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LOT 1033
Mongol Silver Belt Mount Group
13TH CENTURY A.D.
1 5/8 in. (25.7 grams total, 40-41 mm).
Each with a broader scooped edge tapering to a volute flourish, pellets adorning the perimeter, three medial circular dimples, fourth dimple to the scrolled end, against a field of foliate scrolls and niello fill; each with a set of mounting lugs to the reverse. [4]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1980s-1990s.
Ex an important central London gallery, London W1.
Cf. Ohkonko, N.A., 'A Mongolian Burial Group near Novopavlovka settlement in Stavropol Krai' in Batyr, Traditional Military Culture of the Peoples of Eurasia, no.1, 2010, pp.88-96, fig.7, no.3.
FootnotesSimilar plaques have been found in the burial graves of Mongol commanders and their wives, probably once part of a waist belt from which the sabre and other weapons were hanging. They were found together with arms, unique elements of the costume of fabric and leather, and splendid jewellery of gold and silver.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1033
Mongol Silver Belt Mount Group
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Medieval Bronze Archer's Ring
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Incuse geometric detail to the hoop, flange with wheel motif. 10.19 grams, 34.62 mm overall, 20.76 mm internal diameter (approximate size British W 1/2, USA 11 1/4, Europe 25.66, Japan 24)
English collection, early 2000s. Ex central London gallery. -
Medieval Iron Single-Edged Dagger
15th-16th century A.D.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
The blade with a tapering, triangular cross-section and tang with rivet holes; wedge-shaped domed pommel. 131 grams, 31.5 cm
Acquired 1960s-1990s. From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
This is a weapon rather than a domestic knife, and is depicted as a sidearm for soldiers and knights alike in various iconography. This type of dagger was in use from the 14th to mid 16th century, and this example finds similarities with Hauswehrs used in the Eastern Europe during the 15th-16th century A.D. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Of squat piriform shape with shallow vertical dashes decorating the upper body, stamped triangles above and below. 579 grams, 10.4 cm
Family collection, acquired 1980-2015. Ex property of a North London gentleman. 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'.
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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.