Western Persian Bronze Socketted Axehead

Curved with a thick double edge blade, handle composed of wood and iron, ornately decorated with lozenges, fastened by eight iron flat-headed rivets. 118 grams, 32 cm long

Fine condition.

Private family collection formed in London, mid 1980s to early 1990s.

Among the various Arab dagger groups, the one from North Africa is characterised by rather fine blades made in the Turkish-Persian style. Usually the handles (in wood, ivory and metal) feature a large rounded pommel in the guise of peacock feathers. This type is common in Morocco, Tunisia and all the way to Egypt, and is a type of Khandjar usually called Koummiya or Goummiya (a term later adopted in Spanish as Goumia, to indicate all the short Arab daggers).

Comprising a globular flail head with large suspension loop above and sixteen spiked projections to the sides. 829 grams, 89 mm



From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

The medieval flail was a weapon mainly used in Eastern Europe, probably created among the Steppe people and used by the Mongols, adopted by the Slavic people under the name of kisten. Such a weapon probably saw little use in Western Europe, where it is first represented in the 14th century in a fresco depicting the battle of Nineveh painted by Piero della Francesca, as a chain with three maceheads. In the poem Le Chevalier Délibéré written by Olivier de la Marche and published in 1486, there is an engraving representing a knight carrying a rather simple morning star with asymmetrically mounted quills and a single-ball flail of quills. It is thought that in the Middle Ages the nailed mace in general was used to break through and dismantle the armour of enemies who were then 'finished' with swords or daggers.

Eastern Roman or Germanic cavalry spatha with a parallel-sided blade and broad pointed tip, long tang; the trapezoidal lower guard with a gilt chip-carved plate divided in segments set with garnets to one side, each end with a shell disc set with a central garnet cabochon; accompanied by a strap from the scabbard and an amber sword bead with a beaded gold setting with a garnet cabochon. 970 grams total, 2-100 cm



From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. 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.12012-213600.

The western spatha of the 4th-6th centuries was developed in a context that one can qualify as Romano-Germanic. Certain characteristics of the future Merovingian sword were already present in late Roman swords. It is quite natural that Type IV swords have been found in the countries conquered or settled by the Goths in southern, central and western Europe.