Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1423
Viking Age Bronze Sword Scabbard Chape Collection
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
21/8 - 3 3/8 in. (145 grams total, 55-85 mm).
Comprising: one heater-shaped with openwork raven motif to each face; one similar with openwork raven enmeshed in tendrils; one with fleur-de-lys to the centre of each upper edge and a lobed spur to each side; one with openwork quatrefoil to each face and knop finial to the apex. [4]
Provenance
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
Literature
Cf. Paulsen, P., Schwertortbänder der Wikingerzeit, Stuttgart, 1953, items 6, 31, 74, 177, for types.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Kriegsmarine WWI German Naval Officer's Sword
Early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Comprising a slender single-edged blade with etched maritime design; the hilt composed of a ribbed bone handle, a lion-head pommel, and an ornate guard with a folding edge to one side. 728 grams, 87.5 cm
From the private collection of author and historian Dr DeWitt Bailey, one of the global authorities on the confederate army in the US civil war; thence by descent to his grandson. -
Civil War or Later Iron Cannonball
17th century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £124
Rough-cast cannonball for a minion-type cannon, approximately 3 pounds in weight and 2 7/8 inches diameter. 1.39 kg, 70 mm
From the collection of a Buckinghamshire, UK, collector established from the earlier 1960s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Ovoid in profile with rounded base; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 922 grams, 14 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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.