Long Barbed Luristan Bronze Arrowhead

£ 75.00

An elegant Luristan bronze barbed arrowhead, featuring an elongated leaf-shaped body. A raised central rib runs from the tip to the base, and the blade tapers into symmetrical shallow barbs. The long tang would have been inserted into a wooden shaft, completing the weapon. The arrowhead features some encrustations and eye-catching deep green patination.

Date: Circa 1200-800 BC
Provenance: Ex Abelita family collection, 1980-2015.
Condition: Very fine, a beautiful deep green patination visible on the surface. Some earthly encrustations.

SOLD

Product Code: NES-62
Category: Tag:

Luristan bronze comes from the province of Lorestan, a region situated in the area of modern Southwestern Iran. In ancient times a number of nomadic populations, such as the Medes, the Kassites and eventually the Persians settled in the area. Due to the nomadic nature of the tribes, Luristan bronze creations were often small-scale, since they had to be light and portable. Most of Luristan weapons have been recovered in funerary contexts, suggesting that such weapons would have been used not only in everyday life but also with ceremonial purposes. The Luristan bronzes, remarkable for their beauty and their historical importance, illustrate the connections between the early art and metallic production of various groups in Western Asia.

To learn more about the metalwork of ancient Luristan, visit our relevant blog post: Ancient Luristan and the Luristan Bronzes.

Dimensions L 22 x W 2.9 cm
Region

Near East (Western Asiatic)

Metal

Bronze

Reference: For a similar item, Metropolitan Museum, item 64.40.13

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