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LOT 1149
North-West Persian Bronze Dagger with Horns
CIRCA 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
16 3/8 in. (249 grams, 41.5 cm).
With curved 'horns' projecting on either side at top of waisted grip, blade with flat mid-rib.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2002, p.36, no.40.
FootnotesThe Luristani people produced a quantity of fine metalwork, which according to Dr Khorasani, could be due to a settled period which arose as a result of the defeat of the Elamites by the Babylonians, leaving the Luristani people in relative peace for a period of time after 1200 B.C. According to Khorasani 'A culture of innovation and experimentation flourished, and the repertoire of the Luristan smiths expanded in the period between 1150-1050 BC.'
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LOT 1149
North-West Persian Bronze Dagger with Horns
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Viking Iron Axehead with Silver Inlaid Interlaced Dragons
7th-9th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,240
To both lateral faces, the upper face of the blade and the rear of the socket decorated with an interlaced design; slender body with bearded lower edge and curved blade, lateral spurs and rectangular panel to the butt. 282 grams, 14 cm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a four page report written by Saxon and Viking specialist Stephen Pollington. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11878-206842.
The style of the design inlaid to the axe is interesting since it evidently owes a great deal to the kinds of Insular Style ornament found in manuscripts of the 8th century in the British Isles. The elegant curves of the narrow tendrils are strongly reminiscent of the zoomorphic elements found in the Lindisfarne Gospels, St Gall Codex and the Book of Kells (Salin, 1935, pp.342-3; Moss, 2018) and the inlaid designs show the characteristic parallel curves found for example on some of the initials in those documents. The tight knot serpentine bodies recalls the similar dense knot found in the Kells manuscript (Salin's figure 731). However, the details of the layout and execution show that the piece is unlikely to have originated in the British Isles. -
Viking Age Silver and Latten Inlaid Seax War Knife
10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
An iron single-edged angle-backed knife with tapering tang; silver and latten inlay to both faces. 166 grams, 27.5 cm
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
North-West Persian Bronze Short Sword Blade with Blood Channels
Late 2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Leaf-shaped with short rectangular tang, corrugated midrib with five grooves extending almost to the tip and flared at the rounded shoulders. 347 grams, 47.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in early Iran were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased, others engraved. The function of the ridges here was not only decorative, but principally to reduce suction and thus allow the blade to be withdrawn speedily. The ruling elites of warrior horsemen were buried in the graves with their weapons and horses.
