Loading, please wait...
LOT 1288
Iron Age Celtic La Tene Socketted Axe
CIRCA 4TH CENTURY B.C.
4 1/2 in. (303 grams, 11.5 cm).
Forged in iron with folded rectangular-section socket and flared crescent-edge blade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFormerly with Hermann Historica, Germany.
Ex property of a UK gentleman.
Cf. Wilbrand, Das Eiserne Kampfbeil, pl.1.
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.
-
Iron Age Celtic Horse Bit
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £208
Retaining articulate iron elements and recurved terminals. 362 grams, 19 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Iron Age Celtic Silver Clad Ceramic Boss Group
2nd century B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £26
Each conical in shape and pierced for attachment, three with near complete or fragmentary remains of sheet-silver cladding displaying repoussé crosses, linear bands and concentric roundels, together with a plain example; one ceramic boss without cladding displaying similar motifs in the clay. 55 grams total, 36-40 mm
Acquired on the German art market around 2000. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Iron Age Celtic Bronze Mirror
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,460
Of tripartite form, comprising: the handle, the main mirror plate and tubular binding edge; the reverse of the mirror plate with traces of volute and spiral decoration, once covering the entire surface, thick applied border; separate handle comprising three fastening lobes and three openwork rings forming the grip, possibly a marriage. 355 grams, 27 cm
Private collection since the late 1990s. Property of an English collector. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.10603-174116.
Such mirrors were a unique product of the Celts in Britain, during a period between 300 B.C. and 100 A.D., when they were buried in the graves of queens, high-born princesses and other noblewomen, or in treasure hoards. The majority of these graves are dated between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D. Most of the specimens come from Britain (Desborough, Oxfordshire, Old Warden, Shillington, Trelan Bahow, Mayer mirrors), and a few were found in the nearby regions of France or the Low Countries (e.g. the Dordrecht mirror).
