NEAR EASTERN BRONZE MACE HEAD / CUDGEL
Ca. 3rd millennium BC.
A cast bronze mace head/cudgel of a tubular shape. The upper part is decorated with 9 rows of raised chevrons, separated by a series of vertically orientated bands and framed above and below by three raised bands. A mace head such as this one would have been an important symbol of rank, and have served a purpose in warfare, but also in religious contexts as mace heads were common votive offerings in shrines. Reference: O. W. Muscarella, Bronze and Iron. Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, item 516, p. 391.
Size: L:235mm / W:30mm ; 460g
Provenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s in France; previously in 1970s European collection.
Estimate: GBP 300 - 600