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LOT 0235
Neo-Assyrian 'Axel Guttmann' Bronze Belt Section Group
9TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
12 - 13 3/4 in. (845 grams total, 30.5-35 cm).
Comprising two belt sections, each perforated around the edges for attachment: one with a repoussé display of alternating lions leaping towards warriors on horseback, leaping horned bulls and archers standing in horse-drawn war chariot; one fragment with articulate loop; the other folding over on itself, with repoussé display of helmetted warriors on horseback, alternating with warriors driving horse-drawn chariots; Urartian or Assyrian. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Axel Guttmann collection, with reference no.AG R 244.
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 search certificate number no.11760-203204.
Cf. Esayan, S.A., 'Gürtelbleche der Älteren Eisenzeit in Armenien' in Beiträge zur allgemeinen und vergleichenden Archäologie, vol.6, pp.97-198, pls. 8 & 25, nos.25 and 26 (belts from Golovino); Born H., Seidl U., Schutzwaffen aus Assyrien und Urartu, Sammlung Axel Guttmann IV, Mainz, 1995, nos.AG502, pp.83-84, figs.73-75, and pp.100-102, figs.89-93, pp.158ff., figs.124, 127-128; Christie’s,The Art of Warfare, the Axel Guttmann collection, Part I, Wednesday 6 November 2002, London, 2001, nos.13, pp.20-21, no.26, p.28; Gorelik, M.,Weapons of the Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003), pl.LXI, nn.88-89-90; Christie’s,The art of the warfare, the Axel Guttmann collection, Part II, Wednesday 28 April 2004, London, 2004, nos.47, pp.40-41; cf. also the Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 1976.5, for similar imagery on a copper-alloy plaque and accession number 1989.281.18, for an Urartian belt of similar form and design.
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LOT 0235
Neo-Assyrian 'Axel Guttmann' Bronze Belt Section Group
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
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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. -
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Roman Bronze Armour Double Fastening Hooks
Circa 1st century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Each a scrolled bar formed as a serpent or other animal with stylised geometric detailing; attachment perforations to both terminals. 19.6 grams total, 64-66 mm
Acquired on the London art market, 1980s-1990s.
In the 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D., the Celtic fastening system of the ring mail armour (gallica, lorica ferro aspera) became the standard in the Imperial Roman army, with a pivot attached to the breast and hinged to the edges of the humeralia (shoulder guards). The chest fastener had various different designs. The double hooks, S-shaped and usually with snake-head terminals, were secured by a central rivet on the chest. The system allowed excellent freedom of movement, giving greater protection to the shoulders and the arms. Similar fasteners for infantry mail have been found on the Kalkriese battlefield, some of them also decorated with niello and inscribed with the name of the soldier. -
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Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger with Stone Pommel
3rd millenium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Comprising a leaf-shaped blade with broad midrib to both faces, square-section tang and pommel with discoid bronze top displaying a stylised floral or geometric motif with parallel pairs of lines radiating from the centre and a pellet in each segment. 693 grams, 42 cm
Ex old English collection. Acquired from Timeline Originals, UK, 2015. The Kusmirek Collection, UK.
This type of daggers include lanceolate blades with a pronounced piercing and cutting function, often reinforced with a convex stiffening rib or fullers that follow the contour of the blade (Gorelik, 2003, pls. IV, 15-21, 23-25). It is commonly believed that the fullers were designed to drain blood, but this is a misconception; their purpose is to increase the strength of the blade and reduce its weight.
