Luristan Sar'e Tabar Axehead. 3rd millennium B.C. A large bronze axe head with a curved cutting blade flaring down, tapering to a cylindrical shaft; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. Cf. Godard, A., Les Bronzes du Luristan, Paris, 1931, pl.XV, no.46, for a similar axehead; Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, item 343, for type. 681 grams, 14.5 cm wide (840 grams total, 18 cm wide including stand) (5 3/4 in. (7 1/8 in.)). Acquired on the European art market before 2000. Private British collection 2010. Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which was inserted a core to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead. [No Reserve]