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LOT 1451
Margiana Bronze Axehead
LATE 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 1/4 in. (289 grams, 18.3 cm).
With a narrow neck and rounded bill-shaped blade, rounded wings to the socket and square-headed stud behind.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1988.
LiteratureCf. Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003 (in Russian), pl.XXI, no.84, from Afghanistan; Cf. Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, fig.2.16, subtype H2.J.b.
FootnotesThese categories of axes were of Oriental production, coming from the territories of Bactria and Margiana, occasionally imported in Elam and Luristan. The anthropomorphic and zoomorphic patterns are sometimes visible, as well as the button at the back of the heel (very common) are related to examples of Luristan, but the style differs markedly.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1451
Margiana Bronze Axehead
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With narrow pointed blade and wide raised flange down centre, straight sides, well marked shoulders with wide tang, one upper hole for rivet. 149 grams total, 21 cm high including stand
From the possessions of a member of a German princely family, gathered in the late 19th century, until the 1930s. with Auction House CUSP, Vienna, Auction Antique Art from Asia and from the Eastern Mediterranean, 16 June 2012, lot 75 [Part].
The type was technically more advanced than previous types of blades in the Near East due to its shape and its slightly convex sides widening out near the point, which combined the advantages of the leaf-shaped and straight-sided forms. -
100 Civil War Period Lead Musket Balls
Circa 17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Mixed group of lead-alloy musket and carbine balls,some with casting seam and sprue nipple. 1.57 kg total, 9-19 mm
Found Hertfordshire, UK. -
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit with Animals
Circa 11th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £700
Comprising a pair of ram-shaped cheek-pieces with a hole through the body for the straight mouthpiece with looped terminals. 690 grams, 17.5 cm wide
From a collection formed in Paris in the 1990s.
The horse bits were transformed by Luristan people in to expressions of applied art. Metalworkers employed animal motifs, both realistic and imaginary, for their cheek-pieces. The question of whether these horse bits were for real use or only for use in a funerary context is superfluous, as signs of wear have been documented, and the goads and loops on interiors are functionally designed. The use of such horse bits is clearly documented in Assyrian reliefs of the time of Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.).
