Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 1595

Western Asiatic Bronze Blade

14TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.

13 3/8 in. (348 grams, 34 cm).

The leaf-shaped ovate blade with rounded, gently curved shoulders and raised midrib, flat rectangular-sectioned tang tapering to a bent end with the remains of a fastening button.

Provenance

Acquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Literature

See Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, s.cat.270, for type.

Footnotes

Similar spearheads were excavated in the Marlik Royal cemetery by Dr Negahban, see for example in tomb 47, Trench XXIIE. They were the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with straight square-section tang, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. The foliate blade was wide and exaggerated in some specimens excavated at Marlik.

CONDITION

VETTING:

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.

LOT 1595

Western Asiatic Bronze Blade

Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Medieval Iron Triangular Axehead
    Medieval Iron Triangular Axehead
    Circa 15th-16th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £65

    With a wide curved blade and a circular socket. 251 grams, 12 cm



    Ex North American private collection, 1970s-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

    Lot Details

  • Massive Iron Age Celtic Iron La Tene Socketted Spearhead
    Massive Iron Age Celtic Iron La Tene Socketted Spearhead
    1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.

    Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £500

    Slender leaf-shaped blade with median rib, rounded tip, short shoulder, socket with lateral holes to accept a fixing peg. 825 grams, 72.5 cm



    Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

    Lot Details

  • North-Western Persian Bronze Short Sword with Spherical Pommel
    North-Western Persian Bronze Short Sword with Spherical Pommel
    Late 2nd-early 1st millennium B.C

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £247

    The hilt with flanged pommel, round grip with horizontal flange, crescentic guard, long foliate blade with rectangular-section mid-rib. 910 grams, 47.5 cm



    Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

    Moorey studied pommelled swords and attributed their production to north-western Iran, dating them to the end of the 2nd millennium B.C. Dimensions of these swords varied from circa 49 cm (Khorasani, 2006, p.395) to 74 cm (sword in the Ashmolean Museum). While the blade belongs to the usual typology, like the penannular guard, the fashion of the pommel is unusual.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list