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LOT 1355
Large Romano-British Bronze Catapult Fitting
1ST CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (110 grams, 67 mm).
Substantial cast cupola with socket to the apex; possibly from a field artillery piece. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceReputed to have been excavated near Viables in Hampshire at the end of the 19th century.
From the estate of the late Jennifer Simmonds.
Acquired from Jacobs & Hunt auctioneers, Petersfield, Hampshire, UK.
See Marsden, E.A., Greek and Roman Artillery. Historical Development, Oxford, 1969, for discussion; cf.Russo, F., Tormenta, Venti secoli di Artiglieria Meccanica,, Roma, 2002, p.209, fig.51, for the frontal sculpture of a catapult of 1st century A.D. preserved in the Vaticani Musei, fitted with similar bosses.
FootnotesThe circular umbo does not correspond to any known central shield boss, as it also lacks the lower edge; instead, it finds a good correspondence with the circular bosses that reinforced the lower and upper frame of a catapult, equipped with a central bronze cover.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1355
Large Romano-British Bronze Catapult Fitting
Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
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Scythian Scale Armour Sections
6th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Two panels from a scale armour coat composed of more than two hundred overlapping bronze scales, each mounted onto a custom-made leather panel for purposes of display; the scales formed in different series, some having holes only in the upper part, some with three holes in the upper part and two holes to the left, and others showing three upper holes and one side hole. 255 grams total, 15.2-16.5 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. 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 a search certificate number no.12044-216404.
The favourite armour of the Scythian noblemen was composed of scales, usually protecting the torso, sometimes the entire body (kataphraktoi). The Scythians found that the most efficient method was to arrange the overlapping ‘fish-scales’ as a corselet made of a number of bronze and iron plates, which then protected the wearer against sword and spear thrusts. Our scales correspond well to bronze scales found in May 1961 in an accidentally destroyed burial in a barrow, near the village of Nadezhda Sovetsky district. They were discovered together with iron scales, a Greek Corinthian helmet, fragments of an amphora, five arrowheads and fragments of an iron sword. Most of these bronze scales were oblong in shape, with a sub-rectangular upper end and a rounded lower end, but slightly bigger than our scales. -
Luristan Copper Flat Axe
Circa 13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Formed with a squared butt and flared cutting edge; flat in cross-section. 168 grams, 17 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
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Migration Period Iron Spatha Sword with Garnet Inlaid Hilt
5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,800
Comprising a double-edged parallel-sided blade showing battle nicks on both cutting edges, medium length tapering tang; lentoid-shaped lower-guard with inset garnets to one side; accompanied by an amber sword bead with a bronze stud with garnet inlay. 753 grams total, 1.9-80 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. 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 a search certificate no. 12063-217911.
This type of swords (cf. Lebedinsky 2001, p.117) usually had stones hanging from the pommel or hilt, like the one preserved here. This typology was widespread in central Europe by the Huns and there are also specimens attested in Gaul in the 5th century.
