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LOT 1049
Large Medieval Iron Axehead
15TH CENTURY A.D.
13 1/4 in. (2.3 kg, 33.5 cm).
A substantial hand-forged iron axe with D-section socket and broad offset blade, fixed with three nails to the iron handle. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1971-1972.
From the collection of the vendor's father.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
See Glosek, M., Późnośredniowieczna broń obuchowa w zbiorach polskich (Late medieval blunt weapons in Polish collections), Warszawa-Łódź, 1996, pl.XXXI, lett.C.
FootnotesThe axe corresponds to the type XII of the Glosek classification. The type is known from Poland and Sweden. However, very often these axes were found without context, and generally classified as 15th century A.D. While the axes from Sweden are regarded as weapons, and dated 14th century A.D., the long and thickened back of the axe is rather characteristic of a butcher's axe, or of an executioner's axe.
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Elamite Ceremonial Axe with Silver Sleeve
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £12,000 - 17,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £6,000
A bronze ceremonial axe with later sheet-silver sleeve to the shaft, attached with ball-headed rivets; gilt dome finial to each end, the lower one in a gusseted collar. 750 grams, 45.5 cm
Acquired in 1996. Ex Samad Khameneh collection. Private Swiss collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11647-199005.
The axe belongs typologically to Type 4 of Maxwell-Hyslop’s classification, with a long and thin shaft narrowing towards the base. When technical developments resulted in heavier axe-blades, it was necessary to prolong the socket into a shaft tube and to cut away the underside of the blade where it joined to the shaft. The edge of the blade was curved and this shifted the point of impact of the cutting edge. -
Luristan Sara Gorz Macehead
13th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £450 - 650 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
A bronze mace head with cylindrical shaft extended over the top, rounded knobs around the swollen head, flanked by horizontal grooved bands. 272 grams, 12.5 cm high
Fine condition.
Acquired mid 1980s to early 1990s. Private family collection formed in London, UK. -
Western Asiatic Dagger Blade with Winged Guards
Late 2nd-mid 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £410
A bronze dagger with prominently curved or winged guard, extending out from the ricasso and partly framing the tang, once covered by an organic hilt; the thick midrib extending slightly above the ricasso. 484 grams, 60 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
Many examples of these blades have been excavated in the South Caspian area at Ghalekuti, and in the area of Talish. They have been found primarily in Iron Age graves, although the curves of the guards are reminiscent of the barbed arrow and javelin heads associated with Bronze Age Marlik. This is why some scholars (Dyson) dated them to the second millennium BC and others (Muscarella) to the recent Iron Age. It is possible that this style represents continuity from the Bronze to the Iron Age.
