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LOT 1043
Luristan Sar-e Tabar Socketted Axehead
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 in. (465 grams, 18 cm).
A bronze axe with plain cylindrical socket and staff, off-set at the base, of simple undecorated shape with a long lentoid-section D-shaped blade with scooped profile.
ProvenanceEarlier 20th century collection.
London Mayfair gallery, UK.
Dr D.G. collection, 1990s-2019.
Cf. Moorey, P.R.S., Catalogue of the ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1971, pl.1, items 4 and 5.
FootnotesMany examples of bronze axeheads are attributed to the Luristan culture and various shapes have been discussed by different scholars. Moorey (1971, pp.39-41) shows similar axeheads, stating that the texts executed on some specimens have shown them made of arsenical bronze, and attributes them to the late 3rd millennium B.C. or 2nd millennium B.C., period in which this alloy was used abundantly.
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LOT 1043
Luristan Sar-e Tabar Socketted Axehead
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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London Proofed Percussion Revolver
19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
A double action nickel plated 5-shot percussion revolver with numbered chambers, the chambers and barrel bearing London proof marks and the barrel numbered 2; the frame with foliate engraving and fitted with chequered wood grip scales with hinged steel loading lever; action in working order. 480 grams, 18 cm
Acquired Peter Wilson Auction, 2020, lot 10. Property of a Kent collector. Accompanied by lot ticket.
Sold as an exempt item under Section 58 (2) of the Firearms Act, 1968, to be held as a curiosity or ornament. No license required but buyer must be over 18 years of age. -
Khazar Sabre with Gilt Cross Guard with Face
9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,286
A single-edged hand-forged sabre with a gently curving blade, an iron band welded beneath the cross guard, together with a tongue along the side of the blade; the separate gilt cross guard with spherical ornamented finials to the quillons, the central panel with a stylised face flanked by a pair of leaping lions biting the top of the head, the other side with a lozenge within a ropework frame. 610 grams, 80.5 cm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector. Accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.114437-196034.
This exceptional sabre shows similarity with examples from the Caucasus and Kuban regions. The blade could be Khazar-Magyar, and certainly its best parallels are the specimens from Verchne-Szaltovo area. According to M. Gorelik, some of these sabres were produced by the Kabarians, a breakaway tribe from the Khazar State, who formed an alliance with the Magyars. The extra band welded beneath the quillons, together with the side tongue, not only protected the scabbard from being cut by the blade but, more importantly, defended the warrior’s fingers which were wrapped around the quillons when fighting. -
Luristan Sword Blade with Blood Channels
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £229
A substantial bronze leaf-shaped blade with raised midrib extending to a short tang, ribbed fullers with curved ends extending to the shoulders. 422 grams, 41.5 cm
Fine condition.
Acquired in the 1990s. With a London, UK, gallery. Property of a London collector; from her family's private collection.
The metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in Luristan were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased, others engraved.
