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IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE OF GENUINE AGE PATINA ONLY POSSIBLE FROM THOUSANDS OF YEARS
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LARGE INTACT NEAR EAST BRONZE AGE BATTLE AXE / ADZE Northwest Iran BRONZE AGE: 4000 - 3500 years ago This is a complete cast bronze battle or war shaft axe / adze from the Luristan bronze culture. It possesses both, exceptional and solid preservation as well as a prized NATURAL GREEN patina. It is a patina like this that the finest ancient bronzes are prized for and it is a patina like this that brings a premium in price and value of the specimen. We recently acquired a very old private collection of a former resident of Iran of Luristan bronzes. These pieces were collected long ago and comprised many extremely rare and fine quality examples that have never been seen outside of large national museums. This is an unusually large example of this form of tool-weapon and it features a very thick granular patina. There are two portions where the patina crust has fallen off to reveal the original bronze surface with micro-crystals on the surface - an absolute feature of thousands of years of age that would be impossible to fake. The presence of this feature adds irrefutable proof of this fine weapon's authenticity. Custom museum lucite stand shown above is also included for the axe. Metal is extremely solid without any cracks or missing portions to the artifact. Exceptional museum-grade patina. A larger than typical and wonderfully intact axe from the Near East Bronze Age! INTACT WITH NO RESTORATION and NO REPAIR. WARNING: There is an increasingly alarming number of fake, artificially put together and restored Near Eastern bronze weapons on the market. As fine quality intact, original specimens become more scarce and techniques have become more sophisticated, we have personally handled some extremely well-done fakes, as well as composite weapons made from authentic but partial weapons. The degree to which the fakers have been able to replicate patina to disguise their work requires an expert examination by highly experienced individuals. It is common to find very reasonably priced swords that are made up of an original broken blade welded to completely unrelated handle parts of either another weapon or modern made pieces. Regarding Luristan bronze weapons, because of the numerous original variations in style of intact authentic specimens, it is hard to judge a "Frankenstein" creation on style alone. The term LURISTAN references artifacts made by a society of semi-nomadic people that once lived in the mountainous region of Northwest Iran. Little is known of this ancient culture but the most impressive traces are that of the bronze artifacts they left behind. These include highly decorative equipment for their horses, ceremonial containers and numerous weapons ranging from simple utilitarian pieces on up to elaborate masterpieces of warfare. It is theorized that the Luristan bronzes were crafted by the earliest existence of the Median empire but this has never been proven as written records of the Medes have not survived. The Medes were Indo-Iranian people originally from central Asia who settled in Northwest Iran in the 9th century BC and later defeated the Assyrian empire in 614 BC. Their success is short-lived and their empire which once stretched from central Iran to the Persian Gulf and Anatolia was overrun in 550 BC by the Persians. CHOICE PRESERVATION WITH HEAVY RICH GREEN PATINA - UNUSUALLY LARGE FOR THIS TYPE AND DESIGN 6.7" in length $725 R066 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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