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LOT 0384
Ritually Sacrificed British Medieval Bronze Cauldron with the 'Murder' Weapon
1300-1400 A.D.
12 1/4 in. (6 kg total, 31 cm).
Comprising: a large bulbous bronze cauldron with three radiating applied iron legs (one detached), squat in profile with flared and chamfered rim; substantial iron axehead with slightly flared blade, thickened butt with socket; the cauldron discovered inverted with the axehead underneath.
ProvenanceThe assemblage found whilst searching with a metal detector in Cumbria, South Lakeland, UK on Friday 23 February 2023.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report nos.LANCUM-DA7471, LANCUM-F50F1D.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Seal, C., A Curious Cumbrian Cauldron, News and Views, Treasure Hunting Magazine, June 2024, p.10 & 11.
FootnotesThe find and its likely meaning have been discussed at length with Vincent van Vilsteren, the former Curator of the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, who has studied many instances of cauldrons which have been ceremonially buried after sustaining extensive damage. The ex curator's PhD is currently in process and will concentrate on the ritual aspects of late medieval bronze cauldrons.
The suggested interpretation here is that the cauldron was ritually 'killed' or put beyond use, and the weapon used to effect this was interred with it. This would be a rare (if not unparalleled) case in Europe of the deposition of the weapon alongside the item which the ritual was supposed to 'retire'.
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LOT 0384
Ritually Sacrificed British Medieval Bronze Cauldron with the 'Murder' Weapon
Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
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Medieval Iron Fire-Stand in the Shape of a Dragon
Spain, circa 1480 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Handmade firedog with stub feet, single rear limb (or tail), arched neck with pierced bulb finial; five holes to the body. 438 grams, 39.2 cm
Luis Elvira, Spain, 2007. Ex central London gallery. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Medieval and Later Bronze Ring Group
15th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Including: stepped bezel with flanges, rosette bezel with flanking foliage and other types. 16.9 grams total, 19-25 mm
Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Medieval Bronze Figure of Christ
12th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
Modelled in the half-round Corpus Christi, crowned and with the head canted slightly, arms extended and hands pierced (fingers absent); pleated and draped knee-length loincloth; feet resting on a wedge-shaped base; mounted on a custom-made stand. 205 grams total, 18.5 cm including stand
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12890-240328. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
