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LOT 1078
Western Asiatic Paddle-Shaped Axehead
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
4 3/4 in. (353 grams, 12 cm).
A copper-alloy axehead with curved cylindrical butt and socket, waisted neck and D-shaped cutting edge; incised scale decoration to the socket. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEarly 1990s London collection.
Acquired on the UK art market.
From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.
Cf. Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, no.539, p.407, for similar.
FootnotesThese kind of axes had a simple but aesthetic form, with the round socket placed at the edge of the rounded butt which tapered smoothly to a flat, splayed crescent-shaped blade.
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:
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Western Asiatic Tanged Leaf-Shaped Spearhead
Circa 21st-mid 15th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
A large bronze tripartite spearhead with biconvex blade and flattened tang. 315 grams, 27.7 cm
Fine condition.
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980-2015.
The spearhead belongs to the subtype L2.B.d of the Gernez classification. -
French Gras Model 1874 Rifle Bayonet
Dated 1878 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £49
A Gras bayonet with T-shaped tapering 'epee' blade fitted with steel perforated quillon, rivetted wood grip scales and brass pommel slotted to fit the rifle barrel key; various punchmarks and numbered '54506' to quillon, the back of the blade inscribed 'Mme d'Arennes de Chatrs Avril 1878' in script. 573 grams,64.5 cm
Acquired on the UK antiques market between 1974-1985. Albert Ward collection, Essex, UK. -
Elamite Ceremonial Axe with Silver Sleeve
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £12,000 - 17,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £6,000
A bronze ceremonial axe with later sheet-silver sleeve to the shaft, attached with ball-headed rivets; gilt dome finial to each end, the lower one in a gusseted collar. 750 grams, 45.5 cm
Acquired in 1996. Ex Samad Khameneh collection. Private Swiss collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11647-199005.
The axe belongs typologically to Type 4 of Maxwell-Hyslop’s classification, with a long and thin shaft narrowing towards the base. When technical developments resulted in heavier axe-blades, it was necessary to prolong the socket into a shaft tube and to cut away the underside of the blade where it joined to the shaft. The edge of the blade was curved and this shifted the point of impact of the cutting edge.
