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LOT 1215
Luristan Bronze Dagger Blade
800-600 B.C.
7 7/8 in. (72 grams, 20 cm).
With a triangular blade fitted with three fullers, with a handle cast onto the blade, showing three fastening holes.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureSee Khorasani, M.M., Lexicon of Arms and Armour from Iran. A Study of Symbols and Terminology, Tubingen, 2010, p.482, for two similar blades.
FootnotesThese weapons belong to the Early Median and Achaemenid Period. The blades were often inserted inside an openwork scabbard, cast with the lost wax process, while the handle was instead cast onto the blade.
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:
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Western Asiatic Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet
2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Pillow-shaped with columnar ribbing to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns. 57.2 grams, 63 mm
Private collection of Mr K., Maryland, USA. Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 2000. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12893-241757. -
Luristan Bronze Situla Handle with Ram and Horse Head
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Round-section bar with two biconvex collars, horse-head finial at one end and perpendicular ram-head at the other; mounted on a custom-made stand. 191 grams total, 12 cm wide including stand
From a Scottish gentleman’s collection, Glasgow, formed from the early 2000s. -
Achaemenid Gold Ring with Agate Bull
Circa 500 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved Apis bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to the right. 4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.
The Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and later associated with Osiris and Ra. Regarded as an intermediary between the gods and humanity, the Apis bull was chosen based on specific physical characteristics, such as a black coat with unique white markings. Once identified, it was housed in a grand temple in Memphis, where it was treated with great reverence, adorned with jewellery, and participated in important religious ceremonies. Upon its death, the bull underwent elaborate mummification and burial rituals, symbolising its transition to the afterlife and its continued divine role. The cult of the Apis bull highlights the Egyptians’ deep connection to animals as symbols of divine power and their belief in the interconnectedness of the mortal and spiritual worlds.
