Loading, please wait...
LOT 0262
Large Stone Age Acheulean Ovate Flint Handaxe
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 600,000-350,000 B.P.
6 7/8 in. (719 grams, 17.5 cm without stand).
Substantial and well-made handaxe with thick butt and rounded cutting edge; marked 'St Même FR'; likely made by Homo heidelbergensis; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceFrom the well-regarded, long-closed quarry site of St Meme, Charente, France.
From an old large French collection.
Acquired on the European art market.
From a UK private collection.
Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord McAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 1.10, for type.
FootnotesSmaller handaxes continued as components of Middle Palaeolithic industries (Acheulian and Mousterian) associated with Neanderthal Homo sapiens.
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.
LOT 0262
Large Stone Age Acheulean Ovate Flint Handaxe
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£240 (EUR 278; USD 324) +BP*
-
Very Large Stone Age 'Livre de Beurre' from Le Grand Pressigny
Neolithic Period, 5500-2400 B.P.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £325
A substantial flint core or so-called 'Livre de Beurre' with vertical traces of blows on the work side, including one pronounced blade negative extending half way along the stone’s length; cortex remains and core preparation traces on other side; proximal end with impact surface, distal end with rounded point; two bifacial wave to chevron-shaped core edges; flat-prismatic cross-section; raw material for blade production, beige stone (silex) with yellow undertone, cream-coloured patches and spots, slightly shiny surface (origin: Le Grand Pressigny, Dép. Indre-et-Loire, France); old collector's label 'N13310'; supplied with a custom-made stand. 2.62 kg, 30.5 cm (3.79 kg total, 37.5 cm including stand)
Private collection, B.G., Southwest France. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00127506. -
Danish 'Type-1B' Knapped Flint Dagger
Neolithic Early Dagger Period, circa 4400-3800 B.P.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
A finely made and complete early fine Senonian or Danian flint dagger belonging to the Danish Single Grave Culture (Dolktid), a slender lanceolate outline with near-parallel sides, a discreetly indicated hafting zone, and the maximum width placed at or just ahead of the midsection. 66 grams, 18.3 cm
Found Ordrup, Sjaelland Island, Denmark, 1970. From the private collection of amateur archaeologist Jorgen Faxholm, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a previous catalogue sheet with reference.
This dagger shows the characteristic manufacturing traits of the earliest dagger horizon. There is no polishing or parallel-struck flaking of the later, more elaborate types. The maker relied on careful, even marginal retouch to create a sharp and functional cutting edge. The dagger appears to retain its original proportions with no evidence of later reworking or reduction. By the time Lomborg formalised the typology, approximately 540 examples of Type 1B were recorded from graves or intentional depositions, with a further circa 150 from unprovenanced contexts. This example sits squarely within that early corpus and represents the form at its best. -
Stone Age Pierced Boat-Shaped Axehead
Neolithic Period, 4th millennium B.P.Estimate: £400 - 600 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £222
Boat-shaped in plan with central drilling; domed hammer-face to butt, carination to each broad face. 656 grams, 14.8 cm
Acquired in the 1996. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
