Large North-West Persian Bronze Sword Blade

With narrow pointed blade and wide raised flange down centre, straight sides, well marked shoulders with wide tang, one upper hole for rivet. 149 grams total, 21 cm high including stand



From the possessions of a member of a German princely family, gathered in the late 19th century, until the 1930s. with Auction House CUSP, Vienna, Auction Antique Art from Asia and from the Eastern Mediterranean, 16 June 2012, lot 75 [Part].

The type was technically more advanced than previous types of blades in the Near East due to its shape and its slightly convex sides widening out near the point, which combined the advantages of the leaf-shaped and straight-sided forms.

Piriform body decorated with concentric circles, with sphero-conical filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 472 grams, 13 cm



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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.

Comprising a globular flail head with large suspension loop above and sixteen spiked projections to the sides. 829 grams, 89 mm



From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

The medieval flail was a weapon mainly used in Eastern Europe, probably created among the Steppe people and used by the Mongols, adopted by the Slavic people under the name of kisten. Such a weapon probably saw little use in Western Europe, where it is first represented in the 14th century in a fresco depicting the battle of Nineveh painted by Piero della Francesca, as a chain with three maceheads. In the poem Le Chevalier Délibéré written by Olivier de la Marche and published in 1486, there is an engraving representing a knight carrying a rather simple morning star with asymmetrically mounted quills and a single-ball flail of quills. It is thought that in the Middle Ages the nailed mace in general was used to break through and dismantle the armour of enemies who were then 'finished' with swords or daggers.