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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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Greek Lead Slingshot with Monogram
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised monogram (caduceus?) on one side. 30.6 grams, 33 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Bactrian Bronze Claw Axehead
3rd millennium B.C.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £60
Egg-shaped with spiked prongs to the socket, narrow, rounded cutting edge. 165 grams, 11.9 cm
From a UK collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
The 'claw mace' was an enigmatic ancient bronze weapon from the Bronze Age Near East. The hollow bulbous head was trailed by tines of varying lengths. It is believed that it was affixed over a wooden shaft and used like a club in combat, and not necessarily used as a ceremonial weapon. The knife-edge bulb end could have broken bones and proven to be a formidable striking weapon requiring no skill to wield. The tines would have not only been decorative, but would have served to add strength below the striking end to prevent breakage. In battle, maces were often used by commanders to display rank when giving orders in battle and leading soldiers, inspiring leadership and power. Egg-shaped with spiked sleeves or prongs, the top of the weapon has a narrow edge, and the sleeves have small internal tangs for mounting. -
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Cuman Silver Military Sceptre
12th-13th century A.D.Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,500
Comprising a slender tapering body in graduated gilded sheet-silver sleeves with rolled rims; at base, a bronze ferrule with a squared finial; at top, a mushroom-shaped boss with lateral attachment rivet; restored. 353 grms, 56 cm
Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13377-259199.
