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LOT 1156
Medieval Eastern European Iron Macehead
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 in. (828 grams, 64 mm wide).
Displaying shallow striations running vertically around the body; cylindrical socket.
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Cf. Milovanic, D., Metalwork in Serbia (in Serbian), Belgrade, 1986, fig.342, for similar specimen.
FootnotesThis kind of later maces, typical of 15th century, had irregularly shaped heads, with spheres having holes for the insertion of the shaft. Incised, parallel strips formed a cross ornament running horizontally and vertically. Grooved lines were carved in the fields between.
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AUCTIONS:
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Medieval Crossbow Bolt Group
12th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Comprising four bolts with lanceolate-pyramidal heads. 166 grams total, 68-88 mm
From a private European collection, formed in the 1980s. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
Composed of tanged arrowheads of leaf-shaped and barbed types, most with midribs. 182 grams total, 6.4-12 cm
Acquired 1990s. From the collection of a late Japanese weaponry collector. -
Roman Bronze Military Helmet Face Guard Section
3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
From the right side of the face mask, the upper edge with a band of embossed diagonal lines, probably intending to represent stylised hair, embossed spiral to the centre, a symbol clearly connected with the worship of the sun; a hole for the fastening thongs at ear-level which originally linked the face-guard to the bowl. 75 grams, 13 cm high
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
The spiral decoration of the face-guard is connected with the solar cult. The spiral represents the rotary movement of the sun, and the spiral is probably the oldest known spiritual symbol connected with the sun, together with the swastika or tetragammadion. The connection can also be seen in Celtic art, where the representation of the spiral also follows the path of the sun, describing the movements of the heavenly body over the course of a solar year. The third century was characterised by diffusion of the solar cult, the Sol Invictus, among the Roman soldiers, with its symbols often represented on arms and weapons as an apotropaic element of protection.
