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LOT 1655
Luristan Bronze Sword
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
20 1/8 in. (508 grams, 51.1 cm).
The grip decorated with horizontal flat grooves and raised aediculae, crescentic guard, long blade with ridged flat mid-grip.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
See a similar sword in Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003) in Russian, pl.XIV, no.40, from Luristan for the type; Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, item 24, p.27.
FootnotesThis category of swords has been classified by Khorasani as 'swords with a mushroom pommel' and are usually characterised by a solid-cast hilt with a penannular guard, a ribbed or variously decorated grip and a conical hollow-cast mushroom pommel, here lost. Usually the blade is multi-fullered and tapers to a sharp tip. Moorey considers them to be from the end of the 2nd millennium B.C. Gorelik extends the dating to the 8th-7th century B.C.
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Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A hollow vessel with cylindrical body, short neck and domed mouth, impressed decorative bands to the upper body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 750 grams, 15.5 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Group
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Including barbed-and tanged, leaf-shaped, tongue-shaped, and other types. 295 grams total, 41-91 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
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Scythian Chalcidian Helmet with Embossed Stags
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £24,700
Chalcidian or Illyrian variant (Caucasian type), constructed from two halves with the right side overlapping the left, embossed ram horns on the brow, with a profile image of a stag to both sides; hinged cheek-pieces with regularly disposed holes to the outer edges; some restoration. 696 grams, 31cm high
Acquired on the European art market, mid-1980s. Private collection, Oxford, UK. From the collection of a London doctor. 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.12339-228100. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The cultural interchange and the military contacts between the Nomads of Kuban and the Hellenic peoples allowed the Sindo-Meothic, Scythian, or Sarmatian noblemen to equip themselves with such beautiful defensive equipment. The helmet finds its closest parallel in a specimen published by A.E. Negin, belonging to the Puskin Fine Arts Museum of Moscow, originally in the collection of S. Karakowskij (Negin, 2010, p.354 no.6; Hixenbaugh H304). Some of the helmets of this type were modified according to the nomadic (Scythian or Sarmatian) taste, being decorated with religious elements, like the deer.
