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LOT 0236
Neo-Assyrian Bronze Military Helmet
8TH CENTURY B.C.
21 3/4 in. (3.5 kg total, 55.5 cm high including stand).
With lateral seams, attachment holes to lower edge, bowl with tall conical peak; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market.
From a private collection, 1980s.
Ex central London gallery.
The Kusmirek Collection, UK.
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.11765-203977.
Cf. Born, H., Seidl, U., Schutzwaffen aus Assyrien und Urartu, Sammlung Axel Guttmann, Mainz, 1995, pl.VI, VII, XIII-XV, and pp.134-149, for a near identical helmet in the Guttmann collection (AG204).
FootnotesFrom the reign of King Tiglatpilesar III (744-727 B.C.) or possibly later. The army of the Neo-Assyrian Empire consisted of large units of cavalry and skilled archers. Mobile workshops and smiths produced vast quantities of arrows and spears that were required while on campaign. The royal palaces of Nineveh, Ashur, and Nimrud were adorned with reliefs depicting Neo-Assyrian troops including foot soldiers in similar pointed bronze helmets. The helmet was originally bimetallic, made of bronze and iron. Although the iron section is now preserved only in fragments, having deteriorated long ago; the bronze half remains.
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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Tower 'Brown Bess' Musket and Bayonet
Circa 1800 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,640
Napoleonic era musket with 93cm (36½") smooth-bore barrel of .75" bore with London proof marks, the lockplate with 'TOWER', 'crown-over-G R' and inspection marks; fitted with full wood stock stamped 'S' and 'IR' to left side and butt with brass butt plate, trigger guard, ferrules, fore-end and sideplate; fitted with sling swivel loops and steel ramrod with cleaning rag eye; action working well in half and full cock, with correct steel socket bayonet. 4.60 kg, 173 cm with bayonet
Acquired from Andrew Bottomley, UK, 2014. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by copy of the invoice and listing. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.204080.
The 'Brown Bess' musket, in several versions, was the standard British infantry longarm from about 1736 to 1838; some were later converted to the percussion system. Sold as an exempt item under Section 58 (2) of the Firearms Act, 1968, to be held as a curiosity or ornament. No license required but buyer must be over 18 years of age. Overseas bidders should note that, due to UK regulations governing export of all firearms, overseas buyers will need to make arrangements for shipping this lot out of the UK directly, by air freight, with a specialist company or agent. -
Medieval Iron Spur Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Comprising: one rowel spur with tapering D-section heelband, short shank and arched rowel box with articulated eight-armed rowel, attachment buckle with tongue suspended from integral loop on one arm, two lobed plaques with loops on reverse suspended from integral loops on the other; a spur with D-section heelband and lentoid-section shank, rectangular and quatrefoil openwork, sections of hatching and raised designs to the outer faces. 215 grams total, 16-18 cm
European collection, 1990s. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman. -
Norman or Viking Period Iron Four-Plate Helmet
Circa 8th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
Comprising four triangular plates each with curved profile mounted with the frontal and rear plates overlapping the lateral ones, rivetted; two small lateral rings for attachment of cheek-plates; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 3.36 kg total, 44 cm high including stand
Good condition; surface with some rusting but complete in its structure.
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no. 11754-202772.
The type of helmet composed from rivetted plates is a long-lived military fashion depicted from Late Antiquity to the medieval period.
