Loading, please wait...
LOT 1554
Stone Age South Downs Flint Spokeshave
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 4TH-3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/8 in. (143 grams, 79 mm).
Finely polished flint axehead with broad curved edge; chipped and broken, probably re-used as a draw-knife or spokeshave using the exposed curved edges; old inked legend 'Nr. Beachy H[ead] / polished + broken / flint celt / 10.6.64'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Beachy Head, South Downs, Sussex, UK.
Acquired from Oxford, UK.
From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; with collection no.N165; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent.
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Stone Age Tilemsi Valley Flint Knife Group
Mesolithic Period, 12,000-4000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Mainly leaf-shaped two-edged blades with rounded butt. 125 grams total, 63-88 mm
Found Tilemsi Valley, Mali, West Africa. From a collection formed during the 1970s-1980s and acquired on the British art market. By descent to the current owner in 1988. From the collection of a South West London, UK, specialist Stone Age collector. -
Stone Age Partly Polished Axehead
Neolithic Period, circa 4th-3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With broad curved edge and flat rear striking face; shank smoothed but unfinished. 270 grams, 94 mm
Possibly Irish. Acquired in Oxford, UK. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; with collection no.N170; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. -
Large Stone Age Polished Kneeling Pregnant Goddess Idol
Neolithic Period, circa 6th-4th millennium B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
A carved and polished figurine with rounded head and broad shoulders, folded arms resting on each side of the protruding belly, legs folded beneath the body; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.07 kg total, 15.3 cm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Most scholars consider these as symbols of the fertility cult and as evidence of the existence of a matriarchal society as a form of organisation of the earliest human society. The people of the Stone Age may have considered figures such as this to represent women and mothers with their life-giving powers, or as depictions of the ancestors.
