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LOT 1071
Luristan Socketted Axe-Adze
13TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
6 1/2 in. (559 grams, 16.5 cm).
A substantial copper-alloy adze-axe head composed of a cylindrical socket, one blade at a right angle to the socket with tapering sides and D-section cutting edge; one blade upright with convex cutting edge. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1980s.
London, UK, private collection.
Property of an Essex gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Mixed Blade Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £169
A mixed group of bronze bladed weapons including arrowheads; dagger believed to be a reproduction. 374 grams total, 11.4-26.5 cm
Acquired 1970s-1990s. Ex Rabi Gallery, Mayfair, London, U.K. From a specialist collection of pottery. -
Western Asiatic Dagger Blade with Winged Guards
Late 2nd-mid 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £410
A bronze dagger with prominently curved or winged guard, extending out from the ricasso and partly framing the tang, once covered by an organic hilt; the thick midrib extending slightly above the ricasso. 484 grams, 60 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
Many examples of these blades have been excavated in the South Caspian area at Ghalekuti, and in the area of Talish. They have been found primarily in Iron Age graves, although the curves of the guards are reminiscent of the barbed arrow and javelin heads associated with Bronze Age Marlik. This is why some scholars (Dyson) dated them to the second millennium BC and others (Muscarella) to the recent Iron Age. It is possible that this style represents continuity from the Bronze to the Iron Age. -
Luristan Socketted Axehead
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £89
A small, heavy socketted bronze axehead with convex cutting edge. 243 grams, 86 mm
Fine condition.
English collection formed in the 1990s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman.
Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which was inserted a core to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead.
