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LOT 1061
Luristan Sword Blade with Blood Channels
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
16 1/4 in. (422 grams, 41.5 cm).
A substantial bronze leaf-shaped blade with raised midrib extending to a short tang, ribbed fullers with curved ends extending to the shoulders.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1990s.
With a London, UK, gallery.
Property of a London collector; from her family's private collection.
See Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, s. cat 31, for type.
FootnotesThe 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.
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Marlik Decorated Spearhead
13th-11th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
A bronze spearhead with long blade and broad midrib with incised decoration to each side, rectangular-section bent tang, reinforced shaft with ribbed horizontal bands interspersed with bands of geometric motifs. 329 grams, 32.7 cm
Ex S. Motamed collection. with Bellman's Auctions, 20th-26th June 2015, lot 2482. Property of a London gentleman.
In this category (Type II of the Khorasani typology) the shaft has a tang with a bend towards the end. The blade has three fullers, and the shaft is usually engraved with diagonal lines. Similar pieces were excavated by Dr Negahban in Marlik. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
A ceramic vessel with a piriform body and domed mouth, two incised rings to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 470 grams, 10.2 cm
Previously in a private collection since the 1990s. Property of a Sussex, UK, teacher. 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'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
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.
