Western Asiatic Paddle-Shaped Axehead

3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.

6 1/4 in. (335 grams, 16 cm).

A copper-alloy axehead with roughly lozenge-shaped butt, oblong socket and paddle-shaped cheeks; incised concentric lines following the outline of the butt and flared, projecting knop at the centre. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Early 1990s London collection.
Acquired on the UK art market.
From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.

Literature

See Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, fig.2.16, pls.86-88, for the type.

Footnotes

The axe belongs to subtype H2.J.b of the Gernez classification. These axes are characterised by decoration often executed with remarkable care and technical skill. The enlargement and indentation of the back of the collar varies, whilst the shape of the blade is, by contrast, standardised, with divergent rectilinear edges and a straight cutting edge or, more rarely, a rounded cutting edge, as in the example offered here.

CONDITION

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LOT 1042