Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection")
_200x200.jpg "Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection")
.jpg "Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection")
LOT 2003
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 3 5/8 - 4 7/8 in. (205 grams total, 9.1-12.3 cm).
Comprising tanged arrowheads, seven with large elongated triangular blades and raised midrib, sharp central groove, two with barbed shoulders and cylindrical stem with handle for the shaft. [9]
ProvenanceLondon, UK, collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Mahboubian, H., Art of the Ancient Iran, London, 1997, no.390, for some similar arrowheads; Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, figures 463, 467, for some of these types.
FootnotesThese arrowheads seem to belong to the type V, subcategories C and D, according to the classification of Khorasani and Negahban. In the four categories of triangular bronze arrowheads from Luristan, Marlik, and Northern Iran, individuated by Negahban, subtypes C and D of type V are larger arrow or javelin heads, C with barbed shoulders and D with round shoulders. Most of them were cast in moulds.
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:
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.
LOT 2003
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£50 (EUR 58; USD 68) +BP*
-
French Artillery Infantry Short Sword
Circa 1830-1848 A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Model 1831 double-edged short sword with slightly waisted lentoid-section blade, solid bronze hilt with ribbed grip, roundel finials to the crossguard, stamped '717' to one face and 'X' to underside; blade with asterisk proofing stamp, copperplate legend 'Shre...'; reverse with 'Châtellerault,1832'; edges notched. 1.11 kg, 63.7 cm
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. -
Post Medieval Sword Hilt Plate with Figural Decoration
Probably European, circa late 17th-early 18th century A.D.Estimate: £30 - 40 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Of broad, lobed outline, pierced centrally with a rectangular aperture, the perimeter forms four rounded lobes, arranged in opposing pairs and separated by inward-curving notches, a raised, rounded border enclosing the decorated field, the principal face densely ornamented in relief with stylised figural forms, grotesque creatures and curling scrollwork, elongated bodies and limbs extend around the central opening, while coiled, serpentine forms fill the outer lobes, small leaves, rounded bosses and subsidiary curls occupy the intervening spaces. 68.3 grams, 71 mm
Acquired on the European art market. UK, private collection.
The lobed form, central aperture and raised perimeter are consistent with a detached shell guard from a sword hilt. Such a guard would have been fitted around the blade at the base of the hilt, forming part of the protection for the hand. Its decoration belongs to the ornamental vocabulary found on late 17th- and early 18th-century sword furniture, in which figures, fantastic creatures and foliage were combined across relatively small cast or chiselled surfaces. A useful comparison is the English smallsword-type infantry hanger dated 1720-1750 in the Colonial Williamsburg collection. Its cast brass hilt incorporates paired shell guards with raised borders and densely arranged classical figures and foliage. The correspondence in construction and treatment supports the present plate’s interpretation as a sword-hilt component and its proposed date. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Drum-shaped body with rounded base and domed filler hole, impressed leaf motifs on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 605 grams, 12.8 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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.
