5th-3rd century BC. A bronze conical helmet with carination above the brim, bands of rivetting to the cone and sides; small ancient riveted repair to the front-centre. See Egg, M. & Waurick, G. Antike Helme, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz, 1990, for discussion. 861 grams, 23.5cm (9 1/4"). Property of a gentleman living in central London; formerly with Bonhams, London, sale 24098, lot 109; previously with Sakae Art Gallery, Nagoya, Japan; acquired in 1981; accompanied by a copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. The Greek ????? was a conical felt cap without a brim, associated in popular culture with the Divine Twins (Dioskouroi), Kastor and Polydeukes. The helmet was used by the peltast light infantry troops, over the felt cap equivalent. [A video of this item is available to view on TimeLine Auctions website.] Very fine condition.
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5th-3rd century BC. A bronze front plate from a cuirass, naturalistically modelled with anatomical details of the torso; repoussé lines defining pectoral and abdominal muscles, nipples applied separately, navel chased to the stomach; arched collar to the top with escutcheon plates to the side with rings for attaching leather straps; two further rings to side of abdomen for leather straps; mounted on a museum quality display stand. See Everson, T. Warfare in Ancient Greece, Stroud, 2004, for discussion. 3.34 kg total, 49cm (19 1/4"). The property of a North West London collector; formerly in a Rhineland-Palatinate collection formed in the 1960s-1980s. In classical antiquity, the muscle cuirass was a type of body armor made from hammered bronze plate to fit the wearer's torso and designed to mimic an idealised human physique. It first appears in late Archaic Greece and became widespread throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC. It is commonly depicted in Greek and Roman art, where it is worn by generals, emperors and deities. The cuirasses were cast in two pieces, the front and the back, then hammered. They were a development from the early Archaic bell-shaped cuirass, weighing about twenty five pounds. Examples from the fifth century BC have been found in the tombs of Thracians, whose cavalrymen wore them. The earliest surviving depiction in Greek sculpture seems to be an example on a sculptural warrior's torso found on the acropolis of Athens and dating around 470 to 460 BC. The muscle cuirass is also depicted on Attic red-figure pottery, which dates from around sixth to late third century BC. From around the middle of the fifth century BC, the muscle cuirass is shorter, covering less of the abdomen, and more nipped at the waist than in later examples. It was worn over a chitoniskos, a garment of a single rectangle of woolen or linen fabric. Tomb II at Vergina, belonging to Phillip II, father of Alexander the Great, contained an iron muscle cuirass that was decorated with embossed gold. The sculptural replicating of the human body in the muscle cuirass may be inspired by the concept of heroic nudity, and the development of the muscle cuirass has been linked to the idealised portraiture of the male body in Greek art. There was an increasing naturalistic rendering of the human body in Classical Greek sculpture, most notably created by Polykleitos, whose statue of the Doryphoros portrays the ideals of Greek male beauty. Statues of naked idealised males were dedicated at a number of Greek shrines and would have acted as visual references for males visiting the sacred complexes. Cuirasses were also dedicated at temples as votive offerings, and were hung off the interior walls of temples along with shields and other weapons; these were either the armour of vanquished enemies, the armour of a victorious general, or king who dedicated his armour as a thank offering to the gods. Alexander the Great is recorded as leaving his armour at the temple of Athena in Troy as a votive offering. Fine condition, restored.
16th-12th century BC. A mixed group of Late Bronze Age ceramic bowls comprising: two cream-coloured with painted decoration in the form of lines, and one terracotta, each with stirrup-shaped handle below the rim. 1.22 kg total, 19.5-23.5cm (7 3/4 - 9 1/4"). From a German collection; acquired on the German art market before 1990. [3, No Reserve] Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A bronze sceptre finial in two parts comprising: bell-shaped lower section with tubular shank above and everted flange; finial formed as an openwork bifacial anthropomorph with ribbed collars to the body, figure with arms gripping horses(?) by the neck, bird-heads below flanking a second face, comma-shaped hips and convergent legs terminating in a scallop; modern wooden base. Cf. Moorey, P.R.S. Ancient Bronzes From Luristan, London, 1974, item BM108816, plate X(A"). 393 grams total, 38cm overall (15"). Property of a Guernsey collector; acquired in the UK in the early 1990s. Fine condition.
1st millennium BC. A bronze finger ring with D-section hoop, discoid bezel with coil detailing, appliqué of a couple in erotic embrace. 9.01 grams, 23mm overall, 18.73mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18.75, Japan 18) (1"). Property of a London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. Fine condition.
1st millennium BC. A high quality manufacture bronze short sword comprising a slender leaf-shaped blade with thick midrib and rounded point, integral crescentic guard with scooped lower faces, columnar grip and domed pommel with flattened end of the tang; the pommel with circumferential incised lines and arcade to the lower edge, alphabetic (?) inscription above. See Branigan, K. Aegean Metalwork of the Early and Middle Bronze Age, Oxford, 1974, item 246 for similar blade-profile. 567 grams, 45.5cm (18"). Property of a London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. The inscription is enigmatic. It is not the standard type of cuneiform writing encountered on some bronze weaponry from e.g. ancient Luristan. Luwian ( both cuneiform and hieroglyphs) are also excluded based on the shapes of the characters. The forms present do not appear to be cursive but mainly rectilinear. The Mandaic script of the mid-1st millennium BC is one possibility, although it uses more cursive forms than can be seen on the pommel. Lycian, a language spoken in the eastern Mediterranean in the later 1st millennium BC, shares some characters with the present inscription, but by the time this language and script rose to prominence (around 500 BC) the use of bronze weapons was waning, replaced by iron technology. Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A bronze finial with bell-shaped base, tapering tubular shank, separately-cast opposed pair of ibexes; wooden base. Cf. Moorey, P.R.S. Ancient Bronzes From Luristan, London, 1974, item BM122911, plate XI(B"). 216 grams, 23cm including base (9"). Property of a Guernsey collector; acquired in the UK in the early 1990s. Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A bronze sceptre finial in two parts comprising: bell-shaped lower section with tubular shank above and everted flange; finial formed as an openwork bifacial anthropomorph with ribbed collars to the body, figure with arms gripping horses(?) by the neck, bird-heads below flanking a second face, comma-shaped hips and convergent legs terminating in a tubular finial; modern wooden base. Cf. Moorey, P.R.S. Ancient Bronzes From Luristan, London, 1974, item BM108816, plate X(A"). 427 grams, 31cm including base (12 1/4"). Property of a Guernsey collector; acquired in the UK in the early 1990s. Fine condition.
1st millenium BC. A bronze Bactrian ring with large circular bezel decorated with concentric spiral pattern and applied cross with forked ends, marked with pellets at the intersections; hoop with concentric pattern and stud. 12 grams, 35mm (1 1/2"). From a North West London collection; previously acquired in the 1980s. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
1st millennium AD. A bronze model chariot with solid wheels and stub axles, D-shaped platform with scooped upper edge to the sidewall, shaft with transverse hole to the end. 315 grams, 19cm (7 1/2"). Property of a Mayfair, London, UK ancient art collector; acquired in the 1970s-1980s. Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A high quality bronze dagger handle with fragment of the ferrous blade; the handle bifacial, the lower guard a segmented cone forming the beard of a facing mask with pellet eyes and segmented headdress, flat grip with raised vertical band and pellets, the pommel formed as two crescentic ears with lobe finials. See Khorasani, M.M. Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006 for discussion. 260 grams, 14.5cm (5 3/4"). Ex an important central London collection; previously acquired before 1990. Fine condition, one finial absent.
16th-12th century BC. A mixed group of Late Bronze Age ceramic bowls comprising: two terracotta and one cream coloured with painted lines of decoration, each with stirrup-shaped handle below the rim. 962 grams total, 16.5-21.5cm (6 1/4 - 8 1/2"). From a German collection; acquired on the German art market before 1990. [3, No Reserve] Fine condition.
1st millennium BC. A bronze finger ring with flat-section hoop, discoid bezel with coil detailing, appliqué of a nude couple standing facing. 13 grams, 24mm overall, 18.45mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.0, Japan 17.75) (1"). Property of a London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. Fine condition.
1st millennium BC. A mixed group of bronze jar or bottle stoppers each with discoid collar and round-section insert, comprising: a zebu, two flat-section cockerels, a duck modelled in the round. 49 grams, 25-35mm (1 - 1 1/2"). Property of a London, UK collector. [4, No Reserve] Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A bronze figurine of a standing priest holding his right hand to his chest, separately formed bangle to the wrist. 158 grams, 11cm (4 1/4"). Property of a European gentleman; formerly acquired on the German art market before 1980. [No Reserve] Fair condition, left arm partly absent.
1st millennium BC. A bronze finger ring with D-section hoop, discoid bezel with coil detailing, appliqué of a couple in erotic embrace. 9.36 grams, 22mm overall, 17.47mm internal diameter (approximate size British O 1/2, USA 7 1/4, Europe 17.25, Japan 14) (1"). Property of a London gentleman; previously acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. Fine condition.
13th century AD or earlier. A group of two bronze discoid mirrors, each with one polished face and concentric rings to the reverse. 886 grams total, 18-19cm (7 - 7 1/2"). Property of a Jersey gentleman; by inheritance from his father; acquired in lieu of a debt in 1962 and originally brought back to Jersey by a British army officer in the 19th century. [2, No Reserve] Fine condition, one with small hole.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A bronze oval mirror with wave pattern border to the edge; to the centre a pierced boss within a square; to the side a dragon, unicorn, horse and tiger, raised bosses between each figure; polished reflective surface to the reverse. 550 grams, 14.5cm (5 3/4"). Ex Zhuang collection; acquired from the late 1990s. Fine condition.
17th-18th century AD. A gilt bronze figure of the Medicine Buddha, seated cross-legged on a lotus throne; close fitting robes with scrolling floral border, right hand touching base of throne, left hand in lap holding a pot; hair pulled up into the ushnisha, elongated ears, eyes half closed in meditation; base of lotus throne sealed with crossed vajra thunderbolts to the centre. 3.63 kg, 30cm (12"). Private collection, North London; acquired in the early 1990s. Fine condition.
13th century AD or earlier. A mixed bronze group comprising: a palanquin hook with suspension hoop, pellet and ropework detailing; two tapering pins each with a penannular finial of trumpet-shaped arms. 149 grams total, 9-15cm (3 3/4 - 6"). Property of a Jersey gentleman; by inheritance from his father; acquired in lieu of a debt in 1962 and originally brought back to Jersey by a British army officer in the 19th century. [3, No Reserve] Fine condition.
1st millennium BC. A bronze three-legged Ding vessel with tri-lobed bowl; taotie mask on each lobe comprising outlined eyebrows with eyes in relief; upper part of bowl encircled by a narrow band of scrolled motif below a flat, upturned rim set with two looped handles. Cf. Ashmolean Museum accession number EA1956.855 for type. 1.2 kg, 15cm (6"). Property of a North West London gallery; formerly in a 1980s collection. Ding vessels are typical of Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzes, characterised by a circular bowl and three feet. They were probably used for cooking or incense burning within a ritual context. The so-called taotie motif, seen on this vessel, is a pervasive feature of many bronze vessels of this period, representing the mask of a mythological demonic beast supposed to have a voracious appetite. Its primary attribute is a pair of prominent eyes, but the motif can also include jaws, fangs, horns, ears and eyebrows. This ding probably dates from the Shang or Zhou dynasty. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
18th-19th century AD. A gilt bronze statuette of the goddess Vajrayogini standing on two small figures of demons on a lotus base with flaming border around the body; the goddess naked except for strings of beads forming an apron, garland of severed heads; armlets, bracelets and anklets, crown with skulls and floral finials; elongated ears with rosette earrings, three eyes, hair pulled up into a knot with vajra to the top; right hand held down holding a kartika implement, left hand holding a skull cup; staff supported by the left arm with vajra finial, three severed heads and crossed vajra to the base with banner; base sealed with crossed vajra to the centre. 2.56 kg, 39cm (15 1/4"). From an important London collection, acquired in the 1990s. Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A bronze vase with flat rim, short neck; globular body decorated with silver and gold geometric motifs and animal masks; professionally cleaned and conserved. 150 grams, 55mm (2 1/4"). Property of a professional collector; acquired before 1990. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 AD. A bronze oval mirror; lotus flower petal design to the edge; to the centre a pierced boss with knot-work flower motifs to the edge; reflective surface to the reverse. 200 grams, 95mm (3 3/4"). From an important London collection, acquired in the 1990s. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
19th century AD. A bronze statuette of Ayutthaya Phra Ngan Buddha; wearing crown with pointed crest, head with face to either side; seated on a stylised lotus flower with legs crossed and hands resting in lap. 177 grams, 10cm (4"). From a South West London collection; formed 1990-2000. Fine condition.
6th-2nd century BC. A bronze openwork plaque with a pair of goats facing each other, two smaller animals below; to the centre a large plant with scrolling plant motifs around animals. 76 grams, 88mm (3 1/2"). Ex an important central London collection; previously acquired before 1990. Fine condition.
Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD. A gilt-bronze seal with Qilin unicorn to the top, horn curving from nose to back of head, moth open; swirls to the top of each leg; sitting on a square base engraved to the underside with Chinese characters. 81 grams, 30mm (1 1/4"). Ex Zhuang collection; acquired from the late 1990s. Fine condition.
18th-19th century AD. A gilt bronze figure of Milarepa seated on an oval throne with deer skin cover; wearing lose robes with scrolling floral border; elongated ears and hair swept back with blue pigment; right hand held up to the ear, left hand in lap holding a skull cup; right knee drawn up, left leg folded under; base sealed with crossed vajra to the centre. 1.33 kg, 16cm (6 1/4"). Acquired on the London art market prior to 1980. Fine condition.
Copper Hoard Culture, Uttar Pradesh, Northern India, mid-2nd millennium BC. A substantial round-section copper bar developing to a rectangular-section finial, curved and rounded blade. See Yule, P. The Bronze Age Metalwork of India, Prähistorische Bronzefunde XX, München, 1985 for discussion. 2.4 kg, 46.5cm (18 1/4"). Property of a West London gentleman; previously in an important weapons collection formed in the 1980s and early 1990s. Some Copper Hoard items have been assigned a ritual rather than practical function (Yule: 1985"). [No Reserve] Fine condition. Extremely rare.
4th-3rd millennium BC. A bulbous ceramic jar with flared rim, band of polychrome motifs to the shoulder separating a frieze of a fish, a zebu and a gryphon. See Satyawadi, S. Proto-Historic Pottery of Indus Valley Civilisation: Study of Painted Motifs, Perspectives in Indian Art and Archaeology vol.2, New Delhi, 1994. 718 grams, 17cm (6 3/4"). From an important London collection of Bronze Age pottery; formed 1970s-1980. [No Reserve] Fine condition.
19th century AD. A bronze box, for ink or spices, rectangular in shape with squared corners; hinged lid and handle to two sides, outer surface decorated with niello pattern of rosettes and scrolling tendril motif; to the inside three compartments with hinged lids decorated with palm leaf pattern. 2.4 kg, 18cm (7"). Property of an American gentleman; acquired 1970s-1990s. [No Reserve] Very fine condition.
Chola, 13th century AD. A bronze figurine fragment of a standing female with detailed collar and folded skirt with detailing to the reverse, bare feet, right arm bent and fingers extended; necklace and skirt with several shallow sockets to accept precious stones or other inserts; possibly the goddess Rukmini or Satyabhama, consorts of Krishna; mounted on a custom-made stand. See Dehejia, V. et al, (eds) Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India, London, 2007. 359 grams, 17cm (6 3/4"). Property of a London collector, acquired early 1990s. Fine condition.
2nd millennium BC. A bronze palstave axehead with scooped butt, spatulate blade and curved edge, recess to each broad face. Cf. Novotná, M. Die Äxte und Beile der Slowakei, Abteilung IX Band 3, Munich, 1970, item 263 (Type Lappenbeile"). 292 grams, 13.5cm (5 1/4"). Ex Vincent collection, Berkshire, UK; formed since the 1970s. Fine condition.
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350105 item(s)/page