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LOT 0301
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit with Animals
CIRCA 11TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
6 7/8 in. (690 grams, 17.5 cm wide).
Comprising a pair of ram-shaped cheek-pieces with a hole through the body for the straight mouthpiece with looped terminals.
ProvenanceFrom a collection formed in Paris in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. similar horsebits in Moorey, P.R.S., Ancient Bronzes from Luristan, London, 1974, pls.VI-VII; Musee' Cernuschi, Bronzes de Luristan, enigmes de l'Iran Ancien, IIIe-Ier millenaire av. J.C., Paris, 2008, pp.110ff, nos.68ff, for similar types.
FootnotesThe horse bits were transformed by Luristan people in to expressions of applied art. Metalworkers employed animal motifs, both realistic and imaginary, for their cheek-pieces. The question of whether these horse bits were for real use or only for use in a funerary context is superfluous, as signs of wear have been documented, and the goads and loops on interiors are functionally designed. The use of such horse bits is clearly documented in Assyrian reliefs of the time of Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.).
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LOT 0301
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit with Animals
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
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This piece was a sort of ceramic fire grenade, similar to the ones used by the Eastern Romans but of Turco-Mongol type. Apart from the use of manual flame-throwers, special corps of soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
Piriform body with thick ribs to the shoulder and impressed panels between, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 708 grams, 15 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.
