Ca. 1100-1300 AD. Crusaders Period. A bronze crucifix pendant comprising four arms with rounded terminals and incised linear decorations. In addition to the linear decorations, this cross displays a detailed image of Jesus being crucified. The cross, the principal symbol of Christianity, recalls the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. The cross is thus a sign both of Christ himself and of the Christian faith. For more information on reliquary crosses, see Boas, A. J. (2016). Crusader Archaeology - The Material Culture of the Latin East. Taylor & Francis, 158. Size: L:55mm / W:38mm ; 7.5g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, formerly with the Parthenon gallery, previously in an old English collection formed in the 1980s.
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Ca. 900-700 BC. Koban-Caucasian Culture. A very rare bronze axe, richly decorated with geometric ornaments on the crescentic blade and a range of vertical ribs at the butt. Excellent condition; beautiful patina. The Koban culture was a tribal culture in the Central Caucasus during the transitional period from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age which produced high levels of applied art. Koban findings confirm that the Koban culture was in constant communication and exchange not only with Caucasian neighbours, but also with the tribes of the Crimea, the Northern Black Sea, Asia Minor, and especially with other important centres of bronze metallurgy - Luristan (Western Iran) and the Carpathian-Danube area (Austria, Bohemia, Bavaria). For more information on Koban axes, see Przeworski S. (1939). Die Metallindustrie Anatoliens in der Zeit von 1500-700 vor Chr., Leiden. Size: L:65mm / W:190mm ; 460g. Provenance: Property of a European collector, previously acquired from a London gentleman in 2018; formerly in the collection of R.P.T., acquired from a Brighton gallery in the UK in 1999.
Ca. 1000 AD. Viking. A bifacial bronze pendant with the body shaped as a pair of horse-heads in profile, a low-relief detailing, a loop between the shoulders, and six rings to the lower edge which originally had a chain and webbed-foot dangle attached. Good condition. These pendants were designed to make a jingling sound and catch light when hanging from a saddle or belt. For more information, see Golubeva, L.A. (1979). Zoomorfniye Ukrasheniia Finno-Ugrov. Moscow.Size: L:41mm / W:50mm ; 25g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, part of his family collection formed in the 1980s-2000.
Ca. 800-600 BC. Bronze Age. Europe. A heavy bronze bracelet with a flaring, ribbed midsection and coiled, spiral terminals. 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. Excellent condition; beautiful patina. For more information on Bronze Age bracelets, see Stead, I. M. (1997). Celtic Art. Harvard University Press, 42-44. Size: L:53mm / W:64mm ; 44.2g. Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly with a British gallery; acquired in the 1990s.
Ca. 100-300. Roman. A penannular bronze bracelet with a round-section band featuring ribbed decoration and lozengiform terminals shaped as crested snakes heads. In Greek and Roman culture, there were certainly healing associations with snakes as snakes were an attribute of the healing god Asclepius, who is often depicted with a serpent-entwined rod. To find out more about Roman bracelets and jewellery production, see Higgins, R. (1980). Greek and Roman jewellery. London: Methuen. Size: L:66mm / W:78mm ; 41g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, part of his family collection formed in the 1980s-2000.
Ca. 900-1100 AD. Viking Age. A solid bronze bracelet decorated with geometric patterns. Good Condition; beautiful patina. In Viking society, arm rings and bracelets were not merely decorative but also served 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. Bracelets made of precious metals were also used as currency in a time before the widespread availability of coinage. For more information on Viking Jewellery, see Arbman, H. (1940). Birka I Die Gräber. Uppsala. Size: L:50mm / W:64mm ; 25.5g. Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly in an old British collection; acquired in the 1980s.
Ca. 1000-1300 AD. Medieval Western Europe. A bronze cross with four equal-length arms with ribbed decoration. The centre of the cross and each of the ends of the arms feature concentric rondels. A rounded suspension loop projects from the top. The reverse is undecorated. The cross, the principal symbol of Christianity, recalls the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. The cross is thus a sign both of Christ himself and of the Christian faith. For more information on reliquary crosses, see Boas, A. J. (2016). Crusader Archaeology - The Material Culture of the Latin East. Taylor & Francis, 158. Size: L:32mm / W:25mm ; 4.4g. Provenance: Obtained on the London art market in the early 2000s; formerly from the collection of an English Family, by descents from the 1970s.
Ca. 800-600 BC. Bronze Age. Europe. A heavy bronze bracelet with a flaring, ribbed midsection and coiled, spiral terminals. 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. Excellent condition; beautiful patina. For more information on Bronze Age bracelets, see Stead, I. M. (1997). Celtic Art. Harvard University Press, 42-44. Size: L:52mm / W:65mm ; 46g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, formerly with the Parthenon gallery, previously in an old English collection formed in the 1980s.
Ca. 900-1100 AD. Viking Age. A solid medieval bronze bracelet decorated with geometric patterns; the terminals of the bracelet are shaped as two snake heads facing each other. Good Condition; beautiful patina. 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. For more information on Viking Jewellery, see Arbman, H. (1940). Birka I Die Gräber. Uppsala. Size: L:52mm / W:70mm ; 45g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, formerly with the Parthenon gallery, previously in an old English collection formed in the 1980s.
Ca. 900-1100 AD. Viking Age. A beautiful semi-circular bronze bracelet; the decoration is divided into rectangular sections with the same geometric, wavy, and linear incised motifs (possibly also 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 Gräber. Uppsala. Size: L:43mm / W:63mm ; 23g. Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly with a British gallery; acquired in the 1990s.
Ca. 900-1100 AD. Viking Age. A large bronze amulet with a cylindrical body and three loops to the lower edge, each with a figure-of-eight coiled loop and webbed-foot pendant. Jewellery was an important part of the Viking culture, for men and women alike. Contrary to modern ideas of the Vikings, historical chroniclers like the English monk John of Wallingford recorded that the Vikings took great interest in their physical appearance. Moreover, jewellery was used as a status indicator, so precious materials and elaborate designs were favoured. To find out more about the Vikings and their art, see Graham–Campbell, J. (2013). Viking Art. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.Size: L:65mm / W:30mm ; 28.5g. Provenance: Obtained on the London art market in the early 2000s; formerly from the collection of an English Family, by descents from the 1970s.
Ca. 100-300 AD. Roman. A very well-preserved bronze fibula, featuring an original catch-plate and pin. The body of the fibula consists of an onion knob finial, a round catch plate, and a bow, and a head taking the shape of the anchor. Excellent condition. Fibulae were brooches used in Greek and Roman dress for fastening garments. Greek fibulae from the 7th century BC were elaborately decorated along the long catch plate: rows of animals, such as ducks, lions, and sphinxes, might be soldered on, or a frieze of animals might be worked in relief. The Etruscans were also fond of fibulae, some of which were very large and decorated with elaborate granulation and processions of animals done in relief. The Roman conquests spread the use of the fibula, which became the basis for more complicated brooches. By the Middle Ages, the Roman safety-pin type of fibula had fallen into disuse. Size: L:36mm / W:17mm ; 10.1g. Provenance: Obtained on the London art market in the early 2000s; formerly from the collection of an English Family, by descents from the 1970s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A long bronze spear with an elongated leaf-shaped blade with barbs, raised midrib, sharpened edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, long socket, and a curved tang for insertion into a haft ending in a small pommel. 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. Size: L:300mm / W:45mm ; 220g. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1980s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze leaf-shaped spearhead with a raised midrib and a short tang. 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. Size: L:130mm / W:22mm ; 22.5g. Provenance: From an important London collection of S.A.; previously in a Central London, Mayfair gallery; originally obtained from an old British collection formed before 2000.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with a leaf-shaped blade with barbs, raised midrib, bevelled edges that taper to a pointed tip, short conical socket, and a long 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 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. Size: L:143mm / W:20mm ; 21.5g. Provenance: From an important London collection of S.A.; previously in a Central London, Mayfair gallery; originally obtained from an old British collection formed in the 1980s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with a leaf-shaped blade with barbs, raised midrib, bevelled edges that taper 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 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.Size: L:127mm / W:30mm ; 26g. Provenance: From an important London collection of S.A.; previously in a Central London, Mayfair gallery; originally obtained from an old British collection formed in the 1980s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spearhead with a leaf-shaped, lentoid sectioned blade, raised midrib, a short socket and tang. 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. Size: L:130mm / W:26mm ; 31g. Provenance: From the private collection of S.A, Mayfair, London; formerly in an old British collection acquired on the UK and International art markets in the 1970s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with a leaf-shaped blade, raised midrib, bevelled edges that taper 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 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. Size: L:142mm / W:21mm ; 26g. Provenance: From an important London collection of S.A.; previously in a Central London, Mayfair gallery; originally obtained from an old British collection formed before 2000.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spearhead with a lozenge-shaped, lentoid sectioned blade, raised midrib, 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 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. Size: L:117mm / W:30mm ; 31.5g. Provenance: From the private collection of S.A, Mayfair, London; formerly in an old British collection acquired on the UK and International art markets in the 1970s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with a leaf-shaped blade with barbs, raised midrib, bevelled edges that taper 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 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. Size: L:96mm / W:25mm ; 17g. Provenance: From the private collection of S.A, Mayfair, London; formerly in an old British collection acquired on the UK and International art markets in the 1990s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze sword with an elongated, leaf-shaped blade whose raised midrib bifurcates at the base of the blade. The conical handle is beautifully decorated with ropework bands and openwork geometric patterns and ends in a convex, disc-shaped pommel. 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. Size: L:465mm / W:78mm ; 890g. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK/European art market in the 1980s.
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: Oxford University Press. Size: L:456mm / W:60mm ; 585g. Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquired on the UK/European art market before 2000.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with an elongated leaf-shaped blade, raised midrib, bevelled edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, short socket, and a curved tang for insertion into a haft ending in a small pommel. 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. Size: L:505mm / W:75mm ; 1.3kg. Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquired on the UK/European art market in the 1970s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with an elongated leaf-shaped blade with a raised midrib, sharpened edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, short socket, and a 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 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. Size: L:130mm / W:27mm ; 31g. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spearhead with a barbed, leaf-shaped blade, raised midrib, short socket, and a long tang for insertion into a haft. 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, 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. Size: L:140mm / W:25mm ; 34g. Provenance: Property of a North London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK/European art market in the 1970s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with an elongated leaf-shaped blade with barbs, raised midrib, sharpened edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, short socket, and a 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 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. Size: L:140mm / W:26mm ; 35g. Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquired on the UK/European art market in the 1980s.
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.Size: L:140mm / W:25mm ; 43g. Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquired on the UK/European art market in the 1980s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze spear with an elongated leaf-shaped blade with sharpened edges that taper gradually to a pointed tip, short socket, and a long 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 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.Size: L:205mm / W:15mm ; 20g. Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquired on the UK/European art market before 2000.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic/Aegean. A bronze sword with an elongated leaf-shaped blade, raised midrib, and a 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: 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. Size: L:435mm / W:55mm ; 315g. Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1990s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic. A fine bronze dagger with a slender blade and a concave handle that would have been inset with stone, bone or ivory. 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. Size: L:335mm / W:27mm ; 165g. Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly in an old British collection; acquired in the 1980s.
Ca. 1200-700 BC. Western Asiatic. A fine bronze dagger with a slender long blade, a raised midrib, and a concave handle that would have been inset with stone, bone or ivory inlay. 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. Size: L:338mm / W:16mm ; 88g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, formerly acquired in Europe in the 1990s.
Ca. 800-600 BC. Bronze Age. A beautiful bronze necklace made of numerous stylized mace-head pendant amulets and beads of various sizes and shapes. 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. Size: L:245mm / W:135mm; 109g. Provenance: Property of a European collector, previously acquired on the EU Art Market from B. G. in 2017; formerly in a private collection of B. G., formed in the 1960s.
Ca. 800-600 BC. Bronze Age. A beautiful bronze necklace made of numerous stylized mace-head pendant amulets with bronze and stone beads in a red palette; the central pendant is shaped like an animal foot. 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. Size: L:240mm / W:128mm; provenance: Property of a European collector, previously acquired on the EU Art Market from B. G. in 2017; formerly in a private collection of B. G., formed in the 1960s.
Ca. 1200-1400 AD. Medieval Western Europe. A bronze mace head with rounded pyramidal projections, vertical flanges and a small circular shaft hole. Excellent condition. Cavalry shaft-mounted weapons like battle hammers, maces and axes were often very small and mounted on long handles. The speed and momentum in swinging such a weapon were made effective by the long shaft length and whipping action of the weapon rather than by the brute weight of the weapon itself as those used by ground infantry. For more information on mace heads, see Oakeshott, E. (2012). European Weapons and Armour – From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. Boydell Press, 62-68.Size: L:38mm / W:37mm ; 8.8g. Provenance: Property of a European gentleman, formerly acquired on the UK Art Market in the 1990s.
Ca. 500-700 AD. Western Europe, Merovingian, Migration Period. A beautiful set of silver belt fittings with inset garnets; such fittings were usually affized to the leather belt with bronze rivets/nails. Good condition. At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, other cultures began to evolve, grow and eventually prosper and their culture and art thrived. The Merovingians (476-750 AD) were one such group and they are traditionally reckoned as the "first race" of the kings of France. For more information on Merovingian buckles and belts, see Effros, B. & Moreira, I. (2020). The Oxford Handbook of the Merovingian World. Oxford University Press, 916ff. Size: L:Set of 3: 20 - 40mm / W:27 - 34mm ; 34.2g. Provenance: Property of a European gentleman, formerly acquired on the UK Art Market in the 1980s.
Ca. 800-600 BC. Bronze Age. A beautiful bronze necklace comprising numerous stylised mace-head pendant amulets and stone beads in a red palette. 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. Size: L:275mm / W:160mm ; 70.8g. Provenance: Property of a European collector, previously acquired on the EU Art Market from B. G. in 2017; formerly in a private collection of B. G., formed in the 1960s.
Ca. 202 BC-220 AD. Han dynasty. A beautiful and rare Chinese Han dynasty pottery goose with bronze legs. The goose is standing on its detailed bronze legs which support a large globular body and elegantly slender neck terminating in a red coloured head with a black beak and open, attentive eyes. The body is decorated with brownish and green glaze, imitating the animal-s plumage. Geese were a major motif in Han dynasty era poetry and were typically distinguished between two types of geese, the domestic goose, and the wild goose. 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. Size: L:205mm / W:190mm ; 760g. Provenance: UK private collection of Asian Art; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.
Ca. 3100-2500 BC. Bactrian. A fine Bactrian alabaster vessel, featuring a flat foot, a slightly bulbous body with the sides slightly flaring outwards terminating at a flared rim. It has a beautiful cream colour, with greyish 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 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 a 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. Size: L:110mm / W:145mm ; 1.32kg. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Ca. 3100-2500 BC. Bactrian. A fine conical Bactrian alabaster vessel, standing on a narrow flared foot. It has a beautiful cream colour, with greyish 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 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 a 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. Size: L:85mm / W:99mm ; 230g. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Ca. 400-500 AD. Gandharan. The Buddha stands with his right hand raised in abhayamudra and his left clutches the folds of his voluminous sanghati and the cascading drapery reveals the soft and fleshy body beneath. The face is finely cast with full lips and heavy-lidded eyes flanked by pendulous earlobes, and the hair is in tight curls over the ushnisha. The bronze is a masterpiece of the Buddha image, illustrating the exquisite fusion of the contemporary Gupta style with the earlier influences of Hellenistic Gandhara. For a comparison piece at the British Museum see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1958-0714-1. For standing Gandhara bronze Buddha figures compare: U. von Schroeder "Indo-Tibetan Bronzes" 1981, p. 78ff. Size: L:190mm / W:100mm ; 715g. Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in France; previously in 1970s European collection.
Ca. 1069-332 BC. Third Intermediate Period - Late Period. A pair of coloured glass eyes intended as inlays within a mummy mask. The eyes have sclerae made of white glass and pupils made of black glass. They are rounded on the front, and flat and undecorated on the back. Restoring the senses to the dead was an important part of mummification and burial, and several rituals and chapters in the Book of the Dead were devoted to this. Coffins from many periods of Egyptian history depicted eyes in some form to allow the body within to 'see', and in this period setting glass inlays (often surrounded by bronze fixtures) into the mummy mask was a common method. Size: L: Set of 2: 15 - 17mm / W:47 - 49mm ; 30g. From a London private family collection; formerly acquired on the UK art market in the 1960s - 1970s; thence by descent.
Ca. 500-330 BC. Central Asian/ Mediterranean. A beautiful hammered bronze phiale (libation dish). The exterior surface is decorated with eleven egg-shaped lobes radiating from a central concave circle; below the rim, there is a frieze decorated with braids, and triangular linear decorated between the egg-shaped lobes. Beautiful patina. Excellent condition. Phialai were wide shallow cups and some of them displayed a boss in the centre (omphalos). In place of the usual omphalos at the center of the base, this phiale has a central spike. Phialai were used by several Central Asian and Mediterranean ancient cultures for pouring libations to the gods and for drinking on more ordinary occasions as attested by several literary sources. Pindar, for instance, says: “ἐγκιρνάτω τίς νιν (...) ἀργυρέαισι δὲ νωμάτω φιάλαισι βιατὰν ἀμπέλου παῖδ ̓’, “Let someone mix the wine now (...) and distribute in the silver phialai the strong child of the vine.”(Pind. N. 9.51f). Size: L:50mm / W:135mm ; 265g. Provenance: Property of a London gentleman, formerly acquired in Europe in the 1990s.
Ca. 500-330 BC. Graeco/Achaemenid. A bronze libation bowl known as 'phiale' decorated with a central rosette. Phialai were wide shallow cups used for pouring libations to the gods and for drinking on more ordinary occasions as attested by several literary sources (see, for instance, Pindar N. 9.51f). Phialai were used across a wide geographical area - from Greece to Tibet, throughout the ancient Near East and Central Asia - and made from many materials — glass, ceramic, and many types of metal. An attractive, lustrous patina has formed across the vessel. Excellent condition. For more information on Achaemenid phialai, see Wilkinson, C. K. (1949) The Art of the Ancient Near East. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 7 (7); Muscarella, O.W. (1980) Excavated and Unexcavated Achaemenid Art, in Ancient Persia: The Art of an Empire, Invited Lectures on the Middle East at the University of Texas at Austin, edited by Schmandt-Besserat D. Undena Publications; Simpson, St J., Cowell, M.R. & La Niece, S. (2010). Achaemenid Silver, T.L. Jacks and the Mazanderan Connection in The World of Achaemenid Persia. History, Art and Society in Iran and the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of a conference at the British Museum 29th September - 1st October 2005 , 429-442. Size: L:40mm / W:160mm ; 205g. Provenance: Property of an Oxfordshire art professional; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1980s on the UK / International art markets.
Ca. 664-30 BC. Late Period - Ptolemaic Dynasty. A bronze statuette of Osiris on a modern stand. He wears an atef crown, plumed on each side with ostrich feathers and decorated on the front with a uraeus cobra. The modelled face also wears a false beard, and his mummiform body holds the signature crook and flail, crossed over his torso. This would have been given as a votive offering to a shrine or temple of the god in exchange for his favour. Osiris was the god of the underworld and renewal after death, but also of renewal in the physical world, like the regeneration of the crops after winter. Osiris' cult boomed in the 1st millennium BC, and this period saw a rapid increase in the number of bronze votives like this one given in exchange for anything from a fertile harvest to a pleasant afterlife. Size: L:210mm / W:53mm ; 232g. Provenance: From the important collection of a London doctor A.R; passed by descent to his son; formerly acquired before 2000 on the UK art market.
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