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LOT 1161
Luristan Bronze Short Sword
CIRCA 1000 B.C.
17 3/8 in. (383 grams, 44 cm long).
The blade with a tapering profile, triangular in overall form, with square shoulders, penannular guard with strong midrib, flanged hilt with crenellated grip, widening slightly into a fan-shaped pommel; tip repaired.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. similar sword in Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour of Iran, Germany, 2006, cat.12, for similar example in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran.
FootnotesThese types of short sword or dirks were usually cast in one piece, and the penannular rib in relief was cast on at the same time with the handle of the blade. In some cases, however, the penannular rib was later cast on the dagger, possibly to strengthen a weak point at the junction of hilt and blade. The flanged hilt was originally filled with organic material like bone.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1161
Luristan Bronze Short Sword
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
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North-West Persian Bronze Dagger Blade
Late 2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
With prominently curved guard extending out from the ricasso partly framing the hilt, thick midrib extending slightly above the ricasso. 464 grams, 52.2 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The hilt of such swords was made separately and unfortunately is nearly always missing from the archaeological records. Similar daggers had a northern Iranian background and excavated examples have been recorded from the South Caspian area from Tomadjan and Ghalekuti. -
Urartu Bronze Mace or Sceptre Head
9th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With cylindrical head and narrow flanged base, the head divided in four petals. 490 grams, 60 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
Assyrian and Urartian officers are identified by their weapons in the reliefs. It is not so easy to definitely identify cavalry officers on the palace reliefs of the Assyrian kings, but their identification is based mainly on the context they appear in, and on some insignia (mace, sceptre) they carry with them. Hence, the mace was not only a practical weapon, but also a command insignia. -
Migration Period Iron Sword with Garnet Cross Guard and Scabbard Fittings
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
With a double-edged parallel-sided blade with broad pointed tip; the lower guard inlaid with garnet cloisonné divided into four segments; accompanied by a rectangular scabbard slide inlaid with two rows of garnets and other stone; and a part of a sheet-silver chape. 903 grams, 91 cm
Cleaned and conserved.
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11819-206855.
The sword belongs to the group of blades with wide guard coming from Eastern Europe, in particular from the regions of the Black Sea. The most striking examples are the sword of Dmytrivka (in the Zaporizhzhia), from a Hunnic grave, the guard and its extending reinforcement collar inlaid with precious stones; the sword of Lermontovskaia (North of Caucasus), from the grave of an Alan warrior (5th century A.D.), having the guard inlaid with coloured glass; the Pokrovsk-Voskhod swords (Region of Saratovo, on the Volga), from a Nomad grave of 5th century A.D., with garnet cloisonné on a gold background (Lebedinsky, 2001,pp.121ff.).
