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LOT 1364
Medieval Bronze Arrowhead
CIRCA 12TH-14TH CENTURY A.D.
3 7/8 in. (15 grams, 97 mm).
Tanged arrowhead with broad kite-shaped blade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman.
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Very Large Tanged Bronze Spear
1900-1650 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Each side rising to a pointed ridge, curved tang for attaching to a shaft. 1.06 kg, 73 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The characteristic point is the hooked tang, the end of which was fitted with a button. The spear was inserted into a wooden barrel and then held in place with a series of leather laces (Gernez, 2007, p.312). -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Group
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Mainly tanged examples of barbed and leaf-shaped types. 220 grams total, 7.5-13.6 cm
Acquired 1990s. From the collection of a late Japanese weaponry collector.
Although some of them are different in shape, these arrowheads are apparently related types of a polythetic group. Two basic deltoid forms are represented: one has a sharp, flat blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang that often has a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more manifestly triangular. The other form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib extending to the tang, and a narrow leaf-shaped blade. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With domed filler-hole, broad shoulder, alternating bands of crescent impressed detailing; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 242 grams, 10.1 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. 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.
