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LOT 1424
Viking Age Bearded Battle Axehead
EARLY 11TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/4 in. (532 grams total, axe: 14.7 cm).
A Baltic hand-forged iron axehead with scooped socket, broad blade with extension to the lower edge, hole to the blade.
ProvenanceAcquired on the London art market, 1990s.
Private collection, London.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, table V, item 20; see also similar specimen in the British Museum inv. no.1852,0329.473.
FootnotesThe more common weapons of Finno-Ugrian people were axes, commonly found from all Finnic areas, as well as spears. Among Baltic-Finnic people, especially in Finland and Karelia, knives called 'puukko' were common, as well as axes, spears, flat bows and longbows, while swords were usually imported from Germanic areas, Sweden or from elsewhere Scandinavia, some having often typically Scandinavian animal ornaments. Iron axeheads of this typology show a sub-trapezoidal asymmetrical blade, often perforated through the centre. They are characterised by two projecting spurs from the top and the bottom of the back of the shaft-hole.
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Civil War 'Battle of Newbury' Exploded Cannon Ball Section
Circa 1644 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A large section of missile, 100mm diameter suggesting use in a 'Bastard Carbine Cannon'. 1.47 kg, 10 cm
Found near Donnington Castle battle area, Speen, West Berkshire, UK. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Berkshire, UK, gentleman collector. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.BERK-9ED66D. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Luristan Long Sword with Handle
Circa 9th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
With a slender double-edged blade and a narrow handle with conical pommel. 809 grams, 76.3 cm
Ex Deutsch Auctioneers, Vienna, 25 February 2020, no.7. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The Luri people produced a quantity of fine metalwork, which according to Dr Khorasani, could be due to a settled period which arose as a result of the defeat of the Elamites by the Babylonians, leaving the Luristani people in relative peace for a period of time after 1200 BC. According to Khorasani, 'A culture of innovation and experimentation flourished, and the repertoire of the Luristan smiths expanded in the period between 1150–1050 BC.' -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
A group of large tanged arrowheads mainly of triangular type. 319 grams total, 8.7-16.8 cm
Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
One category of the represented arrowheads has a sharp, flat blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang with a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more triangular. Another form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib extending to the tang, and a narrow leaf-shaped blade.
