Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0280
Migration Period Iron Sword with Bronze Pommel
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
35 7/8 in. (707 grams, 91 cm).
A spatha with a double-edged parallel-sided blade, battle nicks to both cutting edges; long tang with a fastening rivet in situ; small trapezoidal bronze pommel.
Provenance
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12040-216429.
Literature
Cf. Menghin, W., Das Schwert im Frühen Mittelalter, Stuttgart, 1983, nos.60, 66, 67; Lebedinski, I., Armes et guerriers Barbares au temps des grandes invasions IVème au Vième siècle après J.C., Paris, 2001, pp.126-127; Strassmeir, A., Das Frankische Heer der Merowingerzeit, Berlin, 2019, pp.34-37.
Footnotes
The spatha, often with an elegantly decorated hilt with golden elements, was characterised by a relatively light handle so that the centre of gravity of the weapon was moved towards the tip. The evolution of the 'barbarian' long sword in the west, during the invasions, began around the 5th century.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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.
LOT 0280
Migration Period Iron Sword with Bronze Pommel
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Luristan Bronze Double Axehead
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Double-edge axehead with flared blades, knops flanking the socket, pyramidal spurs. 222 grams, 10.8 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
North-West Persian Bronze Short Sword with Blood Channels
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Shaped as a two-edged bronze blade, leaf-shape with short rectangular tang with fastening hole, corrugated midrib extending almost to the tip and flared at the shoulder. 439 grams, 44.2 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in Luristan were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased and others engraved. Many of the graves dating from the era of Kassite hegemony contain bronze and iron artefacts, including various type of weapons. These swords with shallow fullers tapering to a sharp tip have been dated by P.R.S. Moorey to the end of the 2nd millennium B.C. -
Medieval Swallowtail Iron Arrowhead
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With two splayed long barbs, twisted neck and split socket. 15.7 grams, 96 mm
Acquired prior to 2000. Ex private collection, Cambridgeshire, UK. Property of a Kent lady collector.
