Circa 1000-800 B.C. A hammered bronze Luristan or Amlash shield with repoussé decoration and a central low spiked boss surrounded by bands of raised geometric motifs and punched dots; eight flaring arms to the outer edge, each decorated with similar motifs; mounted on a velvet-covered display stand. Cf. Bailey, H.W., ‘?riana. Dress and Equipment,’ in Orientalia Suecana 4, 1955; Abaev, V.I., Istoriko-ètimologicheski? slovar’osetinskogo yazyka (Historical-etymological dictionary of the Ossetic language), vol. III, Moscow, 1989; Melikian-Chirvani, A.S., ‘Iranian Sun Shield’ in Bulletin of the Asia Institute, N. S., 6, 1992-1993; Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004; Khorasani, M.M., ‘Bronze and iron weapons from Luristan’ in Antiguo Oriente: Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente 7, 2009. 1.8 kg total, 46 cm diameter including stand (18 in.). London art market, 1990s. Ex London gallery. Apanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr. Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is apanied by AIAD certificate no.11387-192735. A similar round bronze shield - datable to the 10th century B.C., was found in Luristan. This shield (Melikian-Chirvani, 1992-1993, pp.6-8, fig.2) has a skirting along the edge (openwork border), an umbo in the centre, with relief depictions of fantastic creatures, like our specimen. This embossed shield also finds a good parallel in a specimen from North Iran preserved at the University of Missouri Museum of Art & Archaeology, and with a specimen from the Axel Guttmann collection (Christie's, 2004, , pp.36-37). Like some of the shields found in Luristan, this one presents an openwork border.