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_900x900.jpg "Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade")
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LOT 1548
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/8 in. (511 grams, 15.4 cm).
Piriform in profile with a domed mouth and stepped neck, raised vertical lugs on the body, linear decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s.
LiteratureCf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16.
FootnotesApart 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1548
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
A piriform vessel with short neck, domed lip and conical base, bands to the shoulder with impressed annulets and other detailing; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 885 grams, 16.3 cm
Fine condition.
From the collection of a North London gentleman, latterly with a London gallery as a display collection exhibiting the wide range of decorative types; 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. -
North Western Persian Bronze Blade
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
With a long tapering blade, rounded shoulders, broad flattened mid-rib, and a tapering square-section tang. 311 grams, 37.7 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
Edged 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. -
Medieval Bronze Archer's Thumb Ring
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
With a narrow triangular flange, a low-relief motif. 6.14 grams, 32.32 mm overall, 21.71 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Y, USA 12, Europe 27.51, Japan 26)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
