Lot 17
FLINT HANDAXE
OISE, NORTHERN FRANCE, PALEOLITHIC PERIOD, C. 300,000 – 100,000 B.C.
Auction: 28 May 2026 from 13:00 BST
Description
knapped flint, a large and impressive silver and grey flint handaxe, uncovered in Oise, northern France, raised on a bespoke mount
Dimensions
17.7cm tall
Provenance
Private collection, France, prior to 2000
The Tony Berlant Collection, Santa Monica, United States. Berlant’s collection is noted for his 2018 exhibition First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone at the Nasher Sculpture Center, developed in collaboration with anthropologist Thomas Wynn. The group brought together prehistoric flint handaxes and figure stones selected for their formal and aesthetic qualities, reframing them as early expressions of visual cognition.
Private collection, Belgium, acquired from the above
Footnote
Handaxes are the earliest and longest-used tools made by hominids, with a history spanning 1.7 million years. They reflect an early human interest in both functionality and form, with makers often crafting symmetrical edges and faces beyond practical needs. This attention to detail highlights not only their usefulness but also an early sense of aesthetics in tool-making.