A Wonderful, Original, Historical, Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantine Christian Cross In Bronze 7th to 10th Century

A super, small collection of original, historical, Imperial Roman and Crusader's artefacts has just been acquired by us and will be added over the next week or so. This Bronze Cross was hand forged during the Middle Ages in the cradle of Christianity, the Byzantine Empire. In AD 324, the first Christian Roman Emperor Constantine the Great transferred the Eastern Roman Empire capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, known as ''New Rome''. The Byzantine Empire became centred on the capital of Constantinople and was ruled by Emperors in direct succession to the ancient Roman Emperors. With the eventual decline of Rome, the Church of Constantinople became the richest and most influential center of the Christian world.
The reign of Justinian the Great in 527-565 marked a blossoming of Byzantine culture with a building program that yielded such masterpieces as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Wisdom of God, Hagia Sophia. Justinian, who is considered a Saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, created the authority of this Church, which firmly established Christianity throughout the Empire. This Byzantine Empire would exist for more than a thousand years until 1453 and was one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe and Asia Minor. This superb cross was most certainly worn by a Byzantine citizen as a statement of faith during this amazing age of early Christendom. Picture in the gallery of an 8th century painting 'Christ is the Crucified, and a King'. The details of the painting are, they say; 'He is robed in majesty; He is fastened to the Cross. He wears the royal purple robes with which His scorners intended to mock Him, but He, Alpha and Omega, the first and last Word, the Primogenitor of those who are being saved, confers His own divine dignity onto the very idea of kingship. He wears the glory that inspired the good thief to plead for his salvation, with the confidence of the One whose Sonship makes that salvation possible'.

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  read more

Code: 23253

A Very Powerful & Beautiful Shinto Wakazashi, Signed Ujitsugu,With a Rare Chokuto Period Ancient Blade Style, Katakiriha-zukuri (片切刃造り), of 1300 Years Ago in the Nara Era {710 to 794 ad} . Made Circa 1670

Signed Ujitsugu, fine suguha hamon, bound tsuka with plain iron fuchi-kashira, floral menuki, iron sukashi tsuba, in its warm brown urushi lacquer lacquered saya circa 1670

Ujitsugu (康継): This is a renowned name, especially linked to the Echizen Yasutsugu school, a major sword-making family supported by the Tokugawa shogunate.

Katakiriha-zukuri (片切刃造り) refers to a style of Japanese sword construction where one side of the blade is flat (Hira), and the other side is a cutting edge (Kiriha) somewhat with a profile of a chisel edge. This style is characteristic of ""Chokuto"" (直刀), which are straight swords from the Nara period {710 to 794 ad} and earlier.

Although ""Katakiriha-zukuri"" is an old form of construction, it was revived in the early Edo period. During this time, short swords and "Wakizashi" (side word swords) were made in this style, using the early works as inspiration, as an homage to ancient samurai swords and warfare of 1300 years or more ago.

This style of construction is not only unique in its appearance but also in its functionality. The combination of a flat side and a cutting edge enhances the sword's cutting ability, making it a highly effective weapon. The revival of this style in the Edo period is a testament to the enduring value and appeal of traditional sword-making techniques."  read more

Code: 26068

An Ancient Nambokochu Han Dachi Mounted Nambokochu Period Samurai Koto Era Katana up to 600 Years Old

The sword in many ways looks just as it looked many centuries ago, and it has been lovingly cared for since it came from Japan to England 150 years ago, in the reign of the Meiji emperor .

The blade looks stunning with a typical ancient Koto, very narrow, suguha hamon of great simplicity and elegance.
All original Edo period han dachi mounts and the menuki, under the blue silk ito, are dragon with gold eyes over traditional samegawa.

Made during the late Nambokochu 1333 to 1391 period, to the early Muramachi period, that dates from 1392 to 1573. Han dachi mounted, with a very nice, original Edo period, matching suite of full mounts with gold and silver tendrils inlaid over iron. Round iron tsuba with inlays. Original ishime stone finish lacquer saya.

Han-dachi semi-tachi} can be displayed on a tachi stand (tachi-kake), usually with the handle pointing down, blade up for respect/preservation (preventing sheath damage), and sometimes the signature (mei) facing outward, though it's a matter of preference and historical context.


Han-dachi originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from Tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been. The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style. The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behaviour on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.

Samurai endured for almost 700 years, from 1185 to 1867. Samurai families were considered the elite. They made up only about six percent of the population and included daimyo and the loyal soldiers who fought under them. Samurai means one who serves."

Samurai were expected to be both fierce warriors and lovers of art, a dichotomy summed up by the Japanese concepts of bu to stop the spear expanding into bushido (the way of life of the warrior) and bun (the artistic, intellectual and spiritual side of the samurai). Originally conceived as away of dignifying raw military power, the two concepts were synthesised in feudal Japan and later became a key feature of Japanese culture and morality. The quintessential samurai was Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary early Edo-period swordsman who reportedly killed 60 men before his 30th birthday.

In Japan the term samurai evolved over several centuries

In Japanese, they are usually referred to as bushi (武士,) or buke (武家). According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning 'to wait upon', 'accompany persons' in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean 'those who serve in close attendance to the nobility', the Japanese term saburai being the nominal form of the verb." According to Wilson, an early reference to the word samurai appears in the Kokin Wakashū (905–914), the first imperial anthology of poems, completed in the first part of the 10th century.

Originally, the word samurai referred to anyone who served the emperor, the imperial family, or the imperial court nobility, even in a non-military capacity.It was not until the 17th century that the term gradually became a title for military servants of warrior families, so that, according to Michael Wert, "a warrior of elite stature in pre-seventeenth-century Japan would have been insulted to be called a 'samurai'".

In modern usage, bushi is often used as a synonym for samurai

40 inches in saya blade 28 inches

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 24817

A Most Fine & Attractive Antique Pre Edo Period Koto Han Dachi Mounted {Semi Tachi Style} Samurai Katana With A Superb Blade in Near Pristine Condition

With two part hidden secret compartment fuchi, for concealing small intelligence notes.
Circa 550 years old, and a delight to observe the wonderful elegant curvature to the blade. It has all original Edo period mounts fittings and saya, with original saya intricately patterned pine needle urushi lacquer. Typical original Edo period handachi mounts of matching, kashira, sayajiri, kurigata in a crashing wave takebori design of gilded brass, and a brass fuchi that is disguised to conceal it seperates into two parts to reveal a very narrow section to conceal small script notes. With a beautiful Edo mokko form iron tsuba with gold onlay of immortals one holding a staff, another reading a scroll held by a third figure, beneath a prunus tree . All untouched for over 150 years since it arrived in England in the 1870's. It has a very active undulating notare hamon, and fine grain within the hada, on the stunning blade, and it’s all original Edo period tsukaito binding to the hilt, in black silk, wrapped over a pair of gilt dragon menuki, and overall it has usual light signs of wear and use upon the saya, with age appropriate wear as to be expected.

Han-dachi originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from Tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been. The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style. The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behavior on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.

The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behaviour on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.
Samurai endured for almost 700 years, from 1185 to 1867. Samurai families were considered the elite. They made up only about six percent of the population and included daimyo and the loyal soldiers who fought under them. Samurai means one who serves."

Samurai were expected to be both fierce warriors and lovers of art, a dichotomy summed up by the Japanese concepts of bu to stop the spear expanding into bushido (the way of life of the warrior) and bun (the artistic, intellectual and spiritual side of the samurai). Originally conceived as away of dignifying raw military power, the two concepts were synthesised in feudal Japan and later became a key feature of Japanese culture and morality.The quintessential samurai was Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary early Edo-period swordsman who reportedly killed 60 men before his 30th birthday and was also a painting master. Members of a hierarchal class or caste, samurai were the sons of samurai and they were taught from an early age to unquestionably obey their mother, father and daimyo. When they grew older they may be trained by Zen Buddhist masters in meditation and the Zen concepts of impermanence and harmony with nature. The were also taught about painting, calligraphy, nature poetry, mythological literature, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony.

it has been said that part of their military training, samurai were taught to sleep with their right arm underneath them so if they were attacked in the middle of the night and their the left arm was cut off the could still fight with their right arm. Samurai that tossed and turned at night were cured of the habit by having two knives placed on either side of their pillow.

Samurai have been describes as "the most strictly trained human instruments of war to have existed." They were expected to be proficient in the martial arts of aikido and kendo as well as swordsmanship and archery---the traditional methods of samurai warfare---which were viewed not so much as skills but as art forms that flowed from natural forces that harmonized with nature.
Some samurai, it has been claimed, didn't become a full-fledged samurai until he wandered around the countryside as begging pilgrim for a couple of years to learn humility. When this was completed they achieved samurai status and receives a salary from his daimyo paid from taxes (usually rice) raised from the local populace.

Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has been refined for over 7000 years.

Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi is a distinctive art form that has spread across all facets of Japanese culture from the tea ceremony to the saya scabbards of samurai swords

Japanese artists created their own style and perfected the art of decorated lacquerware during the 8th century. Japanese lacquer skills reached its peak as early as the twelfth century, at the end of the Heian period (794-1185). This skill was passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice.

Some provinces of Japan were famous for their contribution to this art: the province of Edo (later Tokyo), for example, produced the most beautiful lacquered pieces from the 17th to the 18th centuries. Lords and shoguns privately employed lacquerers to produce decorated samurai sword saya and also ceremonial and decorative objects for their homes and palaces.  read more

Code: 25549

A Stunning 'Grand Tour' Antique Rococo Italian 19th Cen. Carved Venetian Grotto Stool, Pauly et Cie. A Wonderful Original Object D'art, Italian Renaissance Revival. George Cukor Had An Entire Room Dedicated to 'Grand Tour' Dolphin & Shell Furniture

In carved walnut, baroque style, with a seat shaped as a rotating elevating scallop shell, docorated in ebonised lacquer, with a scrolled front, set on a relief carved gilded dolphin, and tripartite black ebonised lacquer base. Elaborately carved style of the rococo revival.

One could just as easily imagine the great composer Mozart sitting upon such a fabulously extravagant stool, playing a spinet in one of the great palaces in Venice, and similarly, Sir Elton John seated upon it, performing one of his iconic compositions at a Oscars after party in Hollywood. Just as a piano stool should do, this stool’s shell seat rotates upon a steel spindle in order to adjust its seating height to perform at such as a Steinway or Bechstein grand piano. From 20.5 inches in height, to 23 inches high

In the ‘Grand Tour’ era of 19th century France such pieces of fine art were created for the highly classical ‘after the antique’ market. Such as gilt bronze miniature copies of ‘Napoleons’ column in Place Vendome, and small yellow simulated marble versions of Ancient Greek and Roman columns and arches, and architectural features, and sometimes whole structures, such as Cleopatra’s Needle. Bronzes and marbles ‘after the antique’ of busts of Roman Emperor’s, and elegant statuary. Companies such as Granger of Paris, that worked in the 1840's, created wonderful miniature suits of armour, mounted on horse armour or free standing, and they are of incredibly detailed quality. Such pieces by Granger are in such incredible demand, by collectors or interior decorators, that can they achieve values in the tens of thousands of pounds, even approaching six figures today, and for most that are no more than two feet or around 50 cms high complete. Wondrous full size armour was also created, such as extravagant armour helmets from the Renaissance, the designs made fore the kings of France in the 16th century. Also shields, gauntlets, and gorgets exactly as this fabulous piece. That were ideal for classical art displays and interior décor of the finest Georgian country estates, and the glorious Palladian terraced mansion houses in the cities, such as London, Edinburgh, Bath and Brighton.

As early as the 1500's grottoes were meant to complement Italian Renaissance gardens and provide cool places for Europeans to retreat from the sun. Of course there was a need to furnish these spaces, so fantasy furniture, called grotto furniture, became quite the trend and Grotto had it's own "style". Today home grottoes and shell encrusted furniture are undergoing something of a revival as we too long to bring our love of the ocean indoors with fun and whimsical seashell-inspired decor. Antique Venetian grotto furniture is now rare and immensely collectable. The scallop form became increasingly popular between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, as focus on classical, organic and symmetrical forms became more and more popular.
As the scallop form gradually became more used in architecture, its popularity started to be reflected in additional ways, predominantly having a vast influence on Italian Renaissance and Rococo furniture.
Furniture makers in Venice were very prolific in their seating designs, and were particularly known for chairs that had nautical themes. Shells, coral, dolphins and seahorses were often sculpted into chairs that took inspiration from the designs of Venetian grottoes. First created by the ancient Greeks, the grotto was formed out of caves situated near a water source and decorated with tufa, stones and shells. The grottoes acted as shrines, a restful space to pay respect to the spirits of water. In the Renaissance, grottoes became a popular addition to the landscapes of villas for those who could afford it. The Italian landscape designers revived and created a new tradition of grottoes, elaborately decorated into man-made monuments of natural beauty. The Renaissance grotto symbolized the quest for knowledge and an awareness of one's surroundings.

The Italian grotto style peaked during the nineteenth century, and furniture was created to reflect this passion for nautical themes. From the mid to late nineteenth century, furniture makers in Venice fashioned chairs based on the feel of the grotto, creating an eclectic mix of Renaissance and Rococo inspired sculpted imagery. The nineteenth century Venetian grotto chairs were most likely intended for hallways and were aimed to be sold to visitors on their European 'Grand Tour'. This stool is in superb condition with just some light erosion of the gilt and lacquer areas.

Apparently brought back to England by a British General after the Italian campaign in 1944/5, as a personal gift of an Italian nobleman.

The Brighton Pavilion Palace of the Prince Regent is profusely decorated with items of furniture influenced in what is now called the grotto style, with a heavy rococo influence throughout. With fabulously carved gigantic beasts such as dragons and ho ho birds, and this same shell design on stools in the music room. Items of original antique Venetian grotto seating, with the nautical shell infuence, are now commanding huge prices. Franco Zefferelli had a pair in collection that sold for $30,000  read more

Code: 22356

A Beautiful Unokubi Zukuri Blade Samurai Armour Piercing Tanto. Ise-ebi or Kamakuraebi Sayajiri 鞘尻, & Matching Matsushiro Sinano School Kozuka and Kogai. 16th To 17th Century Blade, Original Edo Koshirae, Of Nagano Province

A wonderful earliest Shinto bladed armour piercing tanto, with its unique original Edo period “Matsushiro” koshirae made in Matsuro-han in Shinano (Nagano) province, with a Matsuhiro kamakuraebi lobster tail mount on the end of the deep red urushi lacquer saya, that is overdecorated with black speckling and dragonflies.

Sometimes called "the old man of the sea" because of its bent back, the Japanese lobster (ise-ebi or kamakuraebi) is a symbol of longevity. Here it appears on the saya as a sayajiri but it can also appear in many ways, such as the back of a vest worn for theatrical performances. Kyōgen is a comic form of Japanese theatre performed together with the more serious Noh. Boldly patterned overvests (kataginu) were worn for important kyōgen roles, such as Tarōkaja, the comical servant.

Unokubi (鵜首): Is an uncommon tantō blade style akin to the kanmuri-otoshi, with a back that grows abruptly thinner around the middle of the blade; however, the unokubi zukuri regains its thickness just before the point. There is normally a short, wide groove {hi} extending to the midway point on the blade, this is a most unusual form of unokubi zukuri blade tanto with a short wide hi. It has a copper, habaki, with original Edo period lacquered saya large with lobster form Sayajiri 鞘尻 & a fully matching suite of sinchu and contrasting silver line mounts to the kozuka and kogai of the fine Matsushiro Sinano school, including the tsuba and fuchi kashira. Carved buffalo horn fittings and kurikata. the original Edo urushi lacquer is over decorated with speckles and black dragonflies in flight. The tsuka is also bound in rare, original Edo period micro thin tsuka-ito. Over a fine pair of shakudo menuki of butterflies and a bird combined.

Japan was once known as the “Land of the Dragonfly”, as the Emperor Jimmu is said to have once climbed a mountain in Nara, and looking out over the land, claimed that his country was shaped like two Akitsu, the ancient name for the winged insects, mating.

Dragonflies appeared in great numbers in 1274 and again in 1281, when Kublai Khan sent his Mongol forces to conquer Japan. Both times the samurai repelled the attackers, with the aid of huge typhoons, later titled Kamikaze (the Divine Winds), that welled up, destroying the Mongol ships, saving Japan from invasion. For that reason, dragonflies were seen as bringers of divine victory.

Dragonflies never retreat, they will stop, but will always advance, which was seen as an ideal of the samurai. Further, although the modern Japanese word for dragonfly is Tombo, the old (Pre Meiji era) word for dragonfly was Katchimushi. “Katchi” means “To win”, hence dragonflies were seen as auspicious by the samurai.


Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has been refined for well over 7000 years. The use of natural lacquer, known as urushi, has a 9,000-year history in Japan. Lacquered artifacts dating back to the prehistoric Jomon period (10,000–300 BCE) have been found at various archeological sites throughout Japan.
Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi is a distinctive art form that has spread across all facets of Japanese culture from the tea ceremony to the saya scabbards of samurai swords
Japanese artists created their own style and perfected the art of decorated lacquerware during the 8th century. Japanese lacquer skills reached its peak as early as the twelfth century, at the end of the Heian period (794-1185). This skill was passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice.
The blade has an amazingly vibrant and active hamon.

It has spent two full weeks in our workshop being conserved and cleaned by hand by our artisans for around 65 hours, returning it to near exactly how it looked 150 years ago. Of course there are slight signs of natural wear and aging on the exterior etc., but it was important to leave this as intact as possible to complete a museum grade conservation.

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 25483

A Most Fine & Beautiful Koto Period Katana Signed Sukesada of Bizen Dated 1560. With Original & Exceptionally Rare Original Dutch Black-ship 1540’s Imported Leather Bound Tsuka. With Original Japanese Insect Pattern Embossing

Signed Bizen kuni ju Osafune Sukesada. One of the Sukesada, Bizen smiths. A very nice Koto blade, that has seen battle, with fine mounts and, most unusually, a very interestingly, embossed Dutch leather, called goudleer, bound tsuka, with cloisonne enamel menuki. Embossed Dutch leather goudleer was imported to Japan by the Dutch and Portuguese in the 16th century and was highly prized as screens and other decorative works of art. We have also seen, although most rarely, other items decorated with this distinctive Dutch leatherwork such as samurai purses and saya coverings. The embossing on the leather are various insects, highly popular in samurai fittings decor. The fushi tsuka mount is very fine, signed by the maker, and decorated with flowers and gold buds.

Insects in general have been celebrated in Japanese culture for centuries. The Lady Who Loved Insects is a classic story of a caterpillar-collecting lady of the 12th century court; the Tamamushi, or Jewel Beetle Shrine, is a seventh century miniature temple, once shingled with 9,000 iridescent beetle forewings. In old Japanese literature, poems upon insects are to be found by thousands, Daisaburo Okumoto is director of the Fabre Insect Museum. An avid insect collector and a scholar of French literature, he has translated many of Fabre's works. He ascribes the popularity of insects in Japan to national character. It seems like Japanese eyes are like macro lenses and Western eyes are wide-angle, he says. A garden in Versailles, it's very wide and symmetrical. But Japanese gardens are continuous from the room and also very small. We feel calm when we look at small things. The medieval Japanese monk Yoshida Kenko put it this way: “If man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino, never to vanish like the smoke over Toribeyama, how things would lose their power to move us”

Harima, Mimasaka and Bizen provinces were prospering under the protection of the Akamatsu family. Above all, Bizen province turned out a great many talented swordsmiths. A large number of swords were made there in the late Muromachi period not only supplying the demand of the Age of Provincial Wars in Japan but also as an important exporting item to the Ming dynasty in China. At the onset of the decline of the Ashikaga shogunate in 1565 ad., and Yoshiteru's assassination the shogunate of Yoshiteru was filled by his two-year old son, Yoshiaki. Yoshiteru's brother was the abbot of a Buddhist monastery. He resigned this position and attempted to assume the shogunate. These efforts ultimately failed. The demand for swords began an accent to unimaginable levels. The national unrest and violent civil war did not cease until the successful takeover of the shogunate by Tokugawa Iyeyasu. The "Osafune - Kozori" group was the major supplier of blades for these events. 29 inch blade Tsuba to tip. On just one side of the blade there are combat stress hagire marks near the top section. This blade has certainly seen combat, and is simply ideal for the historical collector of beautiful samurai weaponry of battle, rather than those seeking blade condition perfection. 40 inches long approx overall in saya  read more

Code: 22916

A German WW2 National Socialist DRK Red Cross Medal

(Deutsche Volkspflege 1939-1945
On the 1st May 1939, Hitler introduced a series of four awards (Ehrenzeichen für Deutsche Volkspflege) to replace the earlier DRK awards.
His thinking was that the new series of awards should cover the whole field of social welfare, and not just the relatively restricted area of the Red Cross.
To be rendered in recognition of loyal service in the connection with the following:
Social Welfare
Winter Relief
Looking after the sick and wounded, both in peace and war
Keeping up old customs
Looking after German nationals in foreign countries.
One of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles prevented the DRK from having any involvement in military matters. As a result, during the Weimar Republic under the leadership of Joachim von Winterfeldt-Mencken, the DRK became a national organization focusing on social welfare . In April 1933 the Nazi Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick made it clear to Winterfeldt-Mencken that this policy would no longer apply; instead, the DRK would be expected to play its part in supporting the armed forces in any future conflict. Shortly after this the DRK was informed that the head of the SA Medical Corps, Dr. Paul Hocheisen had been given responsibility for voluntary nursing organizations.

On the 11th of June 1933 Frick was invited to speak at the Red Cross Day. He declared:

"The Red Cross is something like the conscience of the nation. … Together with the nation, the Red Cross is ready to commit all its strength for the high goals of our leader, Adolf Hitler".

The DRK was quick to respond to the changed circumstances, indeed Winterfeldt-Mencken had always been opposed to the system of parliamentary democracy. The Workers' Samaritan League, a left-wing humanitarian organization, had always been an unwelcome competitor to the DRK. Hocheisen very quickly arranged that it should be taken over by the DRK. Similarly, the DRK moved quickly to rid itself of left-wing members, ironic, as itself was a socialist workers organisation, and in June 1933 it also decided that the Nazi "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" should be applied and dismissed its Jewish employees.  read more

Code: 23691

Archaic Chinese Warrior's Bronze Sword, Around 2,300 to 2,800 Years Old, From the Zhou Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty, Including the Period of the Great Military Doctrine 'The Art of War' by General Sun-Tzu

Chinese Bronze 'Two Ring' Jian sword used in the era of the Seven Kingdoms period, likely in the Kingdom of Yue up to the latter part of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (circa 475 BC). A specific kingdom, which had been known as the "Yue Guo" (越國) in modern Zhejiang, was not mentioned until it began a series of wars against its northern neighbor Wu during the late 6th century BC. According to the Records of the Grand Historian and Discourses of the States, the Yue are descended from Wuyu, the son of Shao Kang, the sixth king of the Xia dynasty.

With help from Wu's enemy Chu, Yue won after several decades of conflict. The famous Yue King Goujian destroyed and annexed Wu in 473 BC. During the reign of Wuqiang (無彊), six generations after Goujian, Yue was partitioned by Chu and Qi in 306 BC.
During its existence, Yue was famous for the quality of its metalworking, particularly its swords. Examples include the extremely well-preserved Swords of Goujian and Zhougou.

From our wonderful collection of ancient Chinese weaponry we recently acquired, another stunning ancient sword around 2500 years old or more. From the Zhou dynasty, and the area of the King's of Wu, in Chu, or more likely the Kingdom of Yueh. From a collection of antiquities, swords daggers, and rings, many pieces sold for the part benefit of the Westminster Abbey fund, and the Metropolitan Museum fund

Swords of this type are called “two-ring” swords because of the prominent rings located on the hilt. this is the very type of sword used by the warriors serving under the world renowned General Sun Tzu, in the Kingdom of Wu, who is thought by many to be the finest general, philosopher and military tactician who ever lived. His 2500 year old book on the methods of warfare, tactics and psychology are still taught and highly revered in practically every officer training college throughout the world.
We show a painting in the gallery of a chariot charge by a Zhou dynasty warrior armed with this very form of sword.
The Chinese term for this form of weapon is “Jian” which refers to a double-edged sword. This style of Jian is generally attributed to either the Wu or the Yue state. The sword has straight graduated edges reducing to a pointed tip, which may indicate an earlier period Jian.

The blade is heavy with a midrib and tapered edges
A very impressive original ancient Chinese sword with a long, straight blade with a raised, linear ridge down its centre. It has a very shallow, short guard. The thin handle would have had leather or some other organic material such as leather or hemp cord, wrapped around it to form a grip. At the top is a broad, round, dished pommel.

The Seven Kingdom or Warring States period in Chinese history was one of instability and conflict between many smaller Kingdom-states. The period officially ended when China was unified under the first Emperor of China, Qin pronounced Chin Shi Huang Di in 221 BC. It is from him that China gained its name.

The Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) was among the most culturally significant of the early Chinese dynasties and the longest lasting of any in China's history, divided into two periods: Western Zhou (1046-771 BCE) and Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE). It followed the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE), and preceded the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE, pronounced “chin”) which gave China its name.

In the early years of the Spring and Autumn Period, (770-476 BC) chivalry in battle was still observed and all seven states used the same tactics resulting in a series of stalemates since, whenever one engaged with another in battle, neither could gain an advantage. In time, this repetition of seemingly endless, and completely futile, warfare became simply the way of life for the people of China during the era now referred to as the Warring States Period. The famous work The Art of War by Sun-Tzu (l. c. 500 BCE) was written during this time, recording precepts and tactics one could use to gain advantage over an opponent, win the war, and establish peace.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher who lived in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking. His works focus much more on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, delay, the use of spies and alternatives to war itself, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing The name Sun Tzu by which he is more popularly known is an honorific which means "Master Sun".

Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as Sun Tzu in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.

Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed in East Asian warfare since its composition. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society as well. It continues to influence many competitive endeavours in the world, including culture, politics, business and sports.

The ancient Chinese people worshipped the bronze and iron swords, where they reached a point of magic and myth, regarding the swords as “ancient holy items”. Because they were easy to carry, elegant to wear and quick to use, bronze swords were considered a status symbol and an honour for kings, emperors, scholars, chivalrous experts, merchants, as well as common people during ancient dynasties. For example, Confucius claimed himself to be a knight, not a scholar, and carried a sword when he went out. The most famous ancient bronze sword is called the “Sword of Gou Jian”.

This is one of a stunning collection of original archaic bronze age weaponry we have acquired, from the Anthony Dove Collection, and has now arrived. Many are near identical to other similar examples held in the Metropolitan in New York, the British royal collection, and such as the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, China.
Anthony Dove, alongside Alan Williams of the Wallace Collection, wrote academic papers on the observations and identification of metals used in the manufacture of ancient Chinese swords, and, thus their authenticity, considered to be a seminal work of its kind.
As with all our items, every piece is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, based on our 100 plus years of established experience, based in Brighton, since 1920.

21 inches long overall 17 inch blade

Ref; SOME OBSERVATIONS ON EARLY CHINESE BRONZE SWORDS
By
Anthony Dove and Alan Williams The Wallace Collection} 65 publications  read more

Code: 24388

A Wonderful Circa 3000 Year Old Original Sword From the Time of the Ancient Greek 'Heroic Age' Such as The Era of The Seige of Troy and The Trojan War

One of two absolute beauties from the same historical era we were delighted to acquire. In beautiful condition with very fine deep patination. The first sword of the two has now just sold.

It has a graduating blade with central rib, integral hilt, with open panels for organic inserts of wood, bone, or ivory, fabulous areas of crystalized malachite naturally aged blue/green patination.

The great bronze age artisans of the time, found a most eager market to supply the warriors of late pre-literary history. Interestingly their swords and daggers were traded to all the warring cultures, from the Ancient Macedonians, Minoans, Thracians, Spartans, Scythians, Trojans and of course the Medes. So it was potentially possible at the time to find two civilizations at war using combat weapons made by the very same artisans, such as from Luristan or Crete. Crete being one of the main sources of copper in the bronze age, within that region. A type of globalization was in place, as all of the major powers were interconnected. Trade networks exchanged glass, ivory, copper, tin, bronze, perfume, and pottery. Bronze could be seen as the equivalent of our modern economy's crude oil. It was used for axes, swords, knives, armour, plows, and even wheel mechanisms, and tin, an essential ingredient of bronze, was traded as far as 1000 miles from its mined source in Afghanistan. Out of interest, it was why Ancient Rome spent so much time and effort in order to conquer ancient Britain, it was for our Cornish tin, and numerous lead mines, and not for our glorious climate.

The Greek Heroic Age, in mythology, is the period between the coming of the Greeks to Thessaly and the Greek warriors' return from Troy after their return with Helen of Troy. The poet Hesiod (fl. c. 700 BCE) identified this mythological era as one of his five Ages of Man. The period spans roughly six generations; the heroes denoted by the term are superhuman, though not divine, and are celebrated in the literature of Homer and of others, such as Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides.

The Greek heroes can be grouped into an approximate mythic chronology, based on the stories of events such as the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War. Over the course of time, many heroes, such as Heracles, Achilles, Hector and Perseus, came to figure prominently in Greek mythology.

Early heroes
Many of the early Greek heroes were descended from the gods and were part of the founding narratives of various city-states. They also became the ancestors of later heroes. The Phoenician prince Cadmus, a grandson of Poseidon, was the first Greek hero and the founder of Thebes.

Perseus, famous for his exploits well before the days of his great-grandson, Heracles, was the son of Zeus. Perseus beheaded the Medusa, saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus, and was the legendary founder of Mycenae.
Aeacus was also a son of Zeus. Bellerophon was descended from the nymph Orseis. Oenomaus, king of Pisa, in the Peloponnese, was the son of Ares.
Among these early heroes the three - Cadmus, Perseus and Bellerophon - were considered the greatest Greek heroes and slayers of monsters before the days of Heracles.

Of course, despite the Age of Heroes and the time of the Gods of Olympus, being based almost entirely on mythology, apart from the actual city of Troy, which is now proved to be not a myth, the real warriors that lived during that age and time, in ancient pre-history, actually existed, and this is their very form of sword, and one that they would have used.
It is in beautiful condition, with very fine deep natural patination created over 3000 years. A sword type that gained popularity by the Eastern Mediterranean Scythians, Mycenaean Greek, The Spartans and during the the late 2nd Millenium to the Ist millennium B.C. around 2700 to 3200 years ago, and also, not least by the Medes of Persia.

Bronze swords and daggers weapons were highly sought after by warriors of many cultures because of their quality, balance and durability, and the artisans that made them found a ready market throughout all of the late pre-literary history cultures.

Typically their swords would have a graduating blade with central rib, integral hilt, with open panels for organic inserts of wood, bone, or ivory, just as this sword has, but it now has gained fabulous areas of crystallized malachite, naturally aged as a blue/green patination.

This is a type of short sword used mainly in the late second to first millennium BC in the eastern Mediterranean region, it was was worn at the hip in a likely, elaborate scabbard. The scabbard's chape, was generally a rounded triangle, and could be made of bronze, chased gold or carved ivory, and potentially lots of other materials. Just above the chape, a cord was tied around the scabbard, passed around the thigh and then through a slip-knot next to the chape.
The throat of thge scabbard had a large tab, which at its own upper corner was tied through a hole in the weapon belt.

Last picture in the gallery is the Recovery of Helen by Menelaus. Painted Attic black-figure amphora, c. 550 BC

19 1/2 inches long overall, blade 15 inches long  read more

Code: 22086