Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0223
Luristan Sword with Blood Channels
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
16 1/2 in. (295 grams, 42 cm).
A tanged bronze sword of triangular shape with multiple fullers tapering to a pointed tip, the tang forming an extension of the thick ridged midrib.
Provenance
with John Hewitt.
Ex Maurice Braham, acquired from the above.
Lord Alistair McAlpine collection.
Literature
Cf. Moorey, P.R.S., Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1971, p.78, no.57, for similar; see also Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, p.26, no.24.
Footnotes
The blade belongs to a sword probably made in a Luristan workshop, once fitted with a conical pommel and a crescentic guard. 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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0223
Luristan Sword with Blood Channels
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Migration Period Sword Blade with Agate Pommel
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
A two-edged parallel-sided iron blade with broad pointed tip, battle nicks to both cutting edges; accompanied by a discoid agate pommel. 823 grams total, 3.5-83 cm
cleaned and conserved
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Luristan Arrowhead Group
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A group of six bronze arrowheads with deltoid form, a sharp barbed blade and prominent midrib extending to a long tang. 52 grams total, 4.3-10.9 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
A number of arrowheads of this type have been excavated from the Northern Iranian Plateau, in Luristan and in the South-Caspian region. Many parallels have a burial provenance, but a large hoard of them was found in a non-funerary context. This type of arrowhead has been in use from the 2nd millennium B.C. Godard claimed that barbed types of heads came from tombs from Luristan, like the ones found in Tang-i-Hamamlan. -
Medieval Socketted Catapult Dart
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
An iron catapult dart formed with a tapering cylindrical socket and rectangular-section neck with barbs, barbed triangular head with full-length medial rib to both faces. 83 grams, 25 cm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
