Luristan Gilt-Bronze Horse Bit Terminal

With a slender double-edged blade and a narrow handle with conical pommel. 809 grams, 76.3 cm



Ex Deutsch Auctioneers, Vienna, 25 February 2020, no.7. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The Luri people produced a quantity of fine metalwork, which according to Dr Khorasani, could be due to a settled period which arose as a result of the defeat of the Elamites by the Babylonians, leaving the Luristani people in relative peace for a period of time after 1200 BC. According to Khorasani, 'A culture of innovation and experimentation flourished, and the repertoire of the Luristan smiths expanded in the period between 1150–1050 BC.'

An anchor-shaped semi-circular blade, semi-elliptical in section, narrow socket with a long extension to the rear. 557 grams, 11.1 cm



Previously in a London, UK, collection, 1970s. Ex Rabi Gallery 1991. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The ‘anchor’ axes belonged to a homogeneous type of axe, similar to the fenestrated axes, but displaying a different hafting method. The handle was inserted into a short cylindrical collar except at the back, where it extended to a width roughly equivalent to that of the blade. The two ends of the blade widened to form a concave face resting against the handle, thus ensuring a firm support. The edges of the fenestrelles were prominent and sometimes have decoration. At the back of the collar, there was always a spherical or flattened knob. The function of this knob can only be conjectured: it seems too small to serve as a counterweight, hence it was probably an element used to wind the handle's attachment cord.

Deliberately broken up on deposition, Petersen's Type L variant, comprising: D-shaped pommel with peened tang above and upper portion of tang forming the grip; lower section of tang with separate lower guard, scaphoid in plan and gently drooping in profile with convergent ends; upper portion of double-edged lentoid-section blade; lower section of parallel-sided blade with rounded tip. 1.15 kg total, 9-66 cm



From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12726-234732. 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.