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LOT 0335
Large Medieval Silver Inlaid Iron Spearhead
15TH-16TH CENTURY A.D.
16 1/2 in. (693 grams, 42 cm).
Comprising: a hexagonal-section tapering socket, lentoid-section neck and leaf-shaped blade; inlaid silver-wire scrolled tendril detailing to the socket and neck. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. for identical typology the spearhead of Zerotina Family in Yotov, V., 'Žerotína family spearhead from Bulgaria (first half of 16th century)'. in Ławrynowicz, O., Maik, J., Nowakowski, P. A. (ed.), Non sensistis gladios. Studia ofiarowane Marianowi Głoskowi w 70. rocznicę urodzin, Łódź, 2011, pp.487-493.
FootnotesThe spearhead likely belonged to a family fighting in the Balkanic wars among Christian and Ottomans in the late 15th century A.D. Spears with such shape are dated to the 16th century and are defined by specialists as ‘schefflin’ type. The ornament of the blade imitates Ottoman decorative models.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0335
Large Medieval Silver Inlaid Iron Spearhead
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
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Luristan Bronze Spearhead
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Composed of a leaf-shaped blade with tapering socket. 161 grams, 31.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Ibero-Celtic Style Iron Falcata with Inlaid Decoration
19th century A.D. or earlierEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
A single-edged machaira sword of falcata typology, the hilt formed as a gracefully curving horse's head and neck, the blade with deep grooves, inlaid with geometric ornaments on the hilt and blade. 771 grams, 57.7 cm
Ex White Collection, England, 1970s. The Bonnhauser Collection, Zurich, 2003. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Since the 5th-4th century BC, the Iberian warriors armed themselves with round shields and single-edged swords (falcatas), gradually adopting the appearance of hoplite armies and the Etruscan version of the machaira. The latter type of sword was duly transformed into a completely new type, with a different size, shape and function, the falcata, which was already in use in the Iberian area by c. 490 BC. This falcata, a type of curved, one-edged sword of supposedly Greek origin, is generally accepted by the scholars as the 'national' weapon of the Iberians, usually suspended on the left side of the warrior, inside a sheath to which sometimes was attached a short knife. It was a terrible cut-and-thrust sword, with an average blade length of 45 cm. -
Viking Age Volga Bulgar Bronze Belt Mount Collection
10th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £900
Comprising: twenty-seven fittings of polygonal shape with reserved stylised vegetal forms; one belt buckle of similar shape and decoration on the preserved part of the barb; a roundel; a narrow polygonal belt-tip; attachment rivets to reverse; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 525 grams total, mounts: 21-34 mm
Acquired on the London art market, 1990s. Private collection, London. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12621-234052. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Pentagonal strap mounts decorated with schematic plant ornaments, cast in bronze, characterised the population of Volga Bulgars, often in commercial relations with the Viking world. A belt-set with pentagonal and rectangular mounts decorated with plant ornaments, along with its strap end and buckle, were excavated by V.D. Sokolov in Slavic-Scandinavian graves in Russian territory.