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LOT 1380
Western Asiatic Bronze Blade
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
15 in. (255 grams, 38 cm).
With rounded shoulders and square-sectioned mid-rib running to the blade tip; short tang with fastening hole.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 40, p.36.
FootnotesThe 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.'
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Old Babylonian Bronze Duckbilled Axehead
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
With a curved, beak-shaped blade and two pierced eyes flanking a raised median ridge ellipsoid-section socket; repaired. 147 grams, 10.5 cm
From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; with collection no.BA27; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent.
This axe corresponds to the type H4B of the Gernez classification. Several of these models, with their moulds, are known from the Levant, like those in Byblos, Ras Shamra, and Tell Arqa. On the other hand, a workshop level II of the Kültepe karum delivered two moulds, showing a local production of arms intended either for export or for the inhabitants originating from Mesopotamia or the Levant. This sub-type of eye-axes is characteristic of the Middle Bronze Age 1 (2050-1750 B.C.). -
Luristan Bronze Spearhead
Circa 1000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
With short foliate blade, shallow midrib and long socketted shaft with fastening holes. 112 grams, 22.8 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Luristan Bronze Sword with Mushroom Pommel
Late 2nd-early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
The hilt with mushroom-shaped pommel, grip decorated with horizontal flat grooves, crescentic guard, long blade with ridged mid-grip. 790 grams, 59 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
This category of swords has been classified by Khorasani as 'swords with a mushroom pommel' and are usually characterised by a solid-cast hilt with a penannular guard, a ribbed or variously decorated grip and a conical hollow-cast mushroom pommel. Usually the blade is multi-fullered and tapers to a sharp tip. Moorey considers them to be from the end of the 2nd millennium B.C. Gorelik extends the dating to the 8th-7th century B.C.
