A fine Luristan bronze spearhead featuring a triangular-shaped blade and pronounced midrib. The shoulders slope downwards before rounding into the edges of the blade, creating a pleasing petal-shape. The central midrib is formed of a ridge in high relief and leads into a short tang for attachment to a shaft. The tang also tapers to a sharp point. The edges of the blade are uneven due to age and possibly repeated whetting in antiquity. The piece features a lovely deep green patination with some orange colourations.
This piece does not come accompanied by a stand. Stands are available upon inquiry.
Date: Circa 1200-600 BC Provenance: Ex London collection of weapons, 1990s-2010s. Condition: Very fine. There is a minor bend in the bronze roughly two-thirds into the blade. Some wear to the edges of the blade.
Luristan bronze comes from the province of Lorestan, renowned in antiquity for its sophisticated metal working techniques. Due to the nomadic nature of the populations that settled in the area, none of the Luristan bronzes were of great size, since it was required for them to be light and portable. Excavated items most often included weapons, tools, vessels and finials, but ornamental pieces such as amulets, fittings and jewellery such as pins or bracelets also feature in the material record. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Luristan bronze objects often served ceremonial functions given their funerary contexts, and there are recurring artistic motifs of flora and fauna and the human relationship to each throughout their work.
