc pommel with dome and knop; curved knuckle-guard with returned knop finial; reserved panels of arabesque foliage ornament, rosettes and linear detailing.
ProvenancePrivate collection, UK.
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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Luristan Bronze Spearhead
800-600 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Socketted with slight horizontal cast-in grooves on the shaft, foliate head with strong mid-rib, fastening hole on the socket. 166 grams, 34.7 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
These kinds of spearheads were realised by casting in a mould. They were of different lengths and used by Luristan, Hamadan, early Median and Achaemenid warriors. -
North-West Persian Bronze Blade
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Long blade with a pronounced mid-rib, openwork tubular hilt, crescentic guard. 310 grams, 37.2 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
In these daggers, the hilts were cast in the lost wax process, while the blades were cast in a mould. The openwork was cast in the original wax, and after casting was inlaid with a cream-coloured stone, which survives in some examples. -
Miniature Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Small and biconical in profile with narrow point; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 89 grams, 67 mm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
