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LOT 0254
Sasanian Silver-Plated Lion Shield Boss
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
3 in. (80.9 grams, 78 mm).
With stylised repoussé head and face detailing showing two faces, one to the side and the other to the top, the mane represented by a scalloped border; sheet-silver cladding to the head over bronze; pierced for attachment.
ProvenanceEx London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s.
London, UK, collection.
Cf. similar in the British Museum under accession number 134358; cf. Grabar, O., Sasanian Silver: Late Antique and Early Mediaeval Arts of Luxury From Iran, Michigan, 1967, p.129, no.46, for type.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0254
Sasanian Silver-Plated Lion Shield Boss
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£400 (EUR 464; USD 540) +BP*
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Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13th-15th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £20
Piriform in profile with a stepped neck, incised decoration and three raised lugs; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 424 grams, 17 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια, where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Large Luristan Bronze Adze
Bronze Age, 2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Short tubular socket with raised ribs, perpendicular rectangular-section blade with convex cutting edge. 462 grams, 16.5 cm
From a UK collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes, and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which a core was inserted to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead. -
Sasanian Silver-Plated Lion Shield Boss
6th-7th century A.D. or earlierEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
With stylised repoussé head and face detailing showing two faces, one to the side and the other to the top, the mane represented by a scalloped border; sheet-silver cladding to the head over bronze; pierced for attachment. 80.9 grams, 78 mm
Ex London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s. London, UK, collection.
