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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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Biconvex body with impressed bands to the shoulder, domed filler-hole, gesso and painted surface, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 575 grams, 15.5 cm
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Medieval Iron Axehead
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Acquired on the UK market before 1992. Ex property of a North London gentleman. -
Heavy Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
Late 3rd millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With swept blade, large socket with shallow raised circumferential rib and a vertical rib to the rear. 741 grams, 14.5 cm
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