Bidspirit auction | Minoan Bronze Double Axehead

Minoan Bronze Double Axehead - Circa 2000 B.C. Substantial labrys with flared and curved edges, elliptoid socket to the centre. Cf. D'Amato, R., Salimbeti, A., Early Aegean Warrior 5000-1450 BC, Oxford, 2013, fig. p.37, for similar. 973 grams, 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.). Gifted to the previous owner's husband by his grandfather prior to 1919 while in Crete.Taken to Paris and brought to the UK before 1985.Acquired from Bonhams, London, 20 October 2005, no.124.From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. The double axe was both a tool, weapon and one of the main religious symbol in Minoan Crete. It was as significant and as important in Minoan religious practice as the ritual horn and the pillar. [No Reserve]