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LOT 1442
Medieval Iron Stirrup and Horse Bit
14TH-16TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/4 - 10 1/4 in. (467 grams total, 18.5-26 cm).
Comprising: a snaffle bit with single bar and an iron stirrup in a form of elongated D, with an oval-shaped loop at the top, wide openwork footrest slightly curved forward, with decoration at the sides. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.
LiteratureCf. Bailey, G., Detector finds 5, Witham, 2002, fig.7, p.31, for the 14th century snaffle bit; fig.5a-b-c, p.39, for the 15th-16th iron stirrup.
FootnotesSnaffle bits have not altered very much in their design over the centuries. Medieval snaffle bits have survived in reasonable numbers, although they are still rare. A number of different designs are known for them. Some had a plain straight bar serving as the mouth piece, like our example. The 15th-16th century stirrup shows an interesting decoration at the sides of the footrest.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Bronze Tanged Arrowhead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
With broad heater-shaped head and barbs to the rear, square shoulder and narrow tang. 41.6 grams, 13.5 cm
Property of the vendor's grandfather, thence by family descent, circa 1985. From the private collection of a New York, USA gentleman.
The arrowhead resembles a stylised bird's head, according to classification by Khorasani. This was a type of decorative arrowheads, belonging to the typology of barbed arrowheads. -
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Roman Iron Plumbata
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
The barbed head with tapering cylindrical stem and biconical lead weight; socket to the reverse. 95 grams, 13.4 cm
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The lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae (or 'breasted javelin') were short darts mounted upon a shaft of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 metres by trained soldiers.
