Antique Arms & Militaria

A Superb Late 18th Century, Napoleonic Wars British Officer's Sabre With a French 'Trophy' Blade, With An Ancient Egyptian Goddess Wadget Entwined Serpent British Hilt

Gilt bronze serpent hilt chisselled in great detail and of very fine quality. Talisman symbol Napoleoniuc blade. Circa 1800. Very possibly a war trophy from the Battle of the Nile, with Nile Club connections There are numerous examples of snakes depicted in Napoleonic swords, such as the Lloyds swords, but usually with other beasts, such as lions, tigers or hounds, but to have two opposing serpents alone is very rare indeed. Snake sculpture - the Staff of Aesculapius, the Staff of Mercury, and the Embodiment of Wisdom Snakes are fairly frequent in Georgian sculpture, and of course from other periods. In art generally in fact from medieval times onwards, the snake is also associated with wisdom, and in this capacity is often found with statues of Prudence. The way this sword is constructed shows it is likely a trophy blade, captured in combat and mounted with a Napoleonic French sabre, etched with talismanic symbols of a crescent moon, sun, grand Turk's head, stand of arms. In fact the whole sword may indeed now be described as talismanic. Blade in superb condition, original scabbard in very good condition indeed, and the hilt is excellent. Scabbard throat lacking.
Egyptian gods and goddesses, much famed in ancient Egypt, become hugely popular throughout Western artistic culture in the early 19th century.
Europe became beguiled by ancient Egyptian art and architecture in all its forms, and furniture designers and sculptors particularly, eagerly created the ‘Egyptian style’ in the Regency period England, and the Consular and Directoire period in France.

The last photo in the gallery shows a photograph of one section of the collection in the museum of Waterloo, taken in around 1900, showing all the weapons of Waterloo en situ, including all the protagonists {British, French, Prussian and Belgian muskets, swords, pistols, armour uniforms, etc}. The museum was founded and owned by a veteran of the 7th Hussars that fought at Waterloo



Overall 39 inches long, blade 32 inches  read more

Code: 23387

A Very Fine & Rare Original Napoleonic Wars ANXI Light Cavalry Trooper's Sabre. Used by Napoleon's Most Famed Lancers, Hussars, Chasseurs. The Sabre Troupe de Cavalerie Légère Modèle AN XI

Very rare combat sabre for the troop, perfectly homogeneous and authentic to discover in superb state of conservation considering all the battles it experienced during the Napoleonic wars it deserves to find a fine place in a thematic collection.

During a parade the sight of the hussars would the women’s hearts made wildly pounding. In combat they rode yelling most unearthly, cursing and brandishing their weapons. They had their own code - that of reckless courage that bordered on a death wish. The hussars were the eyes, ears and … egos of the army.
With their look suitably piratical their hair plaited and queued they were one heck of mean buggers. Some regiments were composed of fellows who had a natural longing for a fight (or trouble !) The mutually supporting camaraderie of the hussars was important factor of their esprit de corps. Tactically they were used as scouts and screen for other troops and due to their combativeness were also used in pitched battles. It was not a rare sight to see a hussar in a forefront of a hack-and-slash melee, gripping his reins with his teeth, a pistol in one hand and saber in the other.

Three bar guard the pommel back strap piece has a slight tilt forward complete the hilt's elegant form. One unique elements of this sabre is the leather bound, ribbed grip with its brass olive shaped stud. The arsenal markings are on the back of the slightly fulled 34 3/4 inch blade.

Hilt stamped stamped by Joseph Innocent Krantz, Chef de Batt'on, the Napoleonic Imperial period sword inspector from 1812, and Jean George Bick's mark of 1812 a controller 1st class. Blade marked, Klingenthal Man Imperial Janvier 1813 {only Janvier 1813 is still easily visible} Joseph Innocent Krantz, Chef de Batt'on, stamp is also on the blade face

Referenced in the works of Michel Pétard "Des sabres et des épées - Troupes à cheval de l'Empire à nos jours - Tome Second", pages 137 and 138; long-tailed cap; calf-covered wooden handle with brass olive mount.
One of the rare sabres specifically made to re-arm the French cavalry after the catastrophic losses in 1812 in Russia.

The disaster of 1812 in Russia
It is estimated that 175.000 excellent horses of cavalry and artillery were lost in 1812 in Russia ! The remnants were mounted on Russian and Lithuanian peasant ponies. The rebuilding of the cavalry in 1813 was more difficult than infantry and artillery. Shortages of trained cavalrymen, officers, NCOs and war horses were critical. Promotions were rapidly handed out and temporary squadrons were formed.
In the beginning of April 1813 general Bourcier gathered 10.000 battle-hardened veterans from 60 regiments spread across the countryside. The cavalry centres were in the cities of Magdeburg and Metz. Horses were coming from northern Germany. During Armistice was more time to train the young troops and many regiments showed improvements in their maneuvers. But they never reached the level of pre-1812.

French Cavalry Under Napoleon.
"When I speak of excellent French cavalry,
I refer to its impetous bravery,
and not to its perfection"
- General Jomini

Napoleon's Cavalry and Its Leaders "Cavalry is useful before, during and after the battle," wrote Napoleon, and he stressed the need for audacity in its employment and careful training to achieve true discipline. He was also insistent that careful categorization according to role was of great importance... It was some time before the French cavalry reached its full potential, as it had suffered the loss of many officers during the Revolutionary period, but by 1807 it was reaching its prime. The great charges led by Murat at Eylau and Grouchy at Friedland played vital parts in the outcome of these battles." (Chandler - "Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars" pp 85-86)
"Under Napoleon, the French cavalry were, in contrast to the infantry, far more renowned for their action in masses than for their duty as light troops. They were deemed irresistible, and even Napier admits their superiority over the English cavalry of that day. Wellington, to a certain degree, did the same. And strange to say, this irresistible cavalry consisted of such inferior horsemen ... no soldiers are so careless of their horses as the French." ("The Armies of Europe" in Putnam's Monthly, No. XXXII, published in 1855).

Used in such battles as;

In the Battle of Lützen (German: Schlacht von Großgörschen, 2 May 1813), Napoleon I of France defeated an allied army of the Sixth Coalition.

The Russian commander, Prince Peter Wittgenstein, attempting to forestall Napoleon's capture of Leipzig, attacked the French right wing near Lützen, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, surprising Napoleon. Recovering quickly, Napoleon ordered a double envelopment of the allies. After a day of heavy fighting, the imminent encirclement of his army prompted Wittgenstein to retreat. Due to a shortage of cavalry, the French did not pursue.

The two armies would clash again in the Battle of Bautzen three weeks later.

The Battle of Vitoria in North-Eastern Spain, to the South of Bilbao and near the French border.

Wellington’s army comprised 52,000 British and 28,000 Portuguese troops. An army of 25,000 Spanish troops co-operated in the campaign. Wellington’s army had 90 guns.

The French army, drawn from the Army of the South, the Army of the Centre and the Army of Portugal, comprised 50,000 troops (including 7,000 cavalry), with 150 guns. It was Wellington’s decisive defeat of Joseph Bonaparte’s French army on 21st June 1813 in North-Eastern Spain in the Peninsular War

The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I and Karl von Schwarzenberg, decisively defeated the Grande Armée of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops, as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine (mainly Saxony and Württemberg). The battle was the culmination of the German Campaign of 1813 and involved 560,000 soldiers, 2,200 artillery pieces, the expenditure of 400,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, and 133,000 casualties, making it the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, and the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.

The War of One Hundred Days, culminating in Quatre Bras and Waterloo. This fabulous sabre was almost certainly a trophy of war from Waterloo, and any or all of the the previously listed battles it would likely have seen service within.

After the fighting at Quatre Bras (16 June 1815) the two opposing commanders Marshal Ney and the Duke of Wellington initially held their ground while they obtained information about what had happened at the larger Battle of Ligny. They received intelligence that the Prussian army under the command of Prince Blücher had been defeated by the French Army of the North under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Upon receiving this news Wellington organised the retreat of the Anglo-allied army to a place he had identified a year before as the best place in Belgium for him to be able to employ his reverse slope tactics when fighting a major battle: the escarpment close to the village of Waterloo.

On the 17th, aided by thunderstorms and torrential rain and before the arrival of Napoleon, Wellington's army successfully extricated itself from Quatre Bras and passed through the defile of Genappe. The infantry marched ahead and were screened by a large cavalry rearguard. The French harried Wellington's army, but were unable to inflict any substantial casualties before night fell and Wellington's men were ensconced in bivouacs on the plain of Mont-Saint-Jean.
As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity
Without scabbard  read more

Code: 25565

16th Century Militia Man’s “Morgernstern” or "Holy Water Sprinkler"Mace Flail Possibly From Germany. Also A Weapon of The City Guard and Watchmen of Germany or Switzerland

Long wooden haft with large protruding blacksmith nail spikes. An extraordinary intimidating weapon, crude, yet incredibly effective. A rare German PoleArm known as a Morgenstern ‘morning star’ or ‘Holy Water Sprinkler’. The holy water sprinkler (from its resemblance to the aspergillum used in the Catholic Mass), was a morning star used by the English army in the sixteenth century and made in series by professional smiths. One such weapon can be found in the Royal Armouries and has an all-steel head with six flanges forming three spikes each, reminiscent of a mace but with a short thick spike of square cross section extending from the top. The wooden shaft is reinforced with four langets and the overall length of the weapon is 74.5 inches (189 cm). This kind of war flail originated as a peasant weapon and was particularly popular in Germany and central Europe, also used by city guards and watchmen in Germany and Switzerland. Typically a long wooden shaft, with cylindrical head and arrangements of iron spikes. These weapons were frequently found in German armouries, and large fortified houses, and used by local standing militias and guards. A fine example believed to have been made for Henry VIII combining a gun mechanism with the spiked head is in the Royal Armouries collection in Leeds. This example is an iconic example, the head bears a long spike and further rows below of shorter spikes, very strong and four-sided. In good stable condition, old woodworm to surface not active. Length approximately cms. Dating to the 16th century.

Morning Stars were first popularized in Germany during the fourteenth century. The name (originally Morgenstern) seems to reference the shape of the head like a star – although this is not confirmed.

The Morning Star resembles a mace, which was developed somewhat independently. As the mace transitioned to being constructed of metal, the morning star kept its wooden shaft.

There are two very impressive examples of morning stars housed in the museums of Vienna. The first measures 2.35 meters in length (7 ft 9 in) and has a separate wooden head slipped over the top of the shaft and reinforced with steel straps. The spikes are arranged asymmetrically. The second has a head entirely made of steel and four V-shaped spiked mounted o a long shaft. There are also 183 specimens in Graz, made in series in the 1600s.

Morning stars have been depicted in medieval art, carried by armoured knights. In a 1486 poem, one is mentioned and described as “a rather simple morning star with spiked mounted in an asymmetrical pattern”.

The morning star was used by both infantry and cavalry. There were three types of weapon differing in quality.

The first was a well-crafted military type used by professional soldiers and made in series by expert weapon smiths in town arsenals.

The second, this example, was used by militia men and crafted from wood fitted with nails and spikes by a local blacksmith. For this type, the shaft and head were usually made of one piece which was sometimes reinforced with an iron band.

The third type was mostly decorative, made of metal and with a shorter shaft.

Overall 83 inches 6 ft 11 inches, {211 cm}

UK mainland delivery only, by our own company courier, {due to size} allow up to 14 days for delivery. Too long to ship overseas.  read more

Code: 25245

African Songye Power Fetish Nkishi Figure Bound With With Numerous Sacred Medicine Bundles To Aid Contact The Spirit World Congo, Africa

The African Kongo Witch Doctor's power figures minkisi {plural of nkisi} that stand prominent among all minkisi is called nkisi {sacred medicine} nkondi {hunter} likely from the Bakongo people

In the Kongo, all these fetishes are called nkisi. Nkisi means medicine. Historically, there were two types of nkisi, public and private, with some having vital democratizing roles, as sources of empowerment for rural residents and individuals outside the court. At most basic, the nkisi represents a container of empowering materials or medicines called bilongo. The magical substances may be blood along with animal, vegetable, and mineral matter. They are believed to invest the fetish figure with power and make it possible for the devotee to establish contact with the spirit. The medicines are generally secured in cavities in the stomach, head, or back to activate the work with the empowering agent. The nkisi, properly endowed with magic substances and additions by the nganga or doctor, had the power to act in a number of ways. There are four main types of nkisi, used for different purposes. Nkondi are fetishes of ill omen, usually brandishing a spear or a knife, while npezo are just as evil, but less menacing in attitude. Na moganga are benevolent figures, which protect against sickness and dangerous spirits. They help the hunter and the warrior; while mbula protect against witchcraft. All nkisi can be used for a variety of purposes and their meaning is ambivalent. The fetishes also may represent animals: two—headed dog, sometimes monkey.
Description:Standing wooden figure with large head, Broad short nose, large mouth with open lips, showing top row of teeth. Oval—shaped ears, no visible neck. Round pads of medicine adhered to wooden body, surrounded by brown straw and balls of magic medicine. Obscured legs dark brown patina and libation over majority of surface area.

In the nail figures the insertions are driven into the figure by the nganga and represent the mambu and the type or degree of severity of an issue can be suggested through the material itself. A peg may refer to a matter being ‘settled’ whereas a nail, or metal shard, deeply inserted, may represent a more serious offense such as murder. Prior to insertion, opposing parties or clients often lick the blades or nails, to seal the function or purpose of the nkisi through their saliva. If an oath is broken by one of the parties or evil befalls one of them, the nkisi nkondi will become activated to carry out its mission of destruction or divine protection

The imposing presence and implied power of nkisi nkondi is certainly enough to keep anyone committed to a promise or agreement. Like other minkisi, powerful medicine is usually stored inside the belly, which can then covered by a piece of glass or mirror. The reflective surface represents the world of the dead and the vision of the spirits. One is a traditional naked fetish witchcraft figure, standing upright, deeply carved staring eyes a the body studded overall with hundreds of nails of iron driven into the body, a traditional fetish upwards that may, some believe, have once held a spear.

A nkisi has many interrelated functions. African doctors use it to effect healing. They use the nkisi to search for the spiritual and physical source of a malady and then chase it away from the body. As a preventive measure, spiritual leaders also use it to protect the human soul, guarding it against disease and illness. In addition, they may use it to bind its owner to a friend or to attract lovers. It is also used to serve as a charm to repel enemies, arrest them in their tracks, or inflict an illness on them. Alternatively, a nkisi can be used to embody and direct a spirit; similarly, it can be used as a hiding place for a troubled soul, keeping order.

Nkisi, in west-central African lore, any object or material substance invested with sacred energy and made available for spiritual protection. One tradition of the Kongo people of west-central Africa holds that the god Funza gave the world the first nkisi. Africans uprooted during the Atlantic slave-trade era carried with them some knowledge of nkisi making. In places throughout the United States, particularly in the Deep South, African descendants still create minkisi. Nkisi making is also found throughout the Caribbean and South America, in places such as Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil.

This wild appearance of the Nganga was intended to create a frightening effect, or kimbulua in the Kongo language. The nganga's costume was often modeled on his nkisi. The act of putting on the costume was itself part of the performance; all participants were marked with red and white stripes, called makila, for protection.

The "circles of white around the eyes" refer to mamoni lines (from the verb mona, to see). These lines purport to indicate the ability to see hidden sources of illness and evil.

Yombe nganga often wore white masks, whose color represented the spirit of a deceased person. White was also associated with justice, order, truth, invulnerability, and insight: all virtues associated with the nganga.

The nganga is instructed in the composition of the nkondi, perhaps in a dream, by a particular spirit. In one description of the banganga's process, the nganga then cuts down a tree for the wood that s/he will use to construct the nkondi. He then kills a chicken, which causes the death of a hunter who has been successful in killing game and whose captive soul subsequently animates the nkondi figure. Based on this process, *Gell writes that the nkondi is a figure an index of cumulative agency, a "visible knot tying together an invisible skein of spatio-temporal relations" of which participants in the ritual are aware

After a tribal carver artist completed carving the artifact, the "nganga" transformed it into an object capable of healing illness, settling disputes, safeguarding the peace, and punishing wrongdoers. Each work of this kind or "nkisi" is associated with a spirit, that is subjected to a degree of human control.
Europeans may have encountered these objects during expeditions to the Congo as early as the 15th century. However, several of these fetish objects, as they were often termed, were confiscated by missionaries in the late 19th century and were destroyed as evidence of sorcery or heathenism. Nevertheless, several were collected as objects of fascination and even as an object of study of Kongo culture. Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba. In Hollywood these figures have morphed into objects of superstition such as New Orleans voodoo dolls covered with stick pins. Nonetheless, minkisi have left an indelible imprint as visually provocative figures of spiritual importance and protection.

Often such figures were placed outside, or within, the hut of a certain form of tribal elder, what we would refer to as, the tribal witch-doctor, called a Nganga as a symbol of his position within the local village, and his ability to cause magical curses and unpleasantness for villagers who had fallen out with others of the village or region, who then sought out the services of the so called 'witch-doctor' to resolve the problem, with, such as, a curse.

Vintage Hand Carved African Medicine Man Nkisi figures. Esoteric collector's pieces, connected to the so-called western term of Voodoo {vodou} magic, part of the pantheon of the occult, magic & witchcraft of Africa.

Among the various Kongo peoples, nkisi means a sacred medicine. This word has been extended to include objects containing that medicine as well. The carved wooden statues referred to in the 19th century as nail fetishes and more recently as power figures containing medicine that imbues them with divine power, are therefore nkisi as well. Due to the medicine they contain (which is administered by a witch doctor or nganga), they act as agents of divine power, granting requests. healing or attesting to agreements. Each decision or resolution is literally nailed down in the figure.

A certain class of nkisi, called nkondi, are able to enforce the solutions they provide actively and to seek vengeance against those who heed them not. These figures either menace the viewer with spears and fierce facial expressions, or strike intimidating, belligerent poses.

Nkisi nkondi specialize in different areas of life. The most important nkisi nkondi carries out mangaaka, or preeminent justice.

Surveillance or watchfulness assist the effective enforcement of the power figure’s decisions. This is registered in the size of the eyes or, in some cases, by multiple sets of eyes. The rope wrapped around some figures represents a snake, a watchful predator who lends its powers of observation to the figure. Double-headed figures have double the visual powers and can see into the city of the dead and the realm of the living at the same time.

Each power figure has a distinct personality, ranging from contemplative to angry to soulful to reserved to compassionate. The ability to suggest those qualities visually with such immediacy and precision is one of the most impressive aspect of the surviving figures.

Kongo religion Kikongo: Bukongo. Bakongo religion was translocated to the Americas along with its enslaved practitioners. Some surviving traditions include conjure, dreaming, possession by the dead to learn wisdom from the ancestors, traditional healing and working with minkisi. The spiritual traditions and religions that have preserved Kongo traditions include Hoodoo, Palo Monte, Lumbalú, Kumina, Haitian Vodou, Candomblé Bantu, Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba.

Similar examples in the Smithsonian and Metropolitan in the USA. One very similar nkisi, from the late 19th to mid 20th century has been a highlight of the Rockefeller collection since its acquisition in 1952. we show two examples of the similar Kongo type as ours, from around the same time, in the gallery of photographs

*Gell, A . The Art of Anthropologie. London: Humanities Press  read more

Code: 26108

A Mid 19th Century, Crystal Witch Ball Scrying Glass On A Fabulous, Bronze Figure of the Ancient Greek Titan, Atlas Bearing The Armillary Celestial Sphere. A Most Intriguing Classic Antique Collector's Item Of The Esoteric Mystical Arts and Occultism

A simply fabulous original antique collectors item, probably Italian, from a Grand Tour, is of a bronze ‘after the antique’ statue of the Titan, Atlas bearing the heavens, set upon a polished wood pediment. A stunning piece that would look absolutely wonderful upon a desk or set upon a mantle. The crystal skrying ball is removed by simply lifting it from its armillary. An armillary is a spherical framework mounted atop a figure or stand, with which a sphere could be held or mounted within. If a metal sphere was within it, it could be plain, or engraved, with stars or celestial bodies { see a Grand Tour variant version in the gallery}

The crystal ball was used by gazing into their centre, for the divination of the future, and the answering of questions. As well as the warding off of evil spirits and misfortune. A fascinating treasure - of great artistic quality. Antique bronze sculpture of Atlas, set with a Louis XVI style armillary sphere

War and punishment of the Titanomachy
Atlas and his brother Menoetius sided with the Titans in their war against the Olympians, the Titanomachy. When the Titans were defeated, many of them (including Menoetius) were confined to Tartarus, but Zeus condemned Atlas to stand at the western edge of the earth and hold up the sky on his shoulders. Thus, he was Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas", and became a doublet of Coeus, the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve.

A common misconception today is that Atlas was forced to hold the Earth on his shoulders, but Classical art shows Atlas holding the celestial spheres, not the terrestrial globe;

Witch balls were found in England in the 1600 and 1700s originally to ward off evil spirits and spells. By the 1800s witch balls crossed the Atlantic to New England. They also spread to other parts of Europe, being found in Italy, France, and Constantinople. The witch ball originated among cultures where harmful magic and those who practiced it were feared. They are one of many folk practices involving objects for protecting the household. The word witch ball may be a corruption of watch ball because it was used to ward off, guard against, evil spirits. They may be hung in an eastern window, placed on top of a vase, or for the very wealthy set upon a decorative gold stand, either pedestal, or figural, or suspended by a cord (as from the mantelpiece or rafters). They may also be placed on sticks in windows or hung in rooms where inhabitants wanted to ward off evil.

Superstitious European sailors valued the talismanic powers of the witch balls in protecting their homes. Witch balls appeared in America in the 19th century and larger, more opaque variations are often found in gardens under the name gazing ball. This name derives from their being used for divination and scrying where a person gazes into them dreamily to try to see future events or to see the answers to questions. However, gazing balls contain no strands within their interior. The witch ball holds great superstition with regard to warding off evil spirits in our particular English counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The tradition was also taken to overseas British colonies, such as the former British colonies of New England, and remains popular in coastal regions. Apparently, our Hawkins forebears ship’s that sailed across to the New World in the 1600’s, for both trade, emigres, and pilgrims, would carry at least one witch ball hung within a net on board. Our paternal grandmother hung one such in a net from her home’s East window all her life until her death in the 1980’s.

The history of the crystal ball as a device can be traced as far back as to the Medieval Period in central Europe (between 500 – 1500 AD) and in Scandinavia (1050 – 1500 AD). The very ancient art of using reflective surfaces in divination is called scrying and is almost as old as man himself. Queen Elizabeth I consulted Dr John Dee, philosopher, mathematician and alchemist for advice in government and a smoky quartz ball that belonged to Dee is now in the British Museum. Any antique crystal spheres are very desirable especially if a well-known reader has used them. This is the best one we have ever seen quite simply and it must have belonged to someone who took their craft incredibly seriously as it would have been tremendously expensive to make at the time.

Occultism, a group of esoteric religious traditions emerging primarily from 19th-century Europe. In particular, the term occultism is associated with the ideas of the French Kabbalist and ceremonial magician Éliphas Lévi as well as the various figures, both in France and abroad, who were strongly influenced by his writings. In the academic study of esotericism, the term is often used in a broader sense to characterize all esoteric traditions that have adapted to an increasingly secular, globalized, and scientific world, including Spiritualism, Spiritism, Wicca, and the New Age milieu.
History
The term occultism derives from occult, itself adopted from the Latin word occultus, meaning “hidden” or “secret.” In medieval and early modern Europe this term had been used in reference to “occult properties,” or forces that, even if invisible to the human eye, were believed to exist within material objects. In the 16th century the term occult gained additional meanings, coming to also describe specific traditions of thought, usually called “occult sciences” or “occult philosophies.” Among the traditions repeatedly labeled under these terms were alchemy, astrology, and magia naturalis (“natural magic”), all of which are now typically regarded as forms of esotericism.
The earliest known use of the term occultism comes from French, where l’occultisme appears in Jean-Baptiste Richard’s 1842 work Enrichissement de la langue française (“Enrichment of the French Language”). The word’s popularization nevertheless results largely from its use by Alphonse Louis Constant, a French author who published a series of books under the pseudonym Éliphas Lévi in the 1850s and ’60s. Sometimes referred to as the “founder of occultism,” Lévi was a committed Roman Catholic and socialist interested in many older esoteric traditions, including ceremonial magic, Kabbalah, and the use of the tarot. In his writings, most notably his highly influential Dogme et rituel de la haute magie (The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic; 1854–1856), he wrote about a purported ancient and universal tradition of spiritual wisdom, the knowledge of which could help bridge the modern divide between science and religion. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the influential French figures who were inspired by Lévi—including Stanislas de Guaita, Joséphin Péladan, and Papus—also went on to describe their beliefs and practices as occultisme.
Scrying, also referred to as "seeing" or "peeping," is a practice rooted in divination and fortune-telling. It involves gazing into a medium, hoping to receive significant messages or visions that could offer personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, or inspiration

Scrying has been practiced in many cultures in the belief that it can reveal the past, present, or future. Some practitioners assert that visions that come when one stares into the media are from the subconscious or imagination, while others say that they come from gods, spirits, devils, or the psychic mind, depending on the culture and practice. There is neither any systematic body of empirical support for any such views in general however, nor for their respective rival merits; individual preferences in such matters are arbitrary

Undoubtedly, Nostradamus is the most recognized of scryers. In the sixteenth century, in ancient France, he was an astrologer and physician. He wrote in poetic quatrains which referenced future events. In his day, working as a magician conflicted with the law. His predictions were veiled to allow him to fly under the radar in that sense.

The Crystal Ball is a painting by John William Waterhouse completed in 1902. Waterhouse displayed both it and The Missal in the Royal Academy of 1902. The painting shows the influence of the Italian Renaissance with vertical and horizontal lines, along with circles "rather than the pointed arches of the Gothic".

Another painting in the gallery. Part of a private collection, the painting, by Pieter Claesz circa 1628, Still Life with Crystal Ball which depicts a crystal ball, a wand, a book of ceremonial magic, and a woman "weaving a spell", has been restored to show the skull which had been covered by a previous owner.

Yet another painting is Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi' Circa 1500, of Jesus Christ bearing a crystal ball in his left hand.

Another photo in the gallery is an extremely similar study, a 17th century patinated bronze version of the same study, after the antique, yet bearing within an armillary a bronze sphere. That slightly older and taller variant version was recently valued at around 8,000 gbp.


Overall the the crystal ball is very good indeed but just the odd near invisible age marking. 25.5 cm high  read more

Code: 25501

A Superb Esoteric Collection of Vintage Witchcraft Pieces, Witchballs & African Kongo Nail-Fetish Figures, & A Voduo {Voodoo} Entangled Simian Carved Figure. Feared by Victorian Missionaries as Instruments of Sorcery by The Tribal Nganga.

This great piece, a so called ‘voodoo’ zoomorphic simian, is a witch doctors fetish that is tightly bound by rattan over strips of cloth.

This came from a wonderful collection acquired over many decades that arrived with us. Added to our site incrementally last year annd this, and many earlier added pieces were rapidly sold, including some intriguing original Kongo Voodou Nkisi oath figures, and a few, fabulous, antique, so called, Witch's 'crystal balls'. The scrying balls, are set in superb, original antique, ormulu gilt and bronze mounts, in the rococco, classical and French Empire style, all based upon a classical and mythical theme, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek, or Ancient Druidian. All designed to mount their occult scrying balls, that were used by gazing into their centre, for the divination of the future, and the answering of questions. As well as the warding off of evil spirits and misfortune. Only the last one, the latest added antique, classical bronze, statuary mounted witch ball remains available.

Witch balls were found in England in the 1600 and 1700s originally to ward off evil spirits and spells. By the 1800s witch balls crossed the Atlantic to New England. They also spread to other parts of Europe, being found in Italy, France, and Constantinople. The witch ball originated among cultures where harmful magic and those who practiced it were feared. They are one of many folk practices involving objects for protecting the household. The word witch ball may be a corruption of watch ball because it was used to ward off, guard against, evil spirits. They may be hung in an eastern window, placed on top of a vase, or for the very wealthy set upon a decorative gold stand, either pedestal, or figural, or suspended by a cord (as from the mantelpiece or rafters). They may also be placed on sticks in windows or hung in rooms where inhabitants wanted to ward off evil.

Superstitious European sailors valued the talismanic powers of the witch balls in protecting their homes. Witch balls appeared in America in the 19th century and larger, more opaque variations are often found in gardens under the name gazing ball. This name derives from their being used for divination and scrying where a person gazes into them dreamily to try to see future events or to see the answers to questions. However, gazing balls contain no strands within their interior. The witch ball holds great superstition with regard to warding off evil spirits in our particular English counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The tradition was also taken to overseas British colonies, such as the former British colonies of New England, and remains popular in coastal regions. Apparently, our Hawkins forebears ship’s that sailed across to the New World in the 1600’s, for both trade, emigres, and pilgrims, would carry at least one witch ball hung within a net on board. Our paternal grandmother hung one such in a net from her home’s east window all her life until her death in the 1980’s.

Also see our Völva’s Viking Draken head {item 24789} from an iron staff or wand. It was an important accessory used by the Völva when carrying out Seiđr, Viking magic. A Völva was a Viking Sorcerer or Sorceress of Seiđr. The iron staff or wand was an important accessory used by the Völva when carrying out Seiđr, Viking magic. The.magic staffs were around two to three foot long, forged of iron, often in the form of a distaff, with a knob pommel, that could take many forms, made of other metals, more usually brass or bronze, sometimes the knob might be inlaid with gems, and the staff was used by professional Viking sorcerers and sorceresses when performing Seiđr

The African Kongo Witch Doctor's power figures that stand prominent among all minkisi is called nkisi nkondi likely from the Bakongo people. This type of figure is commonly called a nail fetish and is one of the most recognisable and collectible figures in all of African art. These life-like figures are instantly identified by the many nails, pegs, blades, and shards that are hammered into them. Each individual insertion represents one of three things: an oath or agreement between two parties, a pledge to provide protection against enemies and witchcraft, or a vow of vengeance. 'Nkondi' literally means 'hunter;' and it is generally considered an aggressive entity.

The insertions are driven into the figure by the nganga and represent the mambu and the type or degree of severity of an issue can be suggested through the material itself. A peg may refer to a matter being ‘settled’ whereas a nail, or metal shard, deeply inserted, may represent a more serious offense such as murder. Prior to insertion, opposing parties or clients often lick the blades or nails, to seal the function or purpose of the nkisi through their saliva. If an oath is broken by one of the parties or evil befalls one of them, the nkisi nkondi will become activated to carry out its mission of destruction or divine protection

The imposing presence and implied power of nkisi nkondi is certainly enough to keep anyone committed to a promise or agreement. Like other minkisi, powerful medicine is usually stored inside the belly, which can then covered by a piece of glass or mirror. The reflective surface represents the world of the dead and the vision of the spirits. One is a traditional naked fetish witchcraft figure, standing upright, deeply carved staring eyes a the body studded overall with approx 200 similar 3 inch nails, on 2 flat feet on an integral carved pedestal, approx 22.25 " high. Another with hundreds of sharp shards of iron driven into the body, a traditional oath taking figure, with its right arm outstretched, upwards that may, some believe, have once held a spear. One more is this piece, of an entangled zoomorphic figure of a simian. Tightly bound and encased at the body in cloth with wood strapping.

After a tribal carver artist completed carving the artifact, the "nganga" transformed it into an object capable of healing illness, settling disputes, safeguarding the peace, and punishing wrongdoers. Each work of this kind or "nkisi" is associated with a spirit, that is subjected to a degree of human control.
Europeans may have encountered these objects during expeditions to the Congo as early as the 15th century. However, several of these fetish objects, as they were often termed, were confiscated by missionaries in the late 19th century and were destroyed as evidence of sorcery or heathenism. Nevertheless, several were collected as objects of fascination and even as an object of study of Kongo culture. Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba. In Hollywood these figures have morphed into objects of superstition such as New Orleans voodoo dolls covered with stick pins. Nonetheless, minkisi have left an indelible imprint as visually provocative figures of spiritual importance and protection.

Often such figures were placed outside, or within, the hut of a certain form of tribal elder, what we would refer to as, the tribal witch-doctor, called a Nganga as a symbol of his position within the local village, and his ability to cause magical curses and unpleasantness for villagers who had fallen out with others of the village or region, who then sought out the services of the so called 'witch-doctor' to resolve the problem, with, such as, a curse.

Vintage Hand Carved African Medicine Man Nkisi figures. Esoteric collector's pieces, connected to the so-called western term of Voodoo {vodou} magic, part of the pantheon of the occult, magic & witchcraft of Africa.

Among the various Kongo peoples, nkisi means a sacred medicine. This word has been extended to include objects containing that medicine as well. The carved wooden statues referred to in the 19th century as nail fetishes and more recently as power figures containing medicine that imbues them with divine power, are therefore nkisi as well. Due to the medicine they contain (which is administered by a witch doctor or nganga), they act as agents of divine power, granting requests. healing or attesting to agreements. Each decision or resolution is literally nailed down in the figure.

A certain class of nkisi, called nkondi, are able to enforce the solutions they provide actively and to seek vengeance against those who heed them not. These figures either menace the viewer with spears and fierce facial expressions, or strike intimidating, belligerent poses.

Nkisi nkondi specialize in different areas of life. The most important nkisi nkondi carries out mangaaka, or preeminent justice.

Surveillance or watchfulness assist the effective enforcement of the power figure’s decisions. This is registered in the size of the eyes or, in some cases, by multiple sets of eyes. The rope wrapped around some figures represents a snake, a watchful predator who lends its powers of observation to the figure. Double-headed figures have double the visual powers and can see into the city of the dead and the realm of the living at the same time.

Each power figure has a distinct personality, ranging from contemplative to angry to soulful to reserved to compassionate. The ability to suggest those qualities visually with such immediacy and precision is one of the most impressive aspect of the surviving figures.

Kongo religion Kikongo: Bukongo. Bakongo religion was translocated to the Americas along with its enslaved practitioners. Some surviving traditions include conjure, dreaming, possession by the dead to learn wisdom from the ancestors, traditional healing and working with minkisi. The spiritual traditions and religions that have preserved Kongo traditions include Hoodoo, Palo Monte, Lumbalú, Kumina, Haitian Vodou, Candomblé Bantu, Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba.

Similar examples in the Smithsonian and Metropolitan in the USA. One very similar nkisi, from the late 19th to mid 20th century has been a highlight of the Rockefeller collection since its acquisition in 1952.  read more

Code: 25492

Magnificent Original Viking Age Broadsword With 'Hemse, Gotland' Bronze Hilt Mounts & Beautiful 'Sun Wheel' Sólarhvél. Jelling Decor. 800-1000 Years Old. Pattern Welded Blade, With Bronze Jelling Decorated Scabbard Chape, Viking Helmet & Head Design

The Viking broadsword was very often the status weapon of high ranked Vikings, such as Jarls, or the most successful leaders in battle, the general weapon of the warrior would be the spear or axe

Viking society was structured around powerful, elite leaders known as jarls (or earls), who functioned as regional chieftains and warlords. While they did not have a strict, feudal "lord" system in the early Viking Age, these, wealthy, high-ranking individuals held significant power, often governing territories in a king's stead or acting as independent rulers.
Jarls (Earls): These were the highest in the social hierarchy, often wealthy landholders who did not perform hard labour and commanded loyal armies.
Rather than a central state, power was decentralized among numerous, smaller chieftains or magnates.
Kings: In the Viking Age, a "king" was often a leading, charismatic magnate ("first among equals") rather than a hereditary monarch with absolute power.
These leaders hosted, managed trade, led raids, and maintained local law.
Well-known leaders often described as kings or powerful jarls include Ragnar Lodbrok, Harald Fairhair (who united Norway), and Cnut the Great.

Due to the seven-lobed or faceted hilt pommel, crossguard and scabbard chape, being of bronze, they have been remarkably well preserved showing every part of their Viking symbolism, and repeated sun wheel sólarhvél design. The pattern welded steel blade, a Geibig Viking typography type 5, with a moderate profile taper and elongated point, is also very fine indeed, and in a great state of preservation for age. The crossguard is moveable. Sólarhvél { Viking for sun-wheel} has, over the centuries, evolved into one of its later names, Odin's Cross

There are two very similar, bronze, sun-wheel Jelling decorated Viking age sword hilts in the Gotland Museum in Sweden. See photo 4 for reference. The stunning jelling bronze scabbard chape, that clearly shows in its intricately pierced design, a Viking nasal bar helmet worn upon the Viking warrior’s head, with his bared teeth, goatee beard, and surrounded by Viking knotwork decoration, is now all that remains of its former leather scabbard that obviously rotted away over the past millennia.

The Viking sunwheel originates from ancient European, particularly Nordic, Bronze Age (c. 1800–500 BCE) petroglyphs and, pre-dating the Viking Age itself. These sun crosses, found in Scandinavia, symbolized the sun, the movement of the sun, and the cycle of seasons. It is not a solely Viking-specific symbol but a broader, ancient Indo-European symbol.
Prehistoric Roots: The sun cross, a circle with radial arms, appears in prehistoric rock carvings, such as those at Madsebakke, Denmark, and in Bohuslän, Sweden.
Symbolic Significance: It represented the sun and was used in, or as part of, prehistoric, sun-oriented rituals or as a general symbol of well-being.
Symbolism in Nordic Context: These motifs, including various forms of wheels, crosses, and swastikas, were associated with "sun worship" and the changing seasons.

Modern Appropriation: The term sonnenrad was later appropriated, notably for the "Black Sun" (a 12-spoke wheel) by the Nazis, but the ancient Viking form is fundamentally different in, and much older than, the Nazi-associated, 12-spoked, concentric, and often crooked "Black Sun" design. The closest design the Third Reich appropriated was the regular Viking sun wheel swastika used for decor of the Luftwaffe first pattern swords and dagger hilts

Viking swords with seven-lobed or seven-faceted pommels (often classified under Type T, L, or R in Petersen's typology) represent a distinct, highly ornate style prevalent in the 10th to 11th centuries, frequently found in Baltic and Scandinavian regions. These swords are characterized by a pommel composed of seven distinct lobes or sections

The Baltic Vikings (or Curonians) were a fierce tribe that lived on the shores of the Baltic Sea Known as the "Baltic Vikings," they were renowned for their maritime prowess, raiding, piracy and a warrior culture so formidable that they were often feared by all the other Scandinavian Vikings. .
From the 7th to the 13th centuries, the Baltic Vikings were active pirates and raiders.They frequently attacked the shores of Sweden and Denmark, sometimes in alliance with the Oeselians (Estonian Vikings).
Covering the entire region the warlike Norse Men or "Vikings" were infamous for their identical lifestyle of shipbuilding, seafaring, and plundering.

They were so disruptive as they fought others {outsiders} as much as each other, the Danes against Norwegian Vikings, Norwegian against Swedish Vikings, or Lapp Vikings, that some Norse prayers reportedly asked for protection from "fire, storms, and Baltic Vikings the Curonians" of the Baltic lands.

They grew wealthy from the Amber Road, trading "the gold of the north" as far as Egypt and Rome. They were also famous for their high-quality horses.
The Baltic Vikings were among Europe's last pagans, fiercely resisting Christianisation. Their culture included powerful oracles and soothsayers sought after by people from as far away as Greece.

The Vikings that used this fabulous sword were persistent raiders and pirates throughout their whole era, and despite not always prevailing in combat, were the most feared of all the Norsemen. In many respects they almost equalled the notorious Viking ‘Berserkers’, a Viking group of warrior’s named that was so feared through the Viking age history, it has travelled down to today, to represent those going ‘berserk’, effectively, meaning those that are demonstrating insanely violent and aggressive behaviour.


The Viking Age (about 800–1050 CE) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their homeland of Scandinavia but also to any place significantly settled by Scandinavians during the period. Although few of the Scandinavians of the Viking Age were Vikings in the sense of being engaged in piracy, they are often referred to as Vikings as well as Norsemen
One of their recorded conflicts are mentioned among other participants of the Battle of Brávellir.

Grobin (Grobiņa) was the main centre of the Curonian Vikings during the Vendel Age. Chapter 46 of Egils Saga describes one Viking expedition by the Vikings Thorolf and Egill Skallagrímsson in Courland. Curonians established temporary settlements near Riga and in overseas regions including eastern Sweden and the islands of Gotland and Bornholm.

Rimbert in his Vita Ansgari described early conflicts between the Curonians and other vikings. In 854, Curonians rebelled and refused to pay tribute to Sweden. The rebellious Apuolė fortress was first attacked by the Danes, who were hoping to make the town pay tribute to Denmark. The locals were victorious and gained much war loot. After learning of Danish failure, King Olof of Sweden organized a large expedition into Curonian lands. Olof first attacked, captured, and burned Grobiņa before besieging Apuolė. According to Rimbert, 15,000 locals defended themselves for eight days but then agreed to surrender: the Curonians paid a silver ransom for each man in the fortress, pledged their loyalty to Sweden, and gave 30 hostages to guarantee future payments








For reference see photo 4 of the two Gotland guards (Hemse on the top left) and their Latvian analogy.
Source: SHM; Gotlands Museum; Tomsons 2012: Fig. 2.1.

Based on the reference to Tomsons 2012 (Fig. 2.1), the image illustrates a comparative study of Viking Age sword components found on the island of Gotland, specifically focusing on cross-guards or pommel parts that show stylistic similarities with finds.
Hemse (Top Left): Refers to a sword guard (likely a hilt component) found in Hemse parish, Gotland, often housed in the Gotland Museum or SHM (Swedish History Museum).

Geibig’s blade type analysis, sourced from Ian Peirce’s Swords of the Viking Age.

Picture 7 in the gallery is a page from the Stuttgart Psalter, circa 830 ad, that clearly shows the Viking age sword, and its distinctive lobed pommel, being wielded by a Viking lord, and another within the other noble's scabbard, who also wields a spear.

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading, as Britain’s oldest established, and favourite, armoury and gallery

Original ancient iron swords, if they still have a crossguard, never have their original wooden grips, the wooden grip never survives the hundreds of years passing which means, the crossguard becomes mobile and no longer in a fixed position.  read more

Code: 26048

A Beautiful & Massive Ancient Bronze Age Long Sword Circa 1200 to 800 BC. As Used From Before and Including the Greco-Persian Wars, Such as the Battles of Marathon & Thermopylae. As Used in Hand To Hand Combat Between Xerxes' Immortals, and The Hoplites

Massive bronze age sword with Double Ear Pommel, 10th-9th Century BC. with partial green encrustations, with some parts of the blade end showing hand to hand combat denting. A sword that was possibly made in around 1200 bc, but expected at the time to have a functioning use of 500 to 600 years or even more. Swords were immensely expensive, and being of bronze easy to maintain and repair, but constant sharpening was also required as they couldn't hold an edge as the much later Iron age sword could.

A magnificent, enormous bronze sword of the “double ear” pommel style, made using the lost wax casting technique by highly trained urban artisans for an elite member of a nomadic horse-riding clan. The blade was cast first, and then the handle was cast onto it - scans of similar swords have revealed tangs inside the handles.

This well-balanced weapon has a slender, square hilt, with raised decorative elements on each of the four sides joining to a pommel that divides into two finely decorated semi-circular “ears” at right angles to the blade. A rectangular guard carefully designed with crescent-shaped horns extends down to firmly grip the upper end of the prominent midrib that tapers regularly with almost straight cutting edges to a point.

The “double ear” style of sword - with both bronze and iron blades - has been excavated from graves in southern Azerbaijan, the Talish and Dailaman regions of northwest Iran, and the urban sites of Geoy Tepe and Hasanlu, also in northwestern Iran. Another, with both bronze pommel and blade, was pulled from the Caspian Sea, where it may have been thrown as an offering. It seems that swords like this example were not just made to be used in battle, but instead to show status or as votive weapons.

There is a strong tradition in the ancient Near East of swords and other weapons being associated with the gods. For example, there is a rock carving dating to circa 1300 BC from this region that shows a scene of the gods of the Underworld, including one who is holding a sword similar to this one. Similarly, a golden bowl excavated at Hasanlu (northwestern Iran) shows three swords of similar form to this one that are associated with three deities from the Hittite pantheon. Whatever its original function, this would have been a spectacular weapon to behold, with a deep, shining surface when polished. Whoever commissioned this sword must have been an elite individual of high status, perhaps seeking to honour the gods by handling such a weapon.

The late bronze age early Luristan culture was renowned for their bronze workmanship and this cast bronze sword is an excellent illustration of their skill. Cast using the lost wax process, this sword is a rare example of the double ear pommel type found in the great museums of the world.

This well-balanced and mighty weapon, is around the same proportions of the much later Roman gladius. It features a slender square hilt that joins to a pommel that divides at right angles to the blade into two finely decorated semi-circular "ears". The pommel features with a semi-circular opening in the centre of each ear. A rectangular guard carefully designed that extends down to firmly grip the upper end of the double-edged blade.
The wide graduated blade that tapers regularly to a point and it has, low, twin central midribs that taper regularly with almost straight cutting edge to a point, making it most suitable for thrusting and cutting.
It is the austere perfection of line and proportion that makes this weapon so beautiful.

This type of pommel represents the north-western Persian version of weapons evolved from Elamite or Mesopotamian flange-hilted blades. They are found made throughout the northern regions of Persia in both bronze and iron, and sometimes with a combination of bronze hilt and iron blade. Items such as this were oft acquired in the 18th century by British noblemen touring Northern France and Italy on their Grand Tour. Originally placed on display in the family 'cabinet of curiosities', within his country house upon his return home. A popular pastime in the 18th and 19th century, comprised of English ladies and gentlemen travelling for many months, or even years, throughout classical Europe, and Middle East, acquiring antiquities and antiques for their private collections. This is a most handsome ancient bronze weapon from the era of the so called Trojan Wars. The ancient Greeks believed the Trojan War was a historical event that had taken place in the 13th or 12th century BC, and believed that Troy was located in modern day Turkey near the Dardanelles. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey . "The Iliad" relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy, while the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the Achaean leaders. Other parts of the war were told in a cycle of epic poems, which has only survived in fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets such as Virgil and Ovid.

The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years due to Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. The Romans later traced their origin to Aeneas, one of the Trojans, who was said to have led the surviving Trojans to modern day Italy. Made in copper bronze in the Western Asiatic region. Western Asiatic bronzes refer to items dating from roughly 1200-800 BC that have been excavated since the late 1920's in the Harsin, Khorramabad and Alishtar valleys of the Zagros Mountains especially at the site of Tepe Sialk. Scholars believe they were created by either the Cimmerians or by such related Indo-European peoples as the early Medes and Persians. Weapons from this region were highly sought after by warriors of many cultures because of their quality, balance and durability.

The Battle of Thermopylae
The first decision, to hold the narrow Vale of Tempe between Macedonia and Thessaly, was abandoned when it was realised that the position could easily be turned. The Greeks then occupied the still narrower pass of Thermopylae with 6,000 or 7,000 hoplites and stationed 271 triremes at Artemisium in northern Euboea. The positions were linked by communication between the Spartan commanders, King Leonidas at Thermopylae and Eurybiades at Artemisium, who intended to halt and damage the Persian forces. Meanwhile, Xerxes was advancing slowly. He made no use of separate columns, and his fleet suffered heavy losses in a storm when it was convoying supply ships along the coast. It was already August when Xerxes began the operations, which extended over three days.

On the first day, Xerxes sent a detachment of 200 ships, unseen by the Greeks, to sail around Euboea and close the narrows of the Euripus Strait. He also attacked with his best infantry at Thermopylae, where the Greeks inflicted heavy casualties. During the afternoon the Greek fleet, having learned about the Persian detachment from a deserter, engaged the main Persian fleet with some success. The Greeks intended to sail south that night and destroy the detachment the next day, but a tremendous storm kept the Greeks at Artemisium and wrecked the 200 Persian ships off south Euboea. On the second day, news of the Persian disaster was brought up by a reinforcing squadron of 53 Athenian ships. Xerxes attacked again with no success at Thermopylae, and the Greeks sank some Cilician vessels off Artemisium.

A Greek traitor, Ephialtes, offered to guide the Persians along a mountain path and turn the position at Thermopylae. The Immortals, a cadre of elite Persian infantry, were entrusted to him. At dawn on the third day, they began to descend toward the plain behind the Greek position. Leonidas retained the troops of Sparta, Thespiae, and Thebes and sent the remainder south. He then advanced. He and his soldiers fought to the death, except the Thebans, who surrendered. Meanwhile, the Persian fleet attacked at noon. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and the Greeks realized that they could succeed only in narrower waters. That evening, when the fall of Thermopylae was known, the Greek fleet withdrew down the Euboic channel and took station in the narrow straits of Salamis.

For reference see: Moorey P.R.S. "Catalogue of Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum" (1971), pg. 80 fig 63, Mahboubian, H. "Art of Ancient Iran" pg 304 386(a) & (b) and pg 314-315 397a-I, Moorey PRS "Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection" pg 58 28 and Muscarella "Bronze and Iron, Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art" pgs 282-285 385-390.

Around 26 inches long overall.  read more

Code: 24766

A Beautiful Matched Pair of An Ancient Bronze Sword and Dagger With Pierced Bird Cage Pommels. From The Era of the Ancient Greco-Persian Wars, Circa 5th Century B.C.

It is incredibly rare to find two weapons that may likely have been made by the same sword-maker up to 2500 years ago, likely for the same warrior, and them to still be together today. Almost certainly excavated, two hundred years ago or more during the era of the Grand Tour, possibly from the same warrior's tomb or burial or an ancient battle site or sunken bireme. A bireme is an ancient oared warship (galley) with two superimposed rows of oars on each side. Biremes were long vessels built for military purposes and could achieve relatively high speed. They were invented well before the 6th century BC and were used by the Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Greeks. The bireme was also recorded in ancient history on the 8th and early 7th-century BC Assyrian reliefs, where they were used to carry out an amphibious attack on the coast of Elam and the lagoons of the Persian Gulf during the reign of Sennacherib. Over the centuries in the Persian Gulf the Aegean Sea and the Northern Mediterranean, ancient artifacts, pottery and the like have been drawn up by numerous fishermen’s nets, such as, for example our Minoan spears recovered by 18th century Cretan fishermen from the sea bed. See the picture in the gallery of a 500bc Greek bireme.

A picture in the gallery from a mosaic tile floor excavation in Medeina of an ancient Roman Villa, showing a bird in a cage, the inspiration of the shape and form for the pommels on these swords, that were likely made up to 1000 years before the villa was built by the Romans in the 2nd century.

Double edged graduating blades with central midrib. Hollow grips, the dagger with open panels for side plate inserts, the short sword with cylindrical grip. The short sword has a pair of rounded quillon crossguard with widened flattened ends.

The style of warfare between the Greek city-states, which dates back until at least 650 BC (as dated by the 'Chigi vase'), was based around the hoplite phalanx supported by missile troops. The 'hoplites' were foot soldiers usually drawn from the members of the middle-classes (in Athens called the zeugites), who could afford the equipment necessary to fight in this manner. The heavy armour (the hoplon) usually included a breastplate or a linothorax, greaves, a helmet, and a large round, concave shield (the aspis) .Hoplites were armed with long spears (the dory), which were significantly longer than Persian spears, and a sword (the xiphos). The heavy armour and longer spears made them superior in hand-to-hand combat and gave them significant protection against ranged attacks. Lightly armed skirmishers, the psiloi also comprised a part of Greek armies growing in importance during the conflict; at the Battle of Plataea, for instance, they may have formed over half the Greek army. Use of cavalry in Greek armies is not reported in the battles of the Greco-Persian Wars.



The Battle of Marathon
The Persian fleet headed south down the coast of Attica, landing at the bay of Marathon, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Athens. Under the guidance of Miltiades, the general with the greatest experience of fighting the Persians, the Athenian army marched to block the two exits from the plain of Marathon. Stalemate ensued for five days, before the Persians decided to continue onward to Athens, and began to load their troops back onto the ships. After the Persians had loaded their cavalry (their strongest soldiers) on the ships, the 10,000 Athenian soldiers descended from the hills around the plain. The Greeks crushed the weaker Persian foot soldiers by routing the wings before turning towards the centre of the Persian line. The remnants of the Persian army fled to their ships and left the battle.89 Herodotus records that 6,400 Persian bodies were counted on the battlefield; the Athenians lost only 192 men.

As soon as the Persian survivors had put to sea, the Athenians marched as quickly as possible to Athens. They arrived in time to prevent Artaphernes from securing a landing in Athens. Seeing his opportunity lost, Artaphernes ended the year's campaign and returned to Asia.

The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten. It also highlighted the superiority of the more heavily armoured Greek hoplites, and showed their potential when used wisely  read more

Code: 24850

Superb Crimean War 1853 Issue British Cavalry Sabre, Exactly as Used by The Charge of the Light Brigade, and, The {Less Well Known, Yet Ironically More Successful} Charge of the Heavy Brigade. In Its Stunning Steel Scabbard, With White Buff Hide Knot

A stunning 1853 pattern sabre that superseded the earlier issue 1821 pattern. A beautiful three bar bright steel hilt, with regulation chequered leather grip, held with 5 rivets. A Regulation steel blade with ordnance stamps and ordnance contract maker stamp, Mole. In its regulation pattern, rolled sheet steel, mirror bright plated scabbard. Many Mole blades were used extensively by the British Army, including during the Crimean War (in the Charge of the Light Brigade) this sword has every indication to have been one of them, such as in the 13th Light dragoons

This original 1853 pattern trooper's sabre was the replacement of the previous 1821 pattern. This particular sabre was issued, just in time, to a few of the hussar and lancer regiments that departed for service in the Crimean War, but it took around another 10 years or so to be supplied to all the other cavalry regiments in the army, especially if they were in service at the time within the far flung reaches of the empire. We have also acquired, a similarly fabulous, 1821 issue example, from the same collection. However, all our other, fabulous condition British cavalry sabres, that we recently acquired from the Crimean War collection, have now been sold over the past few weeks.

Both cavalry charges against the Russian lines happened on the same day in the Crimean War, at Balaklava, on the 25th October 1854, and barely two hours apart. The first charge was at 9.30 am and was the 'Charge of the Heavy Brigade', and it was followed at 11.10 am by the famed 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. This sabre would very likely have been used in either charge as the 1853 pattern was designated for use by both light and heavy cavalry. It bears the same ordnance maker's mark, as an identical pattern issue sword, from the Charge of the Light Brigade, used by a trooper the 13th Light Dragoon's in the charge, that is now in the 13th-18th Royal Hussars and Light Dragoons Regimental Museum {see a photo of that sword in the gallery}.
Our sword also bears the line regt. issue ordnance inspectors marks.

Following the Battle of the Alma in September 1854, British, French and Ottoman forces had begun to besiege the Russian naval base of Sevastopol. The siege lines, running back to their base at Balaklava harbour, went through two valleys and a ridge, and were vulnerable.

Seeking to take advantage of this, the Russians planned to break the British lines and then capture the base.
'The Thin Red Line'
The Russian cavalry charged on Balaklava, but their route was blocked by the 93rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot. Traditionally, infantry facing a charge would form a square, four lines deep. But the Highlanders took an unconventional approach, making two lines instead.

In the face of the oncoming Russian horses, the Highlanders' commander, Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, told his troops: ‘There is no retreat from here, men. You must die where you stand.’ They fired two disciplined volleys at the advancing enemy, which turned the Russians back.

'Charge of the Heavy Brigade'
The Heavy Brigade, moving up to support the Highlanders, then intercepted the retreating Russian cavalry.

The 800 British horsemen were hugely outnumbered by the 3,000-strong Russian cavalry. But seeing their enemy halted and vulnerable to attack, they charged uphill all the same. Their advance was little faster than a trot and only lasted 10 minutes, but it sent the Russian horsemen into disorder.

'Charge of the Light Brigade'

‘Cavalry to advance rapidly to the front’
To prevent the Russians moving the guns they had captured earlier, Lord Raglan issued an order to the Light Brigade to go and retrieve them. He was still waiting on reinforcements from Sevastopol to arrive, so the light horsemen were the only troops available to him.

But the cavalry commanders, who lacked Raglan’s view of the battlefield, were uncertain as to which guns his order referred to. What’s more, all they could see was a Russian artillery battery at the end of a heavily defended valley.

In response to their orders, the Light Brigade began their charge, but at the wrong gun batteries. They galloped through Russian artillery fire from three sides and on into the ‘Valley of Death’ suffering heavy losses in the process.

Some of the horsemen succeeded in reaching the Russian guns at the end of the valley, and even drove the men operating them into retreat before charging the Russian cavalry beyond.
After intense fighting, the remnants of the Light Brigade were forced to retreat from the guns. They made their way back through the ‘Valley of Death’ before reaching safety. Fortunately, their return was ensured by the French cavalry, who cleared the Russians from the north side of the valley.

Although the reinforcements from Sevastopol had now deployed and were ready to begin an assault on the heights, no further action was taken.

The battle ended in strategic stalemate, with the Russians controlling the heights and the road, but Balaklava still in Allied hands. Unfortunately, Russian possession of the road made supplying the forces besieging Sevastopol during a terrible winter much harder.

The loss of the Light Brigade was one of Britain’s most spectacular military disasters. It is remembered because of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s popular poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’, written a few weeks after the battle.

Years later, Tennyson also wrote ‘The Charge of the Heavy Brigade’ to raise money for Crimean veterans, many of whom were living in poverty. For similar reasons Rudyard Kipling wrote ‘The Last of the Light Brigade’ in 1890 to raise awareness of the hardships faced by veterans.

The blade is grey stained.

Over two decades ago we were delighted to buy Captain Nolan's undress sabretache that was used to carry the order in the Charge of the Light Brigade, and was recovered from beneath his, and his horses bodies after the battle. It spent most of its life after the charge in two museums, one at the rebuilt and re-sited Crystal Palace in London. We were privileged to buy direct it from the original family owners with the personal assistance of the late Gordon Gardner, Militaria Expert of Sotheby's from 1979.

"Robert Mole & Sons" was a prominent British sword manufacturer and contractor active during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Established in Birmingham, England, in 1835 by a descendant of German craftsman Hermann Mohll (later Anglicized to Mole).
Government Contractor: The firm was a significant supplier to the British War Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India, particularly from 1852 to 1919.
Produced swords, sword bayonets, lances, and matchets (machetes). They were known for high-quality production, often considered second only to Wilkinson Sword during the Victorian era.
Mole blades were used extensively by the British Army and Navy, including during the Crimean War (Charge of the Light Brigade), the Boer War, and World War I.
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Robert Mole & Sons produced swords, including cavalry sabers and naval cutlasses, that were imported by the Confederacy.
Blades are typically marked "RobT Mole & Sons, Makers, Birmingham" or simply "Mole" on the spine or ricasso.
Records of their production were discovered in 1988, detailing contracts from 1852-1920. The company eventually became part of Wilkinson Sword.  read more

Code: 26098