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LOT 1456
North Western Persian Bronze Blade
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
14 7/8 in. (311 grams, 37.7 cm).
With a long tapering blade, rounded shoulders, broad flattened mid-rib, and a tapering square-section tang.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureSee a similar blade in Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, p.34, no.31.
FootnotesEdged weapons with tangs are among the simplest forms of weapons from this culture. This basic type was hardly altered in the period when bronze was the most important material in weapon production. The retention of this basic type with so few alterations makes precise dating challenging. Bronze daggers, dirks and swords exist today only as bronze blades, having lost their perishable handles over the course of time.
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Blade widened at the base, ribbed, conical socket with wooden remains. 277 grams total, 43 cm including stand (lance 25.8 cm)
From the famous arms and armour collection of Axel Guttmann (1944-2001), Berlin, Germany. Ex Hermann Historica, Munich, Germany, 4 May 2011, no.1783 (lot). From a private specialist collection, London, UK. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Hermann Historica catalogue pages.
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Bomb or Hand Grenade
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