Loading, please wait...
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:
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.
-
.jpg)
English Cuirassier Single Bar Burgonet
Circa 1620 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Iron fronted with visor, nasal guard bar and front and back gorget plates, the lifting visor marked with parallel lines; the front and back plates secured with a single hook. 2.25 kg, 34.5 cm high
Acquired on the UK art market. 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. 11766-203985.
During the latter half of the 16th century, the heavy 'knightly' lance gradually fell out of use, possibly because of the widespread adoption of the infantry pike. Also, the lance required a great amount of practice to perfect its use, whilst proficiency in the use of firearms was considerably more easily acquired. The lancer or demi-lancer, when he had abandoned his lance, became the pistol-armed cuirassier or reiter. The adoption of the pistol as the primary weapon led to the development of the stately caracole tactic, where cuirassiers fired their pistols at the enemy, then retired to reload whilst their comrades advanced in turn to maintain firing. Following some initial successes, this tactic proved to be extremely ineffective, as infantry, with superior firearms and numbers, could easily outgun the cuirassiers. The change from cavalry being reliant on firearms, to shock-capable close combat cavalry, reliant mainly on the sword, was attributed to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in the 1620s and 1630s, but was actually already widely practiced throughout Europe since the invention of pistol-armed heavy cavalrymen in the late 16th century. -
Large Western Asiatic Bronze Adze-Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Composed of a central cylindrical socket with collar to base and gently triangular flanges to upper face, a wedge-shaped adze-head to one side and a wedge-shaped axe head to the other, both with gently convex cutting edges. 1.1 kg, 25 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
.jpg)
South German Burgonet Helm
Circa 1560-1570 A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £944
The one-piece skull rising to a prominent baluster-shaped finial, facetted upper half, the lower writhen projecting forward to flat obtusely pointed integral peak and backwards to a similar but shorter integral neck-guard, hinged cheek-pieces embossed with a star with four points, an auditory hole between each arm; fitted internally with a quilted canvas lining; with possible punched 'eagle' maker mark to visor projection. 1.54 kg, 24 cm high
with Thomas Del Mar Ltd, 6th December 2017, lot 199. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Thomas Del Mar Ltd catalogue pages and purchase invoice. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11770-203982.
Most original burgonets feature some form of decoration. Rolled and roped edges and pierced cheek-pieces are common, and the finest burgonets were engraved, inlaid and/or selectively coloured and polished. Some were covered in fine cloth in the tradition of sallets. The name seems to be a corrupted form of bourguignotte, the contemporary French term for this helmet type.
