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LOT 1443
Viking Age Iron Snaffle Horse Bit
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
8 1/2 in. (248 grams, 21.5 cm).
Articulated in the middle, with lateral bars and loop to each outer end. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an old Australian collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.33(2), for type.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Late Roman Military Iron 'Dolabra' Trenching Tool
7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Pickaxe with two narrow, opposite and perpendicular cutting edges, central hole for the wooden handle flanked by two oval protrusions. 757 grams, 25.5 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This tool was used by Eastern Roman soldiers for trenching work, and it was also suitable for clearing stones, clearing rough terrain, and mining. If necessary, it could also be used as a weapon. -
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Toroid and drilled vertically to accommodate a wooden shaft. 453 grams, 74 mm
From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Highly Decorated Caucasian Bronze Helmet
6th century B.C.Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £20,000
Formed as a domed bowl with a rivetted overlay on the top, a bird of prey finial at the crown with a raised vertical ridge before the beak; extensive decoration on the body comprising annulets, lines, ring-and-dot motifs and pointillé borders, a circumferential border of rectangular panels on the lower part of the helmet, each rectangle divided into four triangular panels with herringbone and ring-and-dot decoration; a short nose-guard beneath the raised ridge, four raised bosses flanking the ridge, depicting apotropaic eyes; the lower rim pierced for the attachment of internal lining. 650 grams, 21 cm wide
Ex German private collection, M.B., Mainz, 1980s. Acquired from the above by the current owner. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12902-242697.
The helmet belongs to a limited series of helmets found in the Caucasus, discovered in archaeological complexes of the Colchis-Koban Culture, adding another chapter to the history of a series of important Caucasian helmets. Its decoration rivals that of a helmet of the Krasnodar Museum, until now the most complete and decorated in this category. All the helmets of this typology were decorated according to a certain scheme, but the present helmet and the one from Krasnodar are richer in terms of symbols and ornaments. The decoration and similarity with other helmets in this series suggest that the present helmet could have been made for the military elite of the North-West Caucasus in Central Caucasian workshops. Most likely, the owner was part of the elite of the local tribes of the North-West Caucasus of the Maeotic circle.
