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LOT 0294
Mesopotamian 'Chrysler Museum' Bronze Macehead with Incised Decoration
EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
10 in. (647 grams total, 25.6 cm including stand).
Tubular in plan with low-relief braided panel and undulating lines; scooped profile at each end and securing collar; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceEx Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia, accession no.NP.68.62.M.
with ArtAncient, 2010.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Mahboubian, H., Art of Ancient Iran, Copper and Bronze, London, 1997, fig.175, p.168, for type.
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
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0294
Mesopotamian 'Chrysler Museum' Bronze Macehead with Incised Decoration
Estimate £1,000 - 1,400€1,160 - 1,620 (for guidance only)$1,350 - 1,890 (for guidance only)
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Luristan Bronze Spearhead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Comprising a leaf-shaped blade with raised midrib extending to the shaft with a flared collar, rectangular section tang with curved end and button finial. 369 grams, 34.5 cm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Medieval Iron Macehead with Securing Nail
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Comprising spherical macehead with teardrop and lozenge flanges; a nail with tapering square-section shank and rectangular flat head. 255 grams, 66 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Piriform in profile with domed mouth, vertical raised lugs dividing the body into four fields, two fields with herringbone pattern and the other two with stamped decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 517 grams, 14.3 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
