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LOT 1569
Western Asiatic Bronze Spearheads
14TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
10 1/4 - 10 7/8 in. (507 grams total, 26-27.5 cm).
The leaf-shaped ovate blade with rounded, gently curved shoulders and raised midrib, flat rectangular-sectioned tang tapering to a bent end with a fastening button; in one specimen the tang is protruding from the 'blade sheath'. [2]
ProvenanceAcquired 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.
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.
FootnotesSimilar 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 tang and square section, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. The foliate blade was wide and exaggerated in some specimens excavated at Marlik.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1569
Western Asiatic Bronze Spearheads
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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Luristan Barbed Bronze Arrowhead
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Comprising a paddle-shaped blade with long barbs, circular-section socket and a tapering square-section tang. 16.2 grams, 12.9 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. -
Bactrian Bronze Claw Axehead-Mace
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Egg-shaped with spiked sleeves or prongs, the top of the weapon with a narrow edge. 190 grams, 10.9 cm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The 'claw mace' was an enigmatic ancient bronze weapon from the Bronze Age Near East. The hollow bulbous head was trailed by tines of varying lengths. It is believed that it was affixed over a wooden shaft and used like a club in combat, and not necessarily used as ceremonial weapon. The knife edge bulb end could have broken bones and proven to be a formidable striking weapon requiring no skill to wield. The tines would have not only been decorative, but have served to add strength below the striking end to prevent breakage. In battle, maces were often used by commanders to display rank when giving orders in battle and leading soldiers, inspiring leadership and power. Egg-shaped with spiked sleeves or prongs, the top of the weapon with a narrow edge, the sleeves with small internal tangs for mounting. -
Medieval Iron Triangular Axehead
Circa 15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
A small axe with a gently curving blade and circular socket. 163 grams, 85 mm
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.
