Marlik Decorated Spearhead

A bronze dagger with a tapering triangular blade, the handle with three raised concentric bands, crescent-shaped pommel. 322 grams, 37 cm



Ex S. Motamed collection. with Bellman's Auctions, 20th-26th June 2015, lot 2482. Property of a London gentleman.

Several similar iron daggers were discovered during excavations at War Kabud. Differently from the bronze specimens, where the handle is ribbed, the iron specimens have bronze nails for fastening of the wooden grip on either side.

A bronze 'pot' helmet with rounded bowl and flared rim; three sets of paired piercings for attachment of leather cheek-flaps; cracked; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 1.7 kg, 30.5 cm wide

Bowl pierced and cracked.

Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by searcher certificate no.11573-199009.

The ‘pot’ or ‘bell’ helmet, found as early as in an 8th century coffer grave (ad arca) from the Esquiline (Rome) and other graves (Coussin, 1926, p.88, fig.23; Sekunda, Northwood,1995, p.6, grave 94) was made from a single piece of bronze, while later Italic variants were fashioned from jointed plates (Connolly, 1981, p.102, figs.2-2a; Egg, 1988, p.223, variant Vetulonia). The skull was somewhat spherical and with a flared rim: this in some Etruscan and Italic specimens, was rivetted for strength (Egg, 1988, fig.18, p.240, from Picenum, and Murlo and Trestina variants, p.232, fig.10 and p.234, fig.12; Connolly, 2006, p.102, figs.2-2a, from Sesto Calende). The smooth surface of these types of helmets was intended to deflect blows. The ‘calotte’ helmets (Egg, 1988, pl.57) from Rome, as the helmet here, appear to be variants of a similar helmet from Montegiorgio Piceno and from Montelparo (ex Zschille collection). Some of them, like the helmet found in the necropolis of Tolentinum, were decorated with rich engravings. These practical helmets were probably furnished with a leather chinstrap, even though a similar Galea, found in the Tomba del Duce at Vetulonia, (Fossati, 1987, p.50; Egg, 1988, pp.223-224, fig.3, p.231, fig.12) dated to the first half of the 7th century B.C., still had the remains of what was probably a bronze cheek-piece.

A tinned sheet-bronze legionary helmet of Imperial Gallic Type A with deep rounded bowl, simple C-shaped cut-outs for the ears, integral flared neck-guard extending some way along the sides, corrugated ribs to the occipital area at the rear and corrugated 'wings' or eyebrows (Russel-Robinson's Type E) above the brow; small stud the rear of the neck-guard attaching suspension loops to the underside; hinged bracket at each temple for a deeply curved cheek-guard with gently flared rim, bearing a loop to the inner face to accept an vinculum fastening strap; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 2.38 kg total, 29 cm high (41 cm including stand)

typologically important helmet of the utmost rarity, excellent state of preservation.

From a West Coast, USA, arms and armour family collection; thence by descent. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11585-199847.

This important and well-preserved helmet (Cassis) belongs to a small and rare group of helmets of the Weisenau type (modern term). The development of this helmet formed the main category of legionary helmets in 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. This early category was characterised by a very high hemispherical calotte and a slightly sloping, narrow neck guard. They were fitted with a pair of prominent curved eyebrows (symbolising the wings of Jupiter’s thunderbolts) flanking two rivetted bosses.