LATE BRONZE AGE, 10TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

A EUROPEAN BRONZE 'ANTENNAE' SWORD
LATE BRONZE AGE, 10TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.
35 1/16 in. (89 cm.) high

Provenance

Madison Cudworth, prior to October 1981.
Private collection of Mr. Tucker Findlay, London, acquired from the above, 27 October 1981.
Austrian art market.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

These elaborate types of swords are called antennae swords, named for their distinctive spiral-decorated handles. They have been found throughout Europe, and their distribution may indicate key trade routes or settlements along which materials, including bronze, and prized finished goods, travelled. Two late Bronze Age swords in the British Museum share similarities with the current example, cf. acc. no. POA.205 and WG.2271.

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