LOT 0078

Greek Silver-Gilt Lion-Head Military Phalera

HELLENISTIC, 2ND CENTURY B.C.

10 5/8 in. (451 grams, 27 cm).

Originally forming part of an elite horse-harness assemblage, made as a circular disc with a slightly flared rim and originally fitted with rear attachment loops (now lost); strongly modelled frontal lion’s head in high relief at the centre, gripping a spear or arrow in its jaws; the lion’s mane rendered in thick, slightly undulating locks, with additional chasing to suggest twisted strands, the facial features treated with pronounced linear and punched details: herringbone-patterned notches articulating the nose and whiskers, small star- or whirl-rosette motifs chiselled on the cheeks and chin; the central medallion framed by a raised ridge and a belted garland composed of pointed laurel leaves, dots imitating fruits, and four tied segments, a broad concentric frieze of alternating vegetal motifs surrounding, including narrow palmettes, lotus flowers, and oval blossoms with serrated petals, arranged rhythmically with alternating orientations; the floral elements originally selectively gilded against an ungilded silver ground, the outer flange decorated with a further leaf garland, and pierced with pairs of holes for attachment to leather straps.

From the Walter Bizzarri family collection, 19th century.

Accompanied by a copy of an examination report number 101/2018 by Dr Habil Mikhail Treister, 22 September 2018.
Accompanied by an expertise from Striptwist Ltd, a London-based company run by historical precious metal specialist Dr Jack Ogden, reference number 180701.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Apollo magazine pages.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.10275-168732.

Apollo magazine, February 2019.

See Nikonorov, V.P., The armies of Bactria 700 BC-450 AD, Stockport, 1997; Yavtushenko, I. (ed.), Masterpieces of Platar, Kiev, 2004; Архипова, Є.І., канд.іст.наук; Відейко М.Ю., канд.іст.наук; Клочко В.І., д-р.іст.наук; Клочко Л.С., канд.іст.наук; Левада М.Є; Симоненко О.В., д-р.іст.наук; Стоянов, Р.В, Колекція предметів старовини родин Платонових та Тарут, Київ, 2004; D'Amato, R. and Negin, A., Roman Heavy Cavalry (1), Cataphractarii and Clibanarii, 1st century BC-5th century AD, Oxford, 2018.

Stylistically and typologically, the phalera belongs to a small and early group of large Hellenistic shoulder phalerae known from the North Pontic region. Comparative analysis places it slightly later than the celebrated examples from the Fedulov Treasure, suggesting a date in the first half—possibly the first quarter—of the 2nd century BC. While the iconography of the lion with a spear in its mouth appears to derive from Bosporan royal or civic imagery of the late 3rd century BC, the more schematic execution of the relief and ornament suggests production in a provincial workshop operating within the cultural sphere of the Bosporan Kingdom rather than at its principal centres.
Such monumental phalerae are widely understood as prestige objects, likely produced as diplomatic gifts or ceremonial donations for members of the nomadic elite in contact with the Bosporan state. The scale, technical ambition, and iconographic complexity of the present example firmly support its interpretation as a high-status object within this tradition.

Technical examination indicates that the phalera was raised from a single sheet of silver, worked predominantly by matrix hammering from the reverse and refined by extensive chasing from the front. The vegetal ornament and figural details were executed freehand, as evidenced by subtle variations among repeated elements. Gilding was primarily achieved by foil gilding, with thin gold sheets burnished onto the silver surface; minor traces of mercury detected in some gilded areas may indicate early or corrective use of mercury amalgam gilding, a technique just beginning to appear at this period