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LOT 1562
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 7/8 in. (386 grams, 74 mm).
Tubular in form with tapering profile and domed upper face; socket chipped.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Group
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Including barbed-and tanged, leaf-shaped, tongue-shaped, and other types. 295 grams total, 41-91 mm
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. -
Greek Lead Impacted Slingshot Group
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Three lentoid-section lead slingshots (glandae), each deformed due to impact, one with the Greek letters 'ΓΕΜ…ΔΑ' (Ghemonidas?). 118 grams total, 25-31 mm
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.
The use of lead slingshots in battle is attested in Greece as early as the 5th century B.C. Numerous finds were excavated in Olynthus, usually olive or plump-almond-shape. The type continued to be used in the Italian peninsula, and similar specimens, bearing the title ‘Commander of the Units of Slingers’ have been attested from the period of the Punic Wars. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Spiked Macehead Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,111
Comprising: one with two unaligned rows, each with four horizontal spikes, topped by a tooth helping to secure the mace to a wooden shaft; the second with a long socket and a row of six spikes, three pointed and three rounded, double tipped edge for securing the shaft; the third with six horizontal spikes; all with solid heads and hollow tubular sockets; of North-West Iranian typology. 1.35 kg total, 10-15 cm
Acquired from Artemis Gallery, Munich in 1995. European private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11997-211853. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
A variety of similar bronze mace heads have been recovered in Hasanlu and Marlik, mainly of spiked variety. Excavations at 8th-7th century B.C. War Kabud and Chamzhi-Mumah in Luristan have produced related types, with smaller spikes or knobs and with an elongated socket, like one of our examples. These spiked maces are a specifically Iranian type. In general, they were used from the 9th century B.C. although some scholars support the thesis of their use in the late 2nd-early 1st millennium based on finds from Marlik.
