Loading, please wait...
LOT 0865
Western Asiatic Bronze Flat Axe
CIRCA 3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 in. (156 grams, 17.7 cm).
Comprising a wedge-shaped blade and piriform handle. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection formed before 2000.
Ex North London, UK, gallery.
Cf. Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, fig.2.3, subtype of flat axes H.1..B, for the type.
FootnotesThese blades were fitted directly to the handle or via a sheath. Flat axes, whose axis is parallel to that of the handle, often had a rounded edge like in our specimen, or a flared and bevelled edge, while flat adzes have an axis perpendicular to that of the handle and a bevel edge on one side only. Their shape comes directly from the lithic axes of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.
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.
-
Central Asian Silver-Gilt Zoomorphic Belt Plaque with Attack Scene
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,500
Comprising an openwork design displaying a feline attacking a horse within an ovolo border; the feline pouncing on the horse's back with its jaws sunk into its neck, bringing the horse to the ground; a tang to forward edge. 48 grams, 6.6 cm
Ex Soufi family collection, circa 1950. with Christie's, London, 13 October 2008, lot 32. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Christie's catalogue page. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11746-202177.
The nomadic style was expressed in the openwork and embossed bronze plates that served as belt buckles and plaques. The 'Ordos bronzes' furthermore consisted mostly of decorative plaques which were sewn onto garments and horses' bridles, the favourite motif being animal combat. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Neck Torc
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £60
Composed of a round-section body tapering towards the bezel where the arms overlap and coil decoratively around the opposite arm. 296 grams, 16 cm wide
UK private collection before 2000. UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Mesopotamian Clay Cuneiform Tablet Fragment Group
Circa 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Each of the six fragments bearing cuneiform text or pictograms to at least one face. 93 grams total, 24-46 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
