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LOT 1123
Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
10 1/4 in. (1.3 kg, 26 cm).
With central socket and shaft; cutting blade set vertically at a right-angle; the short pick-adze blade arranged horizontally.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 21.
FootnotesThe earliest axe-adzes from the 3rd millennium B.C. were weapons and tools furnished with socket holes. Usually a socket was a more secure way of attaching the object to a wooden haft than having a tang. These weapons developed into a plethora of different forms in the 2nd millennium B.C., and the numerous new forms and were used until at least 800 B.C.
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Large Byzantine Silver Archer's Ring
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Comprising a hoop with reserved triangular ornament on the edges and triangular plaque with foliage motifs, raised central panel with frond motif. 22.61 grams, 34.77 mm overall, 25.16 mm internal diameter
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
Archer rings in Late Byzantium and the medieval Balkans were connected with the employment of the powerful composite bow, but very often, in the 14th century they served as insignia of rank for aristocratic noblemen. Archaeological findings of archers’ rings originate mainly from fortified towns, including mining centres. Many were made in bone, simple in design and undecorated. In contrast, the ones made in bronze and silver were usually decorated in rather uniform style, consisting of floral motifs on the head, mostly tulip and foliage, and linear motifs around the edges. This decoration combined Turkish, Central European and Eastern Roman traditional patterns. -
Viking Age Single-Handed Sword with Five-Lobed Pommel
9th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Of Petersen Type K with double-edged tapering blade, shallow fullers; boat-shaped lower and upper guard with five-lobed pommel showing traces of silver inlay. 703 grams, 81.2 cm
Otto Kruetz collection, Germany 1980s. Belgium collection. UK collection, 2000s. Property of an East Sussex, UK, teacher. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
It is the decoration and the structure of the sword that suggests classifying it as Petersen Type K, with a similar structure to the famous sword from Ballinderry Bog (Peirce, 2002, pp.63ff.). Other examples of the type are the 9th century sword of Kilmainham, in Dublin, the Ostby farm sword from Oslo, a sword in the Musée de l’Armée, Paris, and the Kilde farm sword from Oslo, the fullers of which are very similar to our model (Peirce, 2002, pp.66-73). -
Urartu Bronze Mace or Sceptre Head
9th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With cylindrical head and narrow flanged base, the head divided in four petals. 490 grams, 60 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a Ruislip, UK, gentleman, by inheritance.
Assyrian and Urartian officers are identified by their weapons in the reliefs. It is not so easy to definitely identify cavalry officers on the palace reliefs of the Assyrian kings, but their identification is based mainly on the context they appear in, and on some insignia (mace, sceptre) they carry with them. Hence, the mace was not only a practical weapon, but also a command insignia.
