Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. A fine dagger with a leaf-shaped flat-section iron blade and a bronze hilt with ribbed socket and lozengiform grip, crescentic pommel. Good condition; custom-made stand included. Bronze weaponry production flourished in Western Asia, the Aegean, and mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. For more information, see Moorey, P. R. S. (1971). Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Provenance: Private UK collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections. Size: L:230mm / W:27mm ; 90g
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Ca. 800–500 BC. Western Asiatic. An outstanding, deep Western Asiatic / Achaemenid bronze wine bowl with a high rim; a beautiful patina enhances the entire surface. This gorgeous piece attests to the highly skilled craftsmanship of ancient Western Asia, where artisans worked to create intricate tableware for use in elaborate banquets. Banqueting was a major part of the aristocratic culture in antiquity and required a range of specialised utensils and vessels such as this one. Such items could also have religious purposes, used when making offerings to the gods. Excellent condition, beautiful patina. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:55mm / W:130mm ; 110g
Ca. 1100–700 BC. Western Asiatic. A bronze vessel with a short neck, globular body, ring foot and L-shaped, elongated spout decorated with a band of hemispherical rivets. A U-shaped handle is attached to the body. This gorgeous piece attests to the highly skilled craftsmanship of ancient Western Asia, where artisans worked to create intricate tableware for use in elaborate banquets. Banqueting was a major part of the aristocratic culture in antiquity and required a range of specialised utensils and vessels such as this one. Such items could also have religious purposes, used when making offerings to the gods. Excellent condition, beautiful patina. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets. Size: L:210mm / W:380mm ; 830g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with an elongated leaf-shaped blade, raised midrib, sharpened edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, short socket, and a short tang for insertion into a haft. Good condition, beautiful patina; custom-made stand included. Bronze weaponry production flourished in Western Asia, the Aegean, and mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. For more information, see Moorey, P. R. S. (1971). Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 88-89 & Muscarella, O. W. (1988). Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 103-104. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1970s Size: L:118mm / W:20mm ; 25g
Ca. 800–600 BC. Celtic Bronze Age. A heavy, cast bronze bracelet with a curved section and sheer terminals exhibiting a stunning turquoise green patina. Excellent condition; wearable. In the Bronze Age, bracelets such as this one were used not only as jewellery but also allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. For more information on Bronze Age bracelets, see Stead, I. M. (1997). Celtic Art. Harvard University Press, 42-44. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:60mm / W:70mm ; 80.5g
Ca. 664 - 525 B.C. Late Period, Saite Period, Egyptian. An ancient Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris in mummiform position holding the crook and flail. He is depicted with a braided divine beard and wearing the atef crown with plumes of ostrich feathers which symbolises power and shows his role as king in the afterlife. Below this uraeus is depicted protecting him. Osiris was one of the most popular ancient Egyptian gods and was connected with male fertility. He was said to be the first Pharaoh of Egypt and was murdered by his brother Seth for his crown. Osiris was revived by Isis, his wife and sister, to conceive Horus, the son who would avenge his death. After death, Osiris became ruler of the underworld and God of the dead, which is why he is shown with the crook and flail, the symbols of authority for Egyptian rulers.Objects for Eternity, fig. 3.10, for a parallel.Brooklyn Museum, US. Accession Number: 11.657a-bhttps://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/5720Metropolitian Museum of Art, New York, US. Accession Number: 61.45https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545802 Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s; previously in 1970s UK collection. Size: L:190mm / W:55mm ; 270g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze sword with a leaf-shaped blade, raised mid-rib, penannular guard, concave grip, and a crescent moon-shaped pommel; custom-made stand included. Provenance: Private UK collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections. Size: L:328mm / W:35mm ; 175g
Ca. 800–600 BC. Bronze Age. A stunning necklace comprising annular bronze, glass, and carnelian beads. The central pendant is shaped like a moon crescent. Good condition. Beautiful patina. Such necklaces may originally have belonged to precursors of the Druids, the members of the learned class among the ancient Celts who acted as priests, teachers, and judges. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:245mm / W:mm ; 50g
Ca. 900–1100 AD. Viking Age. A bronze ring with median hoop extending to two round-section bars coiled to the edges of the flat-section flanges; incised linear motifs to the flanges. For more information on Viking jewellery, see Arbman, H. (1940). Birka I Die Gräber. Uppsala & Hubbard, B. (2016) The Viking Warrior. Amber Books Ltd, London, 61-65. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1980s. Size: D: 17.97mm / US: 7 3/4 / UK: P 1/2; 7.8g
Ca. 900–1100 AD. Viking Age. A beautiful semi-circular ribbed bronze bracelet. The central rectangular section is decorated with a wavy and linear incised geometric motif (possibly a cross). Good condition; beautiful patina. In Viking society, bangles and bracelets were not only decorative but also served to mark loyalty between a ruler and his followers in a culture where honour was a matter of life and death. Such items were also given to young men to mark their coming of age. Bracelets made of precious metals were also used as a means of payment in a time before the widespread availability of coinage. For more information on Viking jewellery, see Arbman, H. (1940). Birka I Die Graeber. Uppsala. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1980s. Size: L:45mm / W:65mm ; 30g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spearhead with an elongated leaf-shaped blade and barbs, wide raised midrib, and a short socket with linear decoration that transitions into a small tang for insertion into a haft; a custom-made stand is included. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. Size: L:157mm / W:29mm ; 40g
Ca. 1200–800 BC. Greek Archaic Period. A bronze spearhead with a triangular, lentoid sectioned blade, raised midrib and a long tang. This item is mounted on a stand. Bronze weaponry production flourished in western Asia, the Aegean, and Mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. Size: L:124mm / W:25mm ; 25g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. This beautiful cast bronze sword has a tapering, bevelled blade with a raised midrib, triangular guard with incised dotted decoration, and an elaborate handle with a band of horizontal stripes imitating wire wrapping which terminates in a crescentic pommel. The recessed spaces would have been inset with stone, bone or ivory inlay. Good condition, beautiful patina; custom-made stand included. Bronze weaponry production flourished in western Asia, the Aegean, and mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. For more information, see Moorey P. R. S. (1971). Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 88–89 & Muscarella, O. W. (1988). Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 103-104. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. Size: L:455mm / W:103mm ; 880g
Ca. 3100–2500 BC. Bactrian. A fine Bactrian alabaster vessel, featuring a flat foot, a bulbous body and a rounded rim. It has a beautiful cream colour, with reddish veins running through its body. Alabaster was a precious material, widely traded in the region from the 4th millennium BC onward. The purpose of such a vessel is not known. Pieces like this one often came from burials and votive offerings. Along with others that make up the typology of stone vessels, such as column or circular idols, these objects are all characteristic of the Bactrian material culture. This piece relates to an ancient culture referred to both as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BCAM) or as the Oxus Civilisation. The Bactria-Margiana culture spread across an area encompassing the modern nations of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Northern Afghanistan. Flourishing between about 2100 and 1700 BC, it was contemporary with the European Bronze Age and was characterised by monumental architecture, social complexity and extremely distinctive cultural artefacts that vanish from the record a few centuries after they first appear. Pictographs on seals have been argued to indicate an independently-developed writing system. It was one of many economic and social entities in the vicinity and was a powerful country due to the exceptional fertility and wealth of its agricultural lands. This in turn gave rise to a complex and multifaceted set of societies with specialist craftsmen who produced luxury materials such as this for the ruling and aristocratic elites. Trade appears to have been important, as Bactrian artefacts appear all over the Persian Gulf as well as in the Iranian Plateau and the Indus Valley. For this reason, the area was fought over from deep prehistory until the Mediaeval period, by the armies of Asia Minor, Greece (Macedonia), India, and the Arab States, amongst others. Many stone carvers inhabited the regions of Margiana and Bactria and there was no shortage in raw material soft steatite or dark soapstone, but also various kinds of marble and white-veined alabaster. The main source for these stones, including semi-precious lapis-lazuli, was in Bactria, at Badakhshan (now north-western Afghanistan), which provided material not only for the Bactrian and Margian carvers but also, further to the west into Mesopotamia, for the Assyrian kings. For more information on Bactria, see Mairs, R. (ed.) (2020). The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World. London: Taylor & Francis. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets. Size: L:75mm / W:95mm ; 250g
Ca. 2000–800 BC. Western Asiatic/ Amlash culture. A beautiful, heavy cast bronze bracelet features a wide band with a D-shaped section. The bracelet's band is decorated with elaborate, engraved line decorations, while the terminals each end in snake heads. Excellent condition; wearable. In the Bronze Age, bracelets such as this one were used not only as jewellery but also allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. For more information on Amlash culture, see R. Ghirshman (1967). The Arts of Ancient Iran, New York, 31–38. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:65mm / W:70mm ; 156.3g
Ca. 100–200 AD. Roman Imperial. A beautiful bronze statuette of the Roman god Mars atop a spool-shaped socle. The god is depicted nude, wearing solely a helmet surmounted by a crest. He is shown as slightly bent backwards, putting his weight on the left bent leg. His right hand is raised, suggesting that he was holding a spear that is now lost, whilst in his left arm, he carries a small shield. Mars was an ancient Roman deity, in importance second only to Jupiter, who, by historical times, had developed into a god of war. In Roman literature, he was the protector of Rome, a nation proud in war. Under Augustus the worship of Mars at Rome gained a new impetus; not only was he traditional guardian of the military affairs of the Roman state but, as Mars Ultor (“Mars the Avenger”), he became the personal guardian of the emperor in his role as the avenger of Caesar. His worship at times rivalled that of Capitoline Jupiter, and about AD 250 Mars became the most prominent of the 'di militares' (military gods) worshipped by the Roman legions. In literature and art, he is hardly distinguished from the Greek Ares. Cf. with two similar bronze statuettes in the Louvre, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010257386; and, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010289095. In this statuary group, also in the Louvre, we can appreciate Mars' elaborate crested helmet in detail, https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010275212. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1980s. Size: L:110mm / W:50mm ; 155g
Ca. 200–400 AD. Late Roman. A beautiful legionary sword of the 'spatha' type. This broad parallel-sided spatha has a convergent tip and a slender tang protrudes from the back end, which would have been wrapped with a handle made of bone or ivory meant to increase the soldier's grip while imbuing the weapon with an attractive presentation. The spatha is accompanied by its bronze scabbard, which has four panels decorated with openwork triangles and concentric circles. Starting around the late 2nd century AD, the Romans began adopting the long, double-edged swords called 'spathae', which were originally only used by the Germanic peoples. The Roman spatha was a key part of Roman military equipment used in war and gladiatorial fights. In literature, the spatha appears in the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD as a weapon used by presumably Germanic auxiliaries and gradually became a standard heavy infantry weapon from the late 2nd century onwards, relegating the gladius to use as a light infantry weapon. The spatha replaced the gladius in the front ranks, giving the infantry more reach when thrusting. While the infantry's spathae had a long point, versions carried by the cavalry had a rounded tip that prevented accidental stabbing of the cavalryman's own foot or horse. Good condition; custom-made stand included. To find out more about spathae, see Bishop, C. C. (2020). The Spatha: the Roman Longsword. Bloomsbury Publishing. Provenance: Private UK collection; formerly with K.A, acquired on the German art Market pre-2000. Size: L:780mm / W:47mm ; 845g
Ca. 202 BC–220 AD. Han dynasty. A beautiful and rare Chinese Han dynasty pottery duck with bronze legs. The duck is standing on its detailed bronze legs which support a globular, squat body and a short neck terminating in a red coloured head with a light-coloured beak and open, attentive eyes. The body is decorated with brownish and green glaze, imitating the animal's plumage. The Han Dynasty, which ruled between 202 BC-220 AD, brought great prosperity and stability to China, reigning over a golden age of classical Chinese civilisation during which China saw major advances including the widespread development of a monetary economy and the invention of paper, as well as much progress in the decorative arts. To find out more about the Han Dynasty and its art production, see Milleker, Elizabeth J. (ed.) (2000). The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. This piece has been precisely dated by means of a Thermo Luminescence analysis carried out by Ralf Kotalla, an independent German Laboratory. The samples collected date the piece to the period reflected in its style, whilst also showing no modern trace elements. The TL certificate with its full report will accompany this lot. Provenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong. Size: L:130mm / W:135mm ; 430g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. A beautiful two-bladed axe head of the labrys type. Bronze weaponry production flourished from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, mace heads, spears and arrows were exchanged via trade and war and are discovered in both civic and ritual contexts. An axe head such as this one would have been an important symbol of rank, and have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts as mace heads were common votive offerings in shrines. Cast spike-butted axes are hallmarks of Western-Asiatic bronze weaponry during the First Iron Age Period, between 1200 and 1000 BC. Most of the Western-Asiatic bronze items have been recovered in funerary contexts. Custom made stand included. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:81mm / W:73mm ; 175g
Ca. 450–400 BC. Classical. A beautiful bronze figurine of a bull standing on a four-legged stone platform. It is naturalistically modelled with a heavy body, a long tail extending between legs, short horns, small ears, a thick dewlap, incised mouth, nostrils and recessed lidded eyes. For a similar bull at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/250911?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=bronze+greek+statuette&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=13. Also, cf. with another similar bull sold at Christie's, . To find out more about the depiction of animals in ancient art, see Kozloff, A., & Cleveland Museum of Art. (1981). Animals in ancient art from the Leo Mildenberg collection/ edited by Arielle P. Kozloff. Cleveland, Ohio: Published by the Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1980s. Size: L:98mm / W:90mm ; 434.7g
Ca. 1100–900 BC. Aegean. A bronze Troy-type sword blade, leaf-shaped in plan with curved barbs; the raised midrib extends to the short tang with flattened finial to accept the hilt. Beautiful patina, custom-made stand included. Provenance: Private UK collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections. Size: L:505mm / W:68mm ; 310g
Ca. 300–100 BC. Celtic Iron Age. A beautiful silver ring with a thick circular band and pointed tapering terminals whose extremities rest on each other. The ancient Celts were various tribal groups living in parts of Western and Central Europe in the Late Bronze Age and through the Iron Age (c. 700 BCE to c. 400 CE). Celtic art was influenced by that of the earlier indigenous Iron Age cultures and by neighbouring cultures or trading partners like the Thracians, Scythians, Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, and through these peoples, ideas from the Near East. Metal objects like this exquisite ring were cast, engraved, punched, traced, inlaid, and worked on using repoussé (grooving the material from behind to create a relief on the other side). Aside from jewellery, other typical Celtic art objects include ornate cauldrons, sandstone or wooden human figures, bronze shields, and animal figurines to be used as votive offerings. To find out more about the Celts and their material culture, see Aldhouse-Green, M. J. (1995). The Celtic world. London; New York: Routledge. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: D: 16.5mm / US: 6 / UK: M; 4.5g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. A fine example of a cast bronze mace head with a flat tip, the cylindrical body- probably placed around a wooden or less decorated metal staff into the socket beneath the mace head- the upper half is decorated with three vertical registers, each with domed bosses in a row. The lower half is plain and the shaft holes are collared. Bronze weaponry production flourished from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, mace heads, spears and arrows were exchanged via trade and war and are discovered in both civic and ritual contexts. An axe head such as this one would have been an important symbol of rank, and have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts as mace heads were common votive offerings in shrines. Provenance: Private Oxfordshire collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections. Size: L:175mm / W:29mm ; 340g
Ca. 800–600 BC. Celtic Bronze Age. A heavy, coiled bronze bracelet with terminals decorated with geometric designs. Excellent condition; wearable. In the Bronze Age, bracelets such as this one were used not only as jewellery but also allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. For more information on Bronze Age bracelets, see Stead, I. M. (1997). Celtic Art. Harvard University Press, 42–44. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:30mm / W:50mm ; 80g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. Cast axe head comprising of a tubular socket with ribbed borders, a scroll to the upper edge and bulb below, a collar can be seen above the lower rim. The asymmetrical swept blade has a convex edge. Bronze weaponry production flourished from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, mace heads, spears and arrows were exchanged via trade and war and are discovered in both civic and ritual contexts. An axe head such as this one would have been an important symbol of rank, and have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts as mace heads were common votive offerings in shrines. Provenance: Private UK collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections. Size: L:95mm / W:70mm ; 260g
Ca. 500–330 BC. Achaemenid. Beautiful deep shouldered bronze bowl, hammered from a single thick piece of sheet. The bowl has a globular body, a ring base and a flaring rim, the exterior is decorated with incised geometric motifs. The distinctive shape of this bowl is closely associated with the Achaemenid Empire, as it is depicted in the reliefs of the Apadana – the main audience hall at Persepolis. It was probably used as a drinking vessel for wine, and the survival of this vessel shape after the fall of the Achaemenid Empire is likely due to it having become an integral part of Persian table settings. For more information, see Miller, M. C. (1993). Adoption and Adaption of Achaemenid Metalware Forms. Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran (26), Berlin and Allen, L. (2005). The Persian Empire: A History. BMP, London Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets. Size: L:75mm / W:105mm ; 335g
Ca. 900–1100 AD. Viking Period. This beautiful bronze torc has a twisted design, with its terminals fashioned into a loop and flattened, angled square plaque, respectively. This piece is made even more stunning by its beautiful patina. Torcs are found in many European cultures c. the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD. However, these elaborate items of jewellery made a reappearance during the Viking period c. 900-1100 AD perhaps due to their twisting nature which recalls Loki’s snake/dragon son Jormungand who lives in the ocean that surrounds Midgard. Torcs such as this one would also have served as important symbols of rank and wealth. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1980s. Size: L:170mm / W:185mm ; 108.9g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spearhead with an elongated leaf-shaped blade and barbs, wide raised midrib, and a short socket that transitions into a small tang for insertion into a haft. Good condition, beautiful patina; a custom-made stand is included. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. Size: L:161mm / W:30mm ; 45g
Ca. 1000–600 BC. Bronze Age. A beautiful, heavy cast bronze bracelet features a wide band with a D-shaped section. The bracelet's band is decorated with engraved line decorations, while each of the terminals bears two deeply incised dot-in-circle motifs. In Bronze Age societies bracelets were used not only as jewellery but also as ritual objects of high value, which allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. Such bracelets are discovered in burials as grave gifts or found in large hoards, and an important part of the Bronze Age cultures in both Europe and Asia. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:75mm / W:85mm ; 344g
Ca. 2000–800 BC. Western Asiatic/ Amlash culture. Beautiful bronze pendant of a standing mother cradling a baby, her sex has been worked out elaborately. The back is flat apart from a suspension loop to the rear of the head for a string to wear around the neck. The Amlash culture, also known as Marlik culture, is found in Northern Iran, enduring for many centuries. It was one of the most distinctive Iranian cultures of the late second and early first millennia BC which had cultural contacts with the Assyrian Empire. Items like this may attest to religious practice in Amlash culture societies. For more information on Amlash culture, see R. Ghirshman (1967). The Arts of Ancient Iran, New York, 31-38. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1990s. Size: L:62mm / W:25mm ; 15.4g
Ca. 2000–800 BC. Western Asiatic/ Amlash culture. A bronze figurine depicting a female figure standing in a frontal pose; her hair styled in two characteristic knots above the temples, her right arm held out beside her body with open palm; truncated at the waist. The Amlash culture, also known as Marlik culture, is found in Northern Iran, enduring for many centuries. It was one of the most distinctive Iranian cultures of the late second and early first millennia BC which had cultural contacts with the Assyrian Empire. Items like this may attest to religious practice in Amlash culture societies. For more information on Amlash culture, see R. Ghirshman (1967). The Arts of Ancient Iran, New York, 31-38. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1990s. Size: L:63mm / W:40mm ; 24.5g
Ca. 664- 525 B.C. Late Dynastic Period, Saite Period. Egyptian. An ancient Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris in mummiform position holding the crook and flail. He is depicted with a braided divine beard and wearing the atef crown with plumes of ostrich feathers which symbolises power and shows his role as king in the afterlife. Below this uraeus is depicted protecting him. Osiris was one of the most popular ancient Egyptian gods and was connected with male fertility. He was said to be the first Pharaoh of Egypt and was murdered by his brother Seth for his crown. Osiris was revived by Isis, his wife and sister, to conceive Horus, the son who would avenge his death. After death, Osiris became ruler of the underworld and God of the dead, which is why he is shown with the crook and flail, the symbols of authority for Egyptian rulers.Objects for Eternity, fig. 3.10, for a parallel.Brooklyn Museum, US. Accession Number: 11.657a-bhttps://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/5720Metropolitian Museum of Art, New York, US. Accession Number: 61.45https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545802 Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s; previously in 1970s UK collection. Size: L:165mm / W:40mm ; 255g
Ca. 300–500. European. A wearable Kiev culture bronze horse harness pendant with two discs at each terminal with red enamel filling to the centre and three lobes radiating from each disc; integral thick suspension loop above. Good condition. Scholars agree that the Kiev culture may be the earliest identifiable Slavic archaeological culture. It was contemporary with the Chernyachov culture, which is identified with the multi-ethnic Gothic kingdom (Oium) established in southwestern Ukraine between the 2nd century and the late 4th century AD. The culture of Kiev disappeared with the invasion of the Huns in the late 4th century AD and after a period of political instability in Europe, their Slavic descendants re-established themselves there in the 6th century. To find out more about the Kiev culture and its art production, see Shchukin, M. (1989). Rome and the barbarians in central and eastern Europe, 1st century B.C.–1st century A.D. Oxford, England: B.A.R. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:23mm / W:35mm ; 4.9g
Ca. 900–1100 AD. Viking Age. A bronze semi-circular bracelet whose decoration is divided into rectangular sections with a simple, linear horizontal design and an incised motif in the centre. In Viking society, arm rings and bracelets were not merely decorative but served also to mark bonds of loyalty between a lord and his followers in a culture where honour was a matter of life and death. Such items were also given to young men to mark their coming of age and bracelets of precious metals were also used as currency in a time before the widespread availability of coinage. Good condition. For more information on Viking jewellery, see Arbman, H. (1940). Birka I Die Gräber. Uppsala & Hubbard, B. (2016) The Viking Warrior. Amber Books Ltd, London, 61-65. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:43mm / W:60mm ; 21.4g
Ca. 1100–1300 AD. Seljuk. A bronze oil lamp comprising a conical base and a piriform body with a round nozzle. The hinged openwork lid is surrounded by a pomegranate-shaped knop; the loop handle to the rear is surmounted by a transversal reflector. The Seljuks were a ruling military family of the O?uz (Ghuzz) Turkic tribes that invaded southwestern Asia in the 11th century AD and eventually founded an empire that included Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and most of Iran. Their advance marked the beginning of Turkish power in the Middle East. The Seljuk dynasty died out at last early in the 14th century. To find out more abou the Seljuks, see Christian Lange and Songül Mecit (2011). The Seljuqs: Politics, Society, and Culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:130mm / W:200mm ; 445g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze sword with an elongated leaf-shaped blade, raised midrib, and short tang for insertion into a hilt. Good condition, beautiful patina; custom-made stand included. Bronze weaponry production flourished in western Asia, the Aegean, and mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. For more information, see Moorey P. R. S. (1971). Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 88-89 & Muscarella, O. W. (1988). Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 103-104. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:404mm / W:40mm ; 245g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. A bronze dagger with a long, leaf-shaped bevelled blade, horizontal guard, concave handle that would have been inset with stone, bone or ivory, and a crescent moon-shaped pommel; custom-made stand included. Bronze weaponry production flourished in Western Asia, the Aegean, and mainland Greece from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC, when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, spears, and arrows were important symbols of war in Greek Bronze Age societies and served as powerful reminders that authority rested in the hands of those who could earn it. For more information, see Moorey, P. R. S. (1971). Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. Size: L:423mm / W:48mm ; 280g
Ca. 3000–2000 BC. Indus Valley Civilisation. A shallow terracotta bowl in a deep amber colour standing on a ring foot. The interior is decorated with concentric panels featuring linear decoration and moon-shaped motifs near the rim; two stylised fish encircle the central panel decorated with concentric squares, circles, and further linear motifs. The exterior is decorated with two concentric black lines near the ring foot and vertical lines of dots. The Indus civilization, also called the Harappan civilization, is the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent and was an important Bronze Age culture that arose around ca. 3300 BC and lasted until ca. 1300 BC. It extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. The nuclear dates of the civilization appear to be about 2500–1700 BC, though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium BC. Large numbers of ceramic vessels decorated with black slip have been found among the sophisticated urban settlements of South Asia's protohistoric Indus Valley civilization. The walls of this jar are so thin that it must have been created on a potter's wheel. Perhaps the best-known artefacts of the Indus civilization are a number of small seals, generally made of steatite depicting a wide variety of animals, both real—such as elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, and antelopes—and fantastic creatures. Sometimes human forms are included. A few examples of Indus stone sculpture have also been found, usually small and representing humans or gods. There is a fair number of small terra-cotta bowls decorated with figures of animals like the present item. To find out more about the Indus civilisation and its material culture, see Possehl, Gregory L., 2002. The Indus Civilization: a Contemporary Perspective. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. Provenance: Private collection of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:100mm / W:290mm ; 1.2kg
Ca. 2000–800 BC. Western Asiatic. A beautiful, heavy cast bronze bracelet features a wide band with a D-shaped section. The bracelet's band is decorated with elaborate, engraved line decorations, terminating in flat finials. In the Bronze Age, bracelets such as this one were used not only as jewellery but also allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. For more information on Amlash culture, see R. Ghirshman (1967). The Arts of Ancient Iran, New York, 31-38 Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:100mm / W:100mm ; 455g
Ca. 3100–2500 BC. Bactrian. A fine Bactrian alabaster vessel, featuring a rounded flared base and a tall conical body. It has a beautiful cream colour, with brownish sprinkles running through its body. Alabaster was a precious material, widely traded in the region from the 4th millennium BC onward. The purpose of such a vessel is not known. Pieces like this one often came from burials and votive offerings. Along with others that make up the typology of stone vessels, such as column or circular idols, these objects are all characteristic of the Bactrian material culture. This piece relates to an ancient culture referred to both as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BCAM) or as the Oxus Civilisation. The Bactria-Margiana culture spread across an area encompassing the modern nations of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Northern Afghanistan. Flourishing between about 2100 and 1700 BC, it was contemporary with the European Bronze Age and was characterised by monumental architecture, social complexity and extremely distinctive cultural artefacts that vanish from the record a few centuries after they first appear. Pictographs on seals have been argued to indicate an independently-developed writing system. It was one of many economic and social entities in the vicinity and was a powerful country due to the exceptional fertility and wealth of its agricultural lands. This in turn gave rise to a complex and multifaceted set of societies with specialist craftsmen who produced luxury materials such as this for the ruling and aristocratic elites. Trade appears to have been important, as Bactrian artefacts appear all over the Persian Gulf as well as in the Iranian Plateau and the Indus Valley. For this reason, the area was fought over from deep prehistory until the Mediaeval period, by the armies of Asia Minor, Greece (Macedonia), India, and the Arab States, amongst others. Many stone carvers inhabited the regions of Margiana and Bactria and there was no shortage in raw material of soft steatite or dark soapstone, but also various kinds of marble and white-veined alabaster. The main source for these stones, including semi-precious lapis-lazuli, was in Bactria, at Badakhshan (now north-western Afghanistan), which provided material not only for the Bactrian and Margian carvers but also, further to the west into Mesopotamia, for the Assyrian kings. For more information on Bactria, see Mairs, R. (ed.) (2020). The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World. London: Taylor & Francis. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets. Size: L:190mm / W:95mm ; 1.4kg
Ca. 800–500 BC. Western Asiatic. An outstanding Western Asiatic / Achaemenid bronze wine bowl with a flaring rim; a lustrous bronze surface persists on the interior, while a brilliant black patina enhances the entire surface. This gorgeous piece attests to the highly skilled craftsmanship of ancient Western Asia, where artisans worked to create intricate tableware for use in elaborate banquets. Banqueting was a major part of the aristocratic culture in antiquity and required a range of specialised utensils and vessels such as this one. Such items could also have religious purposes, used when making offerings to the gods. Excellent condition, beautiful patina. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:60mm / W:170mm ; 200g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spearhead with a leaf-shaped blade, barbs, raised midrib, sharpened edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, short socket, and a tang for insertion into a haft; beautiful patina; a custom-made stand is included. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s. Size: L:130mm / W:31mm ; 25g
Ca. 860–650 BC. Urartian. A heavy bronze bracelet with a D-shaped section and terminals shaped as two opposing ram's heads with curved horns. Urartu was an ancient kingdom of southwest Asia centred in the mountainous region southeast of the Black Sea and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Mentioned in Assyrian sources from the early 13th century BC, Urartu enjoyed considerable political power in the Middle East in the 9th and 8th centuries BC. From early in the kingdom’s history, very characteristic artefacts were manufactured, including bronze belts along with shields, quivers, helmets, bells, jewellery, and ceramic and metal vessels of many forms. Many of these artefacts bear royal inscriptions and are decorated with characteristic motifs and scenes, which consist of various deities and composite otherworldly creatures, royal rituals, hunts, battles, and genre scenes. Urartu continued to produce beautiful works of art until it was destroyed in the second half of the seventh century BC by the Medes or the Scythians. To find out more about Urartu and its art production, see Merhav, R. (1991). Urartu: A Metalworking Center in the First Millennium B.C.E. Jerusalem: Israel Museum. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:95mm / W:125mm ; 363g
Ca. 2000–800 BC. Western Asiatic/ Amlash culture. A heavy, cast bronze bracelet with a curved section and snakes' heads terminals. Excellent condition; wearable. In the Bronze Age, bracelets such as this one were used not only as jewellery but also allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. For more information on Amlash culture, see R. Ghirshman (1967). The Arts of Ancient Iran, New York, 31-38 Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1980s. Size: L:100mm / W:115mm ; 397g
Ca. 664- 332 B.C. Late Dynastic Period, Saite Period. Egyptian. An ancient Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris standing mummiform with his hands emerging from his cloak, holding the crook and flail, and wearing a broad beaded collar with tassels and the atef-crown with uraeus, the missing plumes formerly inserted. His face with full outlined lips and eyes and eyebrows.Osiris was one of the most popular ancient Egyptian gods and was connected with male fertility. He was said to be the first Pharaoh of Egypt and was murdered by his brother Seth for his crown. Osiris was revived by Isis, his wife and sister, to conceive Horus, the son who would avenge his death. After death, Osiris became ruler of the underworld and God of the dead, which is why he is shown with the crook and flail, the symbols of authority for Egyptian rulers.Objects for Eternity, fig. 3.10, for a parallel.Metropolitian Museum of Art, New York, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551302Ca. Late Dynastic Period, Saite Period, c. 664- 332 B.C. Egypt. Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s; previously in 1970s UK collection. Size: L:145mm / W:35mm ; 155g
Ca. 500–300 BC. Greek. A beautiful Chalcidian bronze helmet. The stylised and ornately decorated bowl is forged in one piece, the crown shows the typical carinated perimeter of the type; the carinated crown with median ridge; the front upper parts of the bowl embossed with two volutes, shaped like ram horns, connected across the perimeter by shallow ribs. The curved cheek pieces are attached with hinges; a hole for the attachment of a chin-strap is visible. Chalcidian helmets are named after similar helmets depicted on pottery vases from the Euboean city of Chalcis. This type of ancient Greek helmet was essentially a lighter and less restrictive form of the Corinthian helmet. The hinged cheek pieces were anatomically formed to fit closely to the face and tended to curve upward towards the eye, where large circular openings provided a wider field of view than the Corinthian helmets. This helmet is decorated with the horns of Zeus Ammon, possibly used by a soldier who fought under Alexander the Great, who, after the visiting of the Oasis of Siwa, proclaimed his divine descent from Zeus-Amun. Before Alexander, the Greeks of the lower Nile Delta and Cyrenaica, combined features of the supreme god Zeus, with the features of the Egyptian god Amun-Ra. He was usually depicted with horns that curved downward, a characteristic common to rams in the Nile region. Greek travellers to Egypt would report that Amun, who they determined to be the ruler of the Egyptian pantheon, was similar to the king of the gods of the Classical Greek pantheon, Zeus, and therefore they became identified by the Greeks as the same deity. Moreover, Amun's consort Mut became associated by the Greeks with Zeus’s consort in the Classical pantheon, Hera. At Megalopolis, the god was represented with the head of a ram (Pausania, VIII, 32 § 1), and the Greeks of Cyrenaica dedicated at Delphi, a chariot with a statue of Ammon. Such was its reputation among the Classical Greeks that Alexander the Great journeyed there after the battle of Issus and during his occupation of Egypt, where he was declared ‘the son of Amun’ by the oracle. Mounted on a custom-made stand. For more information on Chalcidian helmets, see Everson, T. (2004). Warfare in Ancient Greece: arms and armour from the heroes of Homer to Alexander the Great. The History Press, 116-124. Provenance: Private UK collection; formerly with K.A, acquired on the German art Market pre-2000. Size: L:270mm / W:190mm ; 605g
Ca. 1100–1300 AD. Seljuk. A bronze rectangular plate with an irregular octagonal bowl and a finely incised frame. The surface displays a beautiful patina. The Seljuks were a ruling military family of the O?uz (Ghuzz) Turkic tribes that invaded southwestern Asia in the 11th century AD and eventually founded an empire that included Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and most of Iran. Their advance marked the beginning of Turkish power in the Middle East. The Seljuk dynasty died out at last early in the 14th century. To find out more abou the Seljuks, see Christian Lange and Songül Mecit (2011). The Seljuqs: Politics, Society, and Culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:200mm / W:310mm ; 365g
Ca. 664- 332 B.C. Late Dynastic Period, Saite Period. Egyptian. An ancient Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris in mummiform position holding the crook and flail. He is depicted with a braided divine beard and wearing the atef crown with plumes of ostrich feathers which symbolises power and shows his role as king in the afterlife. Below this uraeus is depicted protecting him. Osiris was one of the most popular ancient Egyptian gods and was connected with male fertility. He was said to be the first Pharaoh of Egypt and was murdered by his brother Seth for his crown. Osiris was revived by Isis, his wife and sister, to conceive Horus, the son who would avenge his death. After death, Osiris became ruler of the underworld and God of the dead, which is why he is shown with the crook and flail, the symbols of authority for Egyptian rulers.Objects for Eternity, fig. 3.10, for a parallel.Brooklyn Museum, US. Accession Number: 11.657a-bhttps://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/5720Metropolitian Museum of Art, New York, US. Accession Number: 61.45https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545802 Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s; previously in 1970s UK collection. Size: L:130mm / W:35mm ; 90g
Ca. 1200–700 BC. Western Asiatic. Cast axe head comprising of a tubular socket with ribbed borders, a scroll to the upper edge and bulb below, collar above the lower rim. A short blade with a wedge-shaped cheek. Bronze weaponry production flourished from the 2nd millennium BC to about 700 BC when it was gradually replaced by iron. Swords, mace heads, spears and arrows were exchanged via trade and war and are discovered in both civic and ritual contexts. An axe head such as this one would have been an important symbol of rank, and have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts as mace heads were common votive offerings in shrines. Provenance: Private UK collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections. Size: L:110mm / W:70mm ; 215g
Ca. 3100–2500 BC. Bactrian. A stunning alabaster chalice with a tall stem and a conical base topped with a bowl with slightly flaring walls. It has a beautiful cream colour, with brownish veins running through its body. Alabaster was a precious material, widely traded in the region from the 4th millennium BC onward. The purpose of such a vessel is not known. Pieces like this one often came from burials and votive offerings. Along with others that make up the typology of stone vessels, such as column or circular idols, these objects are all characteristic of the Bactrian material culture. This piece relates to an ancient culture referred to both as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BCAM) or as the Oxus Civilisation. The Bactria-Margiana culture spread across an area encompassing the modern nations of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Northern Afghanistan. Flourishing between about 2100 and 1700 BC, it was contemporary with the European Bronze Age and was characterised by monumental architecture, social complexity and extremely distinctive cultural artefacts that vanish from the record a few centuries after they first appear. Pictographs on seals have been argued to indicate an independently-developed writing system. It was one of many economic and social entities in the vicinity and was a powerful country due to the exceptional fertility and wealth of its agricultural lands. This in turn gave rise to a complex and multifaceted set of societies with specialist craftsmen who produced luxury materials such as this for the ruling and aristocratic elites. Trade appears to have been important, as Bactrian artefacts appear all over the Persian Gulf as well as in the Iranian Plateau and the Indus Valley. For this reason, the area was fought over from deep prehistory until the Mediaeval period, by the armies of Asia Minor, Greece (Macedonia), India, and the Arab States, amongst others. Many stone carvers inhabited the regions of Margiana and Bactria and there was no shortage in raw material soft steatite or dark soapstone, but also various kinds of marble and white-veined alabaster. The main source for these stones, including semi-precious lapis-lazuli, was in Bactria, at Badakhshan (now north-western Afghanistan), which provided material not only for the Bactrian and Margian carvers but also, further to the west into Mesopotamia, for the Assyrian kings. For more information on Bactria, see Mairs, R. (ed.) (2020). The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World. London: Taylor & Francis. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets. Size: L:230mm / W:105mm ; 1.2kg
Ca. 100 BC–100 AD. Early Imperial Roman. A beautiful bronze statuette of the Roman god Mercury, the god of shopkeepers, merchants, and travellers, who is commonly identified with the Greek Hermes, the fleet-footed messenger of the Olympian gods. Freely borrowing the attributes of Hermes Mercury is depicted in contrapposto and nude but for a chlamys draped over his left shoulder and Hermes' characteristic winged cap called 'petasos'. The god has curled hair, articulated eyes, a large nose and a small mouth, and he is holding a money bag in his right hand, which is symbolic of his business functions; the remains of a 'caduceus', a staff which is also typical of the Hermes/Mercury iconography, can be seen in the left hand. He stands atop a spool-shaped socle. A bronze statuette of Hermes/Mercury with similar iconography can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/246679); also, https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5546898. For the money bag, cf. https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6009360. Provenance: From the private collection of a Cambridgeshire gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK /European art markets. Size: L:120mm / W:45mm ; 245g
Ca. 100–300 AD. Roman. A beautiful bronze ring with a circular band that flares around the shoulders and an applied oval bezel featuring two standing figures flanking a column that supports a lion with a flailing tail; the figure on the left seems to be holding a cornucopia and wears a turreted crown, which may identify her as Fortuna (or Tyche). Fortuna, in Roman religion, was the goddess of chance or lot who became identified with the Greek Tyche; the original Italian deity was probably regarded as the bearer of prosperity and increase. As such she resembles a fertility deity, hence her association with the bounty of the soil and the fruitfulness of women. Her iconography was known to the whole ancient classical world due, among other things, to the famous monumental statue of Tyche made for the city of Antioch by Eutychides of Sikyon in about 296 BC. In Italy, Fortuna was worshipped extensively from the earliest times. At Praeneste (near Rome) her shrine was a well-known oracular seat, as was her shrine at Antium. To find out more about Roman jewellery production, see Higgins, R. (1980). Greek and Roman jewellery. London: Methuen. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:5 3/8mm / W:K 1/2mm ; 5.8g
Ca. 3000–2000 BC. Indus Valley Civilisation. A shallow terracotta bowl in a deep amber colour standing on a ring foot. The interior is decorated with a lion, two stylised birds and linear motifs. The central panel is decorated with concentric squares and further geometric motifs. The exterior is undecorated. The Indus civilization, also called the Harappan civilization, is the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent and was an important Bronze Age culture that arose around ca. 3300 BC and lasted until ca. 1300 BC. It extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. The nuclear dates of the civilization appear to be about 2500–1700 BC, though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium BC. Large numbers of ceramic vessels decorated with black slip have been found among the sophisticated urban settlements of South Asia's protohistoric Indus Valley civilization. The walls of this jar are so thin that it must have been created on a potter's wheel. Perhaps the best-known artefacts of the Indus civilization are a number of small seals, generally made of steatite depicting a wide variety of animals, both real—such as elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, and antelopes—and fantastic creatures. Sometimes human forms are included. A few examples of Indus stone sculpture have also been found, usually small and representing humans or gods. There is a fair number of small terra-cotta bowls decorated with figures of animals like the present item. To find out more about the Indus civilisation and its material culture, see Possehl, Gregory L., 2002. The Indus Civilization: a Contemporary Perspective. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:95mm / W:220mm ; 710g
Ca. 800–600 BC. Bronze Age. Europe. A beautiful bronze bracelet, made of a single rod of bronze. Bronze Age bracelets, worn by both men and women, were used as a status symbol. For more information on Bronze Age bracelets, see Stead, I. M. (1997). Celtic Art. Harvard University Press, 42–44. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:25mm / W:65mm ; 68.7g
Ca. 3000–2000 BC. Indus Valley civilisation. A shallow terracotta bowl in a deep amber colour standing on a ring foot. The interior is decorated with concentric panels featuring stylised birds below the rim (perhaps roosters) interspersed with branches; three concentric lines encircles a floral motif with a hatched pattern. The exterior is undecorated. The Indus civilization, also called the Harappan civilization, is the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent and was an important Bronze Age culture that arose around ca. 3300 BC and lasted until ca. 1300 BC. It extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. The nuclear dates of the civilization appear to be about 2500–1700 BC, though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium BC. Large numbers of ceramic vessels decorated with black slip have been found among the sophisticated urban settlements of South Asia's protohistoric Indus Valley civilization. The walls of this jar are so thin that it must have been created on a potter's wheel. Perhaps the best-known artefacts of the Indus civilization are a number of small seals, generally made of steatite depicting a wide variety of animals, both real—such as elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, and antelopes—and fantastic creatures. Sometimes human forms are included. A few examples of Indus stone sculpture have also been found, usually small and representing humans or gods. There is a fair number of small terra-cotta bowls decorated with figures of animals like the present item. To find out more about the Indus civilisation and its material culture, see Possehl, Gregory L., 2002. The Indus Civilization: a Contemporary Perspective. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. Provenance: Private collection of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s. Size: L:85mm / W:210mm ; 630g
Ca. 1000–650 AD. Western Asiatic, Urartu. A rare, intact bronze belt made of a wide lateral bronze band embellished with geometric, floral decoration as well as depictions of animals all over. The borders are decorated with circles. These wide bands are joined by a thin band of bronze at the back and a closure at the front fashioned in the shape of two interlaced snakeheads with incised decoration. Bronze belts first appeared in the 2nd millennium BC in Urartu, one of the ancient metalworking centres of the ancient world. From Iran, representations of belts in art are known from two regions: Susiana, Elam, and their adjacent districts, on the one hand, and north-eastern Iran on the other. (Neo-)Elamite belts are characterised by being narrower than their predecessors and sometimes decorated with a zigzag pattern or rosettes. For more information on ancient belts, see Moorey, P. R. S. (1967). Some Ancient Metal Belts. Their Antecedents and Relatives. Iran 5, pp. 83ff. & Calmeyer, P. in Reallexikon der Assyriologie III, 1957-71, pp. 689-93. Provenance: ex-Davis collection, Houston, Texas, acquired before 2013 from various auction houses in London and New York Size: L:385mm / W:98mm ; 380g
Ca. 1000–600 BC. Bronze Age. A heavy cast bronze bracelet featuring a wide band flared in the middle and a D-shaped section. In Bronze Age societies, bracelets were used not only as jewellery but also as ritual objects of high value, which allowed their owners to store wealth before the invention of coinage. Such bracelets are discovered in burials as grave gifts or found in large hoards, and an important part of the Bronze Age cultures in both Europe and Asia. Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old Oxford collection formed in the 1990s. Size: L:65mm / W:70mm ; 91g
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