BYZANTINE POTTERY GRENADE

Ca. AD 900 - 1200 A Byzantine pottery grenade. It has an acorn-shaped body, a rounded shoulder, and a narrow mouth. These grenades were used to hold the highly flammable substance known as "Greek fire," although the exact composition of the substance is unknown. Some scholars believe that the mixture was made of pine resin, naphtha, quicklime, and sulfur. For similar see: Nishapour,, pottery of the early Islamic Period, n. 109 - 117 pg. 353.
Size: 130mm x 90mm; Weight: 515g
Provenance: Private Oxfordshire collection; formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections.

100
Estimate: GBP 150 - 300