Loading, please wait...
LOT 0299
Luristan Bronze 'Pineapple' Macehead
13TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
5 in. (272 grams, 12.5 cm high).
Of Sara Gorz type with cylindrical shaft extended over the top, rounded knobs around the swollen head, flanked by horizontal grooved bands.
ProvenanceAcquired mid 1980s to early 1990s.
Private family collection formed in London, UK.
Cf. Musé Cernuschi, Bronzes du Luristan: Enigmes De L'Iran Ancien IIIe-Ier millenaire ac. j.-c., Paris musées, 2008, p.103, for a comparable item.
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 0299
Luristan Bronze 'Pineapple' Macehead
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
-
Western Asiatic Tanged Bronze Spearhead
Late 3rd-early 2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Having foliate blade with central rib and slender shoulders, cylindrical short shaft encasing a rectangular tang with a bent end. 151 grams, 26.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
This variant is characterised by a blade of rhomboidal or swollen section, an intermediate part often short widened so as to form a clear stop and a curved bristle at its end, sometimes finished in a button. Most lances are of medium dimensions (23 cm to 36 cm), others are very elongated (more than 50 cm). The best parallels come from Tepe Hissar. Elements of handles found nearby the spearheads in the excavations have made it possible to reconstruct the total length of the weapon (1.40 m). -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
10th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Compressed spherical body, the upper part with impressed decoration consisting of two rows of Saint Andreas crossed inside a shield, with domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 382 grams, 10.2 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. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising fifteen tanged examples, including one slender arrowhead in iron. 112 grams total, 44-75 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.