Antiquities Across The Ages

January 10, 2021 12:00 PM AEDT
Timed Auction

125 Lots

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Smalls Auctions

Location: Paddington, Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 (0)2 9357 5492

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Antiquities across the Ages The Australian Aborigines are considered the World’s longest continuous civilisation having peopled a vast island continent largely uninterrupted for over forty thousand years before the British arrived and claimed it as a colony in the late 1700s. As split by dialects and distance as the early tribes of Europe and without the invention of paper to record their history they relied on rock art and storytelling to retain their customs and beliefs. In Smalls Auction No.108 we are pleased to offer a good selection of ethnographic items related to this living ancient culture. The ‘churingas’ of the central and western deserts of Australia are considered the most sacred objects of the local native populations. Made of slate or wood they are patterned with either concentric or geometrical designs depending on the locality. There is also a fine selection of ‘bullroarers’ known colloquially as the ‘bush telegraph.’ These exist in many ancient cultures and when swung around the head on a tether they rotate and emit a low frequency hum which was used to communicate over long distances. It is difficult to fathom that the Neolithic arrowheads from Europe in the sale are predated by over 25,000 years of civilisation by the Australian Aborigines. To this day the history of Europe and the Mediterranean revolves around war and in our sale we have a selection of arrowheads, lanceheads, axes, short swords and daggers that were used in close battle. Many of the items have impeccable pedigrees coming from the antiquity sales of Sothebys and Christies from the late 1970s. Of particular note is the Luristan Bronze Dagger or Short Sword with penannular decoration which dates to about 1,000 B.C. Items such as this are usually recovered from the battlefields and who knows how many souls perished from this blade before its wielder was also likely slayed. The iron weapons of war from medieval Europe are equally impressive with one maker leaving his distinctive mark on a Norman 'Fighting' Iron Axe Head of which he was especially proud. For collectors of the odd and curious we have a mammoth bacula, a bone missing from homo sapiens except in name. There is also a lot of Sperm Whale teeth each of which records the length of the specimen from which it was taken. Who thought that Japanese Marine research was a ruse to put whale blubber on the menu of Japanese schoolchildren? We hope you find something in our sale to interest you over the festive season and we wish good fortune to all in 2021 after the glimpse of Armageddon that was 2020. Smalls Auctions
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Conditions of Sale

VAT and taxes: The Buyer's Premium is inclusive of the Australian G(oods) & S(ervices T(ax) incurred by our service.

Shipping Terms: AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Buyers Premium: All purchases are subject to an all inclusive 20.0 % Buyer's Premium on the hammer price.

Tax Details: Taxes, Duties and Customs Charges that apply in the country of delivery are the express responsibility of the buyer.

Please notify us if you require a specific description on the outside of the package for customs purposes.