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Click here to subscribeVisit of the Shah of Persia to the City of London, 1873, a bronze medal by A.B. Wyon for the Corporation of the City of London, bust of Nasir al-din three-quarters left, rev. Londinia standing between shields of London and Persia, St Paul’s and Tower behind, 77mm (W & E 1202A.1; BHM 2951; E 1623). Extremely fine £1,000-£1,200 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Reading Automobile Club, a bronze medal, rev. named (Non-Stop, 1904, E.W. Brooks), 46mm; Royal English Arboricultural Society, a bronze medal, rev. named (Sir W.A. Mount Bart C.B.E., Class VI, Plantations Competition, 1924), 54mm; British Numismatic Society, John Sanford Saltus Medal, a gilt-bronze award, rev. named (J.S. Shirley-Fox, 1929), 45mm; Douai School, a bronze prize medal, rev. named (F. Putnam, Senior II, Long Jump, 1931), 33mm; Royal Silver Wedding, [1972], a silver medal, unsigned, 38mm; 25th De Beers Diamond Research Conference, 1975, a silver medal, unsigned, 51mm; Reading Amateur Regatta, a bronze medal, rev. engraved (Senior B Eights, 1977), 51mm; Historic Vehicle Silver Jubilee Tribute, 1977, a bronze medal, unsigned, 50mm [8]. Varied state; three cased £70-£90 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection
Foundling Hospital, Robert Grey Medal, a silver award, unsigned, rev. named (Francis Urwick, 1918, for Good Conduct), 35mm; Berkshire County Council, a silver medal, rev. named (Annual Farriery Competition, 1929, Awarded to Jacob P. Print, who gained first place in the competition), 51mm; Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, a silver medal, rev. named (A. Horder, 1969), 44mm; Historic Vehicle Silver Jubilee Tribute, Ascot, 1977, a silver medal, rev. named (Dr Cameron Wright O.B.E.), 50mm; Opening of Buckingham Palace, 1993 and 1994, gilt-bronze medals (2), unsigned, each 39mm; Restoration of Windsor Castle, 1997, a gilt-bronze medal, unsigned, 38mm [7]. Varied state; four cased £80-£100 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection; first J. Spencer Collection, DNW Auction M14, 25 November 2013, lot 1091 (part); second J. Spencer Collection, DNW Auction M12, 30 May 2012, lot 96
Visit of Emperor Wilhelm II to the City of London, 1891, a bronze medal by Elkington & Co. for the Corporation of the City of London, conjoined busts of the Emperor and Empress three-quarters right, rev. Germania seated to left, Britannia standing to right, each flanked by shield of arms, 80mm (W & E 1668A.1; BHM 3412; E 1768). Good extremely fine £400-£500 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Victoria, Golden Jubilee, 1887, a bronze medal by A. Scharff for the Corporation of the City of London, conjoined crowned busts of the young and Jubilee heads of the Queen, rev. Britannia seated in car drawn by two lions, Justice and Prudence at sides, 80mm (W & E 2340.1; BHM 3284; E 1732). Extremely fine £600-£800 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Visit of George I of Greece to London, 1880, a bronze medal by G.G. Adams, bust left, rev. Londinia welcoming Hellas, Britannia behind, 76mm (W & E 1372.1; BHM 3077; E 1668). Extremely fine £300-£400 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Joshua Reynolds, 1845, a copper medal by A.J. Stothard for the Art Union of London, 58mm (BHM 2207; E 1399): Whitworth Scholarships, 1868, a bronze award medal by E.J. Poynter and A. Wyon, edge named (William H. Powell 1903), 57mm (BHM 2899; E 1599); John Anderson College, Glasgow, a bronze medal by J. Macdonald, edge named (W.R.D. Hamilton, Ophthamology, 1917), 51mm [3]. First good very fine, others extremely fine and housed in fitted cases £80-£100
Prince Albert Victor Receives the Freedom of the City of London, 1885, a bronze medal by G.G. Adams for the Corporation of the City of London, bare head right within wreath, rev. Prince and Princess of Wales watch Prince Albert receive the Freedom of the City from the Lord Chamberlain, 77mm (W & E 1500A.1; BHM 3182; E 1717). Good extremely fine £300-£400 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
City of London School, New Buildings Opened, 1882, a bronze medal by J.S. & A.B. Wyon for the Corporation of the City of London, conjoined busts of the Prince and Princess of Wales right, rev. frontal elevation of the School, 77mm (W & E 1461A.1; BHM 3133; E 1690; Taylor 202a). Extremely fine £300-£400 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Metropolitan Amateur Regatta (Est. 1866), Thames Challenge Cup, a silver medal, unsigned, river god reclining left, holding oar, rev. trophy, 64mm; Cambridge University Boat Club, a bronze medal by Munsey & Co., rev. inscribed (Trial Eights 1941), 50mm; National Rifle Association, 1860, a bronze medal, unsigned, 48mm [3]. Last cleaned, otherwise about extremely fine or better; all cased £60-£80 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection
Opening of the New Council Chamber at the Guildhall, 1884, a bronze medal by J.S. & A.B. Wyon for the Corporation of the City of London, interior of the Chamber, rev. Londinia, attended by Commerce and Magistracy, addressing her council, 77mm (BHM 3177; E 1705; Taylor 206a). Extremely fine £400-£500 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
International Industrial Exhibition, Reading, 1898, a gilt-bronze medal, unsigned, 51mm; English Aberdeen Angus Cattle Association, a silvered-bronze medal, rev. engraved (Royal Counties Show, Reading 1902, Best Male, “Elate” 16513), 48mm; Berkshire County Council, Annual Clean Milking Competition, a bronze medal, rev. named (Charles H. Carter, 1930), 51mm; together with other base metal medals (4) [7]. Varied state; third cased £50-£70 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection
Eton College, attendance medals in bronze (1) and white metal (6), one named on edge (Cyril Rawlins, 1898-99), each 45mm; Berkshire Education Committee, bronze attendance medals (22), all named on edge, each 38mm [29]. Varied state, most holed, some with bars and ribbons; first cased £50-£70 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection
Opening of the Blackwall Tunnel, 1897, a bronze medal by F. Bowcher for Spink, crowned bust of Victoria left, rev. view of the inside of the tunnel, Prince of Wales’ feathers above, royal arms below, edge inscribed (Presented to the Corporation of the City of London), 76mm (W & E 3475D.2; BHM 3615; E 1812). Extremely fine, scarce £300-£400
700th Anniversary of the Mayoralty of the City of London, 1889, a bronze medal by A. Kirkwood & Sons for the Corporation of the City of London, busts of Richard I and Victoria vis-à-vis in cartouche, rev. St Michael presenting sceptre to kneeling figure of Londinium, St Paul’s behind, 77mm (BHM 3377; E 1752). Good extremely fine £400-£500 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Visit of Christian IX and Louise of Denmark to the City of London, 1893, a light bronze medal by F. Bowcher for the Corporation of the City of London, conjoined busts right, rev. Londinia seated, façade of the Guildhall behind, struck at the Paris Mint, 75mm (W & E 1766A.1; BHM 3454; E 1783). About extremely fine £150-£180 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK ---
Aylesbury Bread Show, 1913, a silver medal, rev. named (Awarded to H. Ruffell, Maidenhead), 45mm; National Rose Society, Reading Show, 1913, a bronze medal by Pinches, rev. named (awarded to Mr F.A. Govett), 42mm; Harrow School, Prize Medal, a bronze award by W. Wyon, edge named (J.G. Royde-Smith 1940), 43mm; Dig For Victory Competition, 1940, a silver medal, rev. named (Presented to Mr M. Ledger by the Mayor of Reading, Councillor W.E.C. McIlroy J.P.), 45mm; Shire Horse Society, a silver medal by Mappin & Webb, cased, named on inside of lid (Felden Sister, J.H. Cridlan, Newbury, 1947), 45mm; Smithfield Show and Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, a gilt-bronze medal, rev. named (Awarded to J.H. Cridlan for the Best Beef Carcase, 1956), 38mm; together with other medals in silver (3) and base metal (9) [18]. Varied state; three cased £80-£100 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection
Wadham College, Oxford, Challenge Pair Oar Prize, a bronze medal by W.J. Taylor, rev. named (1874, F.W. Dunston, Bow, L.W. Lloyd, Stroke), 55mm; Oxford University Hare & Hounds Club, a bronze medal, rev. named (Nine Mile Cross Country Race v. Cambridge, 1882, H.G.H. Way), 51mm; Aylesbury Bread Show, 1911, a bronze medal, rev. named (W.H. Pratt, Cambridge), 45mm; together with assorted other medals (19), all base metal [22]. Varied state £80-£100 --- Provenance: Royal Berkshire Collection
Royal Mint commemorative medals (6): 900th Anniversary of Westminster Abbey, 1965, silver medals (2), by M. Rizzello, 57mm (E 2107); End of Production at Tower Hill, 1975, cast silver medals (2), by R. Elderton, 54mm (E 2132); another, cast bronze, by R. Elderton, 54mm (E 2132); 175th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, 1990, a bronze medal, after B. Pistrucci, 63mm (E 2166, not listed in bronze) [6]. Mint state or virtually so; four cased £150-£200
1st millennium B.C. With thick hoop and opposed animal-heads to the reverse, large ellipsoid bezel with incuse winged bull motif. Cf. Muscarella, Oscar White, Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, item no.292. 34 grams, 30.15 mm overall, 22 x 20.4 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21) (1 1/8 in.). with Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 23 April 2001, no.297 (part).Acquired by an important European family collection.Accompanied by copies of the relevant Pierre Bergé & Associés catalogue pages.This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12055-213660.
13th-6th century B.C. Mainly tanged examples of barbed and leaf-shaped types. See Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,1988, pp.289ff. nos.396,398-400,410,416, for similar arrowheads; Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, items 449, 467, for types. 220 grams total, 7.5-13.6 cm (3 - 5 3/8 in.). Acquired 1990s.From the collection of a late Japanese weaponry collector.Although some of them are different in shape, these arrowheads are apparently related types of a polythetic group. Two basic deltoid forms are represented: one has a sharp, flat blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang that often has a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more manifestly triangular. The other form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib extending to the tang, and a narrow leaf-shaped blade. [10]
2nd-8th century A.D.. Group of sheet-bronze fragments each with impressed Aramaic calligraphic text; mounted in a display frame. 207 grams total, 15-51 mm (13 x 13.5 cm including case) (5/8 - 2 in. (5 1/8 x 5 1/4 in.)). Collected from 1969-1999.From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK. [4]
Circa 11th century A.D.. Couronian sword of Petersen Type K with double-edged tapering blade and tapering fullers; bronze cross-guard extending at each end to serpent- or horse-heads, wheeled ornament to both faces; the lower guard with similar motifs; seven-lobed pommel with annulets and pellets. Cf. Kazakevi?ius, ???????? ???? IX-XIII ??. (Baltic Swords, 9th-13th century AD), Vilnius, 1996; Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002; Tomsons, A., ‘Symbolism of Medieval Swords from the territory of Latvia during the 11th-13th centuries’ in Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica 29, ?ód?, 2012, pp.145-161. 1.02 kg, 86.5 cm (34 in.). 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 no.11925-209658.Couronian swords of this type, with animal-head decoration on the lower guard, were widespread and used in the Eastern Baltic lands from the 10th to 13th century. Such zoomorphic detailing was a clear influence from Germanic art. Regular geometric ornamentation, derived from Romanesque art, was also widespread, with one of the most common ornaments being a cross-in-circle.
13th-14th century A.D.. With a long tubular socket and raised circumferential ribs, three tiers of radiating spikes; found with remains of wooden haft in situ. Cf. Gilliot, C., Weapons and Armours, Bayeux, 2008, pp.160-161, for similar maceheads. 312 grams, 80 mm (3 1/8 in.). Found near Farnham Castle, Farnham, Surrey, UK.From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.Maces were in use since the Bronze Age. In the Medieval Western Europe, maces are attested in England as throwing weapons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the end of 12th century A.D., the mace head was made of metal and was, under the influence of Byzantium, one of the weapons of the armoured knight. Originally of round section and armed with strong pyramidal spikes, the mace head evolved into a cylindrical shape, sometimes reinforced with spikes, most often with flanges. [No Reserve]
Bronze Age, 16th-14th century B.C. Round-bottomed with strap handle and thumb-spur. 209 grams, 90 mm (3 1/2 in.). 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. [No Reserve]
Circa 1st-4th century A.D.. Group comprising: two bone astragali smoothed for use as gaming pieces; bronze model of the same. Cf. similar in the British Museum under accession no.1772,0311.176. 80 grams total, 31-35 mm (1 1/4 - 1 3/8 in.). 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. [3, No Reserve]
Circa 7th century B.C. One a trapezoidal panel with tail integral to the rear and two openwork legs to the forward edge, small triangular wings and erect head with hooked beak; old collector's label to base 'Bronze Age Idol 700 B.C. / Ex Sylvester Ekaterura / Netherlands'. 79 grams total, 52 mm including stand (2 in.). Ex Sylvester Ekaterura, Netherlands.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. [No Reserve]
9th-11th century A.D.. Piriform body with domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16. 567 grams, 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.). Acquired 1980-2015.Ex Abelita family collection.Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (??????? k???????) 9th-11th century AD'.Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the ??????, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called ?????? k?????? or ???????????? where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. [No Reserve]
Early-Middle Bronze Age, circa 2700-1900 B.C. Hemispherical in profile with burnished surface, raised band below the rim with impressed holes to the outer face, pierced rim, short curved spout; repaired. 490 grams, 22 cm (8 5/8 in.). 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. [No Reserve]
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.. Matched pair of chariot fittings, each formed as the head and forelegs of a boar with open mouth and prominent tusks, developing to a crescentic square-section body with knop finial, supported on a column and square-section tiered base; mounted on custom-made display stands. Cf. chariot fittings in the form of the foreparts of horses in the British Museum, London, under accession no.1873,0820.165; a very similar example is visible in the Museum of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, in two bronze decorations with boar's head from a chariot found in Trite Mogili locality, cf. V.I.Ignatov, Funeral complexes with carts in the Roman province of Thrace (mid 1st - 3rd century c.), Sofia, 2018, pl.26, for this one and other similar examples (especially 6.3.1.3.1). 1.13 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand (8 7/8 in.). Ex Ancient Art, North London, UK.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.This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12058-212073.The fittings were possibly part of a decoration of a Thraco-Roman chariot. Sometimes the ends of the yokes were covered with bronze toppers geometrically shaped or decorated with figures of a lion, a wild boar (our example), a goat, etc. Often, instead of these toppers, there were the so-called bronze distributors. Some were without decoration and others had geometric decoration. The most common ones were those sculpted as two opposing panthers (rarely lions). [2, No Reserve] [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]
1887-1905 A.D.. Pitt-Rivers - Excavations in Cranborne Chase, Vol.1: Romano-British Village Woodcuts and Rushmore Park 1881-5; 2: Barrows Near Rushmore, Romano-British Village, Rotherley, Winkelbury Camp, Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, Winkelbury Hill; 3: Excavations at Bokerley Dyke & Wansdyke, 1888-1891; 4: South Lodge Camp, Rushmore Park, Handley Hill Entrenchment, Stone and Bronze Age Barrows and Camp, Martin Down Camp &C.; 5: Excavations at Cranborne Chase - Index. - all hardback with original cloth covers, gilt design to covers, gold titling to spine. 15.9 kg total, 31 x 15 cm each (12 1/4 x 6 in.). Property of a Kent, UK, collector. [5, No Reserve]
Bronze Age, 16th-14th century B.C. Ovoid in profile with thick rim and rounded underside. 513 grams, 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.). 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. [No Reserve]
Middle Bronze Age, circa 2000-1800 B.C. Comprising a tall vase with trumpet-shaped mouth, a bulbous ewer with curved spout and loop handle, and a similar jar with flared mouth and incised chevrons to the shoulders; repaired. Cf. Morris, D., The Art of ancient Cyprus, Oxford, 1985, fig. p.23, pl.14, for similar. 1.1 kg total, 15-22.5 cm (5 7/8 - 8 7/8 in.). 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. [3, No Reserve]
Middle Bronze Age, 1400-1150 B.C. Unlooped with long triangular flanges, raised mid-rib with expanding cutting edge; mounted on a custom-made display stand. See Evans, J., The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland, London, 1881, pp.76-84, and figs.56-68, for similar types; cf. also MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord MacAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, item 11.8. 535 grams total, 16 cm wide including stand (6 1/4 in.). 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.This is a Norman type palstave, widespread in south-eastern Britain and dated to the Taunton-Cemmaes period (MBAII). These are often associated with high nickel content. [No Reserve]
Late 5th-6th century A.D.. Triangular gilt-bronze appliqué with two pierced lugs to the reverse, obverse with three-strand knotwork motif (Style II). 1.56 grams, 22 mm (1 in.). Found near Skirpenbeck, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK.Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.YORYM-2C0918.
Circa 1000 B.C. With eight projecting vertical flanges and a circular shaft hole. Cf. Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, see pl.XXXI, no.98, for identical spearhead from Armenia (Astkhadzor, beginning of the 1st millennium B.C.). 310 grams, 67 mm (2 5/8 in.). 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.In the Caucasus, the combat mace was very popular throughout the late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The maces could have spiked bronze knobs or often less corrugated, or round, knobs which could also be effectively used. [No Reserve]
Bronze Age, 13th-7th century B.C. Each with tapering profile and clubbed head. 62 grams total, 10.8 cm (4 1/4 in.). 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. [6, No Reserve]
1st-20th century A.D.. Including lead decorative fittings, bronze ingot fragment, belt and harness buckles, hammered and pre-decimal coins, ring-brooch and other items. 2.06 kg total, 8-71 mm (3/8 - 2 3/4 in.). Acquired since the 1970s.From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. [100, No Reserve]
Middle Bronze Age I-II, circa 2000-1750 B.C. Hemispherical in form with spur to the rim, pierced for attachment; repaired. 277 grams, 12 cm wide (4 3/4 in.). Ex Peter Negus collection (1920-2012), a prolific collector who worked in the insurance industry for most of his life.His wife worked for Coutts Bank for many years and they shared an enormous passion for natural history, geology and archaeology, amassing a collection. He was a member of the Geologists’ Association for over 50 years, acting as Treasurer from 1979 to 1988.Acquired from Bonhams, London, 26 October 2007, no.354 (part).From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages and an old identification tag. [No Reserve]
Circa 1200-800 B.C. A low-flanged palstave with rounded butt, triangular blade with convex cutting edge, deep lateral flanges, stop and median rib; loop to the side; seam, loop and butt with casting flash. Cf. Evans, J., The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland, London, 1881, item 77. 342 grams, 15 cm (5 7/8 in.). Acquired from TimeLine Auctions 19 March, 2010, no.572.Property of a Shropshire private collector. [No Reserve]
2nd-3rd century A.D.. The goddess Tyche or Cybele with a facing female bust wearing a mural crown, braided hair cascading to the sides, high-relief lenticular eyes, and small slit mouth, two iron fixing rivets; the lower part with detailed necklace of pendants, catena decorative chain, lateral braids, ferrous fixture; old collector's label 'BR.APP.064' to verso; repaired and mounted on a custom-made display stand. Cf. Beutler, F. et al., Der Adler Roms. Carnuntum und der Armee der Cäsaren, Bad-Deutsch Altenberg, 2017, item 69, for type, referred to as Isis-Venus; for Cybele with a mural crown see Reinach, S., Repertoire de la statuarie Grecque et Romaine, Paris, 1930, p.369; see also Metropolitan Museum of Art inventory no.47.100.40, for a bronze statuette of Tyche with mural crown. 3.66 kg total, 20.5 cm including stand (8 1/4 in.). Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent.The crown that characterises the bronze applique (corona muralis = wall crown) was a military decoration using symbolism from the Hellenistic age. Often associated with Tyche (Fortuna), the crown was also an attribute of the goddess Cybele, particularly when made of wood. However, the presence of a necklace similar to a late Roman statuette of Tyche at the Metropolitan Museum of Art seems to point more to the first identification. This bronze applique was probably used as decoration for a chariot used in a procession for the goddess, or as a furniture decoration. (For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price.)
6th century B.C.-20th century A.D.. Including a rowel spur, reproduction faience figures of Bes, bronze arrowheads, clay pipe with caricature head, faience Harpocrates figure, flint arrowheads and other items. 1.21 kg total, 1.2-15.7 cm (1/2 - 6 1/8 in.). Ex private UK collection.Property of a Scottish collector, acquired in 2013. [64+, No Reserve]
13th-6th century B.C. Comprising four tips with triangular blades; each with a raised midrib and a long tang. See Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp.289ff, for similar arrowheads. 143 grams total, 13.5-18.2 cm (5 1/4 - 7 1/8 in.). Acquired 1980-2015.Ex Abelita family collection.Although some of them are different in shape, these arrowheads are apparently related types of a polythetic group. Two basic deltoid forms are represented: one has a sharp, flat blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang that often has a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more manifestly triangular. The other form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib extending to the tang, and a narrow leaf-shaped blade. [4]
Early Bronze Age, circa 2500-2000 B.C. Modelled in the round with fleece texture to the back and rump, applied eyes and horns; mounted on a display base with old collector's labels to the underside: 'Cyprus / Early bronze age, 250-2000 BC. / Ram, red clay, once attached to the rim of a vessel.' and '2517-14/3'. 204 grams total, 11 cm wide including stand (4 3/8 in.). Ex Professor Karl Lunde collection (1931-2009).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.With old label to the base and accompanied by the remains of an old identification tag. [No Reserve]
14th-13th century B.C. With plain globular body, extended to a small raised ring encircling the top of the mace-head, circular short shaft expanding to a circular flat base. For similar examples of maces see Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003), pl.XXXI, no.21 (Luristan). 279 grams, 70 mm high (2 3/4 in.). Acquired 1980-2015.Ex Abelita family collection.Caucasian stone and bronze maces were distinguished by modestly finished, clean processed and predominantly close-to-ball shapes (with a variety of surface finishing, ranging from the smooth, ribbed, lobular forms to the rounded with protrusions and spikes), and the Western Iranian maces, especially the Luristan ones, notable for the variety of different forms. Similar mace-heads, probably realised in Luristan, decorated the head of the sceptres of Assyrian kings like Tukulti-Ninurta I (1243-1207 B.C.).
Bronze Age, 2nd millennium B.C. Three globular pots each with an everted rim and narrow base, joined with a tall strap handle; sgraffito geometric ornament. 688 grams, 18 cm (7 in.). 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. [No Reserve]
Middle Bronze Age III, 1725-1600 B.C. With bulbous body and rounded foot, angled spout and filler to the shoulder, sturdy loop above, bands of painted geometric ornament. Cf. similar item with four stub feet in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, under accession no.74.51.835. 946 grams, 21 cm high (8 1/4 in.). From an old UK collection.Acquired from Hampstead Auctions, 17 June 2010, no.314.From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.Accompanied by an old lot sticker affixed to one side. [No Reserve]
9th-11th century A.D.. With domed filler-hole, broad shoulder, alternating bands of crescent impressed detailing; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefasse aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16. 242 grams, 10.1 cm (4 in.). 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.Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (??????? k???????) 9th-11th century AD'.Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the ??????, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called ?????? k?????? or ???????????? where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. [No Reserve]
Late 5th-6th century A.D.. Fragmentary vessel, cylindrical in form with lateral D-shaped lugs at the rim, each pierced to accept a bronze drop-handle with returned ends; the outer face with decorative frieze executed in pointillé technique consisting of a hunting scene: (1) a nude male with right arm raised to wield a spear overarm, left arm hidden behind a lenticular shield with pointed boss, with a cloak billowing from the left shoulder and wearing calf-length boots, advancing towards (2) a panther with densely spotted pointillé body, in rampant pose with s-curved tail, raised forepaws and with a curled tree behind the body, attacking (3) a nude male similarly equipped to (1), with head turned to the rear, wielding a sword or large knife in his right hand, following (4) another nude male with a cloak, shield and knife which he plunges into the throat of (5) a bear attacking to the left with forelegs raised, its rounded head with small lobed ears while to its rear stands (6) a male with shield raised and cloak billowing, right hand raised holding a rounded trefoil item (perhaps a net), and to his rear stands (7) a nude male with cloak, shield and spear which he thrusts towards (8) the neck of an attacking gryphon, winged, with an erect mane and beaked head in leaping pose behind (1); the figures all executed in pointillé style with pellets for the eyes, navel and nipples; detached base plate, undecorated but showing signs of tinning. See Mango, Mango, Evans & Hughes, A 6th century Mediterranean bucket from Bromeswell Parish, Suffolk, in Antiquity 63, 1989, pp.295-311; Carver, M., Sutton Hoo. A Seventh Century Princely Burial Ground and its Context, London, 2005, p.485-7; Drandaki, A., ??????? ??? KYPI(E) A Late Roman brass bucket with a hunting scene published on Academia.edu. 523 grams, 22 cm wide (8 5/8 in.). Found East Anglia, believed Cambridgeshire, UK.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.Accompanied by a copy of Drandaki, A., ??????? ??? KYPI(E) A Late Roman brass bucket with a hunting scene.The vessel is of an unusual type: three have been found in Turkey, Italy and Spain, three in England (excluding the present examples) and three others have unknown findspots; this find brings the total of known examples to ten. The rarity of these vessels indicates the high status of their owners. Each of these buckets is decorated with a hunting frieze and most have an inscription in early medieval Greek. Their manufacture is so similar that it is thought that they were produced at a single workshop in the Eastern Empire, possibly at Antioch, in the 6th century AD (Drandaki, n.d.). Their exact use is not certain, but since several of the inscriptions refer to 'good health' this suggests a domestic setting related to bathing. The rounded object held by figure (6) is clearly based on a similar rounded clump which appears on the vessel in Benaki Museum (beneath the word ' KA?OI') where it is more convincingly executed with a hatched fill (Drandaki, p.39). Only three examples of this type of vessel are previously known from England: one from Bromeswell, Suffolk, within 1 km of the Sutton Hoo cemetery, found in preparatory work for the Sutton Hoo Visitor Centre; one from Chessell Down, Isle of Wight, where the bucket was part of a rich female grave excavated in the 19th century; one from Breamore, Hampshire, found by metal-detectorist, and excavated by Hampshire County Council's archaeology team who discovered that the grave in which it was found formed part of an important early Anglo-Saxon cemetery. The excavation was filmed by Channel 4's Time Team in August 2001; the cemetery held six more burials with bronze containers, though none as grand as this Byzantine example. [No Reserve]
Late Bronze Age, circa 1200-1000 B.C. Squat biconvex body with narrow base, strap handles attached to the disc above the central post on the upper face, with offset tubular spout; painted with bands of red pigment to the shoulder and disc. 270 grams, 11.5 cm high (4 1/2 in.). Ex Peter Cran ciollection, Scotland, who worked as an engineer for the Cypriot public works department 1931-1946; thence by descent.Acquired from Bonhams, London, 23 May 2012, no.6 (part).From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages and the original Bonhams lot tag. [No Reserve]
Early-Middle Bronze Age, circa 2700-1900 B.C. Group of three jugs each with spherical body and trumpet-shaped mouth, loop handle to one side. 750 grams total, 11.5-15.3 cm (4 1/2 - 6 in.). 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. [3, No Reserve]
8th-10th century A.D.. Flat bronze plaque with openwork detailing of two opposed zoomorphs, their slender bodies enmeshed within a lattice of tails, limbs and lappets; attachment holes at the eyes and rump; the eyes with pointillé surround; supplied with a custom-made stand. 20 grams total, 75 mm including stand (3 in.). Ex German collection.with Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 8 March 2016, 58A.Private American collection, New York, USA.Accompanied by a copy of a previous typed catalogue page.The style of the plaque is very heavily influenced by the Irish Book of Kells where confronted, interlaced figures appear as ornament.
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