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LOT 1345
Medieval Bronze Macehead
CIRCA 12TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
2 in. (262 grams, 50 mm).
Spherical in profile with very broad vertical socket, lattice-pattern to the sidewall forming low studs. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, 1975-late 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Milovanic, D., Metalwork in Serbia (in Serbian), Belgrade, 1986, fig.342, for similar.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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
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Medieval Iron Schiavonesca Type Sword with Latten Inlaid Crosses
Circa 15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Comprising a broad double-edged parallel-sided blade, flat-section at the upper third with a very shallow central fuller, elliptical-section at the lower end; flat guard with scooped lower edge, D-section arms horizontally S-curved; 'cat's head' type pommel, rectangular with scrolled upper edge and integral central boss to both faces; on the upper part of the blade an engraved three-armed workshop mark and two possibly later added brass inlaid marks including a cross fourchee inside and the image of a sword to one side; mounted on a wall display mount. 1.7 kg total, 1.11 m
In general good condition, point missing, blade structure with little delamination along the upper part, corrosion damages along the edges and on the surface, some material loss on the original surface.
Private collection, Munich, Germany, 1970s. Private collection, London, UK, 2014, acquired from the above.
The Schiavonesca sword was used by Dalmatian mercenaries serving in the Venetian state armies, and produced by the workshops of the Serenissima to which the marks probably belong. Many of these swords were produced in Dubrovnik, a Croatian city under Venetian rule. Oakeshott classified all the pommels of square shape in his Type Z. Certain morphological differences between them were individuated by Dr Aleksić as a criteria for distinguishing the distinct subtypes, in this case the type Z3 for the upper crenelleted edge. The cross-guards of type 12b, like in this case, have symmetrically and horizontally sharply bent arms in the opposite directions. The 'cat's head' pommel is also found on surviving examples of cross-hilted swords of the 14th century which can be traced into the hands of Slavonic soldiers stationed in southern Europe, employed in the European armies of this period. The independent representation of the cross fourchee usually inscribed in a circle is rather frequent on the swords with type 12 cross guards and type Z pommels from Hungary, Northern Balkans and the neighbouring regions (Aleksić, 2007, p.122). -
Mesopotamian Bronze Arrowhead Collection
Circa 1800-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Including triangular-section, barbed, paddle-shaped, and other types. 353 grams total, 4-12 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.
Paddle-shaped arrowheads with a flat, comparatively wide mid-rib and the blade shaped to a point were typical of Old Babylonian Empire. The shoulders were pronounced and the arrowhead had a rectangular-section tapering tang. They are the majority in this group, which comprises also barbed triangular arrowheads of type V from Marlik-Luristan, and one interesting specimen of trilobate arrowhead. -
Large Medieval Iron Incendiary Fire Arrowhead
Circa 12th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
A tanged arrowhead with openwork lozengiform blade, the centre with a truncated vesica-shaped void. 52 grams, 21 cm
Acquired on the French art market. From the private collection of a Buckinghamshire, UK, gentleman.
The central void was included to allow cloth soaked in tallow to be bound around the arrowhead; this was ignited before shooting.