Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1029
Medieval Iron Spur Group
13TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/4 - 7 in. (215 grams total, 16-18 cm).
Comprising: one rowel spur with tapering D-section heelband, short shank and arched rowel box with articulated eight-armed rowel, attachment buckle with tongue suspended from integral loop on one arm, two lobed plaques with loops on reverse suspended from integral loops on the other; a spur with D-section heelband and lentoid-section shank, rectangular and quatrefoil openwork, sections of hatching and raised designs to the outer faces. [2, No Reserve]
Provenance
European collection, 1990s.
Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.
VETTING:
TimeLine 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
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
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. -
Urartian Bronze Cuirass Belt with Animals
8th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Displaying two repoussé registers of animals including lions, antelope and birds processing right between geometric borders, stylised flower heads to one terminal; attachment perforations to upper and lower edges; one rounded terminal, one terminating with a narrow arm and D-shaped lug; mounted on an adjustable custom-made display stand. 6.4 kg total, 35 cm high including stand
some restoration.
UK private collection before 2000. UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. Accompanied by an academic report by 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.11745-202242.
Protective belts were very popular in the Caucasus, especially among the Urartians, decorated with geometric motifs, or with images of warriors, animals, hunting and mythological tales. They were regarded as a personal item and eventually buried with the warrior. -
Roman Marble Ballista Catapult Shot
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Suitable for use with an onager or other catapult-type siege weapon; with smooth finished surface. 3 kg, 13 cm
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector.
The operation of the onager (Latin for 'wild ass') is first mentioned in 353 A.D. by Ammianus Marcellinus in his Res Gestae and more fully in Vegetius's Epitoma Rei Militaris probably written in the reign of Emperor Theodosius I (378-395 A.D.).
