| Author |
 Replies: 109 / Views: 6,521 |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Spain
2557 Posts |
That's still got blood on it Bob!...I assume a wooden or bone handle?...Great photography skills...The actual overall form of the blade does look different to the majority in your collection...Nice pick up...
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
755 Posts |
A very nice pickup indeed, Bob. Superb condition too.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
Thanks, gents. Not sure what type of grip the blade would have been inserted into, Paul. Haven't seen any speculation about this in the very limited coverage this type has gotten in the literature. I do notice, in the few current listings of this type (below), that each seems to have a transverse marking at the same location - the area where, on my blade, the dark gray meets the green patina. I cannot figure out how any grip would accommodate the curved wings...perhaps they stuck out the sides? Or perhaps they were entirely contained within the grip, somehow facilitating the connection between the parts rather than serving an aesthetic function? Your guess is as good as mine with this stuff.  Edited by Bob L
01/28/2022 7:40 pm
|
|
Moderator
United States
23216 Posts |
Ohh very nice pick-up @bob! Those short proximal spikes look especially ouchie.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
Thanks, Dave. BTW, read your KOINON article. Outstanding work.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
Here's a very rare dagger that I have managed to add to my collection.  It is from western Iran, possibly from Elam or Luristan, and dates to the late 3rd to early 2nd millennium BC. It features a broad, leaf-shaped blade made separately from the hilt. The hilt is cast hollow and features decoration in relief (well worn), and the guard is curved. Below are some pics of similarly shaped (but mostly much nicer) daggers from various references that I regularly use: Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani's Arms and Armor from Iran (left), P. R. S. Moorey's Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum (center), and Houshang Mahboubian's Art of Ancient Iran (right). The far right dagger from Mahboubian is probably closest to my modest example.  |
|
Moderator
United States
23691 Posts |
Beautiful dagger. Was this the one that you had to wait so long to get?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
Yes, Ron, this is the one. Took quite a while to arrive. And, now there's another blade en route that seems delayed and may have to be tracked down (in the Netherlands). Collecting this stuff ain't for folks in a hurry.
|
|
Moderator
United States
23216 Posts |
That is stunning Bob. Since the hilt is hollow, is the balance point actually on the proximal part of the blade?
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
Dave, the balance point seems to be on the blade side of the guard (just above the guard in my pics). The tang, which is embedded in the grip, is likely pretty thick and heavy, serving as a counterbalance to the blade. You get a view of an exposed tang in the leftmost book image, on a specimen with a broken grip.
|
|
Moderator
United States
23216 Posts |
Ok right I see that now. The heavy tang would help keep the weight in the wielder's hand. Thx!
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
755 Posts |
Congratulations on another super addition to the armoury, Bob. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Spain
2557 Posts |
Lovely example Bob!...The point still intact..
The handle grip looks to still have some anti-slip detail?
Bob, how do you go about preserving these pieces?...
I've been following your recent additions to your pottery gallery too, "very nice"!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6273 Posts |
Thanks, Paul. I don't do anything special regarding preservation, other than being sure to store them with silica gel desiccant cartridges nearby. I have a few pieces with some BD. The worst of the bunch I am keeping completely isolated from other metal pieces. (It's in a Plexi display box with pottery pieces - no other weaponry nearby). I need to do some picking and VerdiCare on that piece, but it's a project that will have to be added to my summer to-do's. Just no time to devote to it during the academic year - something I know you can appreciate. |
|
Replies: 109 / Views: 6,521 |
|
Posted 01/28/2022 7:17 pm
