Lead Musket Ball Collection

With lateral curved plates and scrolled bar to the front, rear panel with hooked spur for attachment. 617 grams, 21 cm



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.

Hipposandals (soleae ferreae) were used on horses with injured hooves, a sort of equine orthopaedic shoe used by the mulomedicus, i.e. a Roman military veterinarian. Another important function was that to protect the hooves of the horse from injuries and damages from hard objects. The hipposandal of type 1 was formed from a sub-oval plate which tapered towards the front and rear with projections at the front, back and on either side. The heel was upturned at about 45 degrees and flared outwards. It would have terminated with a downward facing hook, now missing. The base of the sole was flat.

With plain globular body, extended to a small raised ring encircling the top of the mace-head, circular short shaft expanding to a circular flat base. 279 grams, 70 mm high



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

Caucasian stone and bronze maces were distinguished by modestly finished, clean processed and predominantly close-to-ball shapes (with a variety of surface finishing, ranging from the smooth, ribbed, lobular forms to the rounded with protrusions and spikes), and the Western Iranian maces, especially the Luristan ones, notable for the variety of different forms. Similar mace-heads, probably realised in Luristan, decorated the head of the sceptres of Assyrian kings like Tukulti-Ninurta I (1243-1207 B.C.).

Composed of a rectangular-section tip with a single barb, twisted shank and a tubular socket with a single piercing. 7.85 grams, 12 cm



Found Norfolk, UK.