Details

LOT 0106

Greek Silver-Gilt Phalerae Depicting a Fight Between Gryphons, an Eagle and a Deer

HELLENISTIC, 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.

5 1/4 in. (62 grams total, 13.2 cm).

A pair of circular horse trappings hammered from sheet-silver, each with a decoration of two gryphons and an eagle slaughtering a deer, the gryphons attacking the deer from below, and the eagle attacking its muzzle, a tree in the background; accompanied by a custom-made display case. [2]

Provenance

Private German collection, 1980s.

Accompanied by an expertise from Striptwist Ltd, a London-based company run by historical precious metal specialist Dr Jack Ogden.
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 a search certificate number no.13038-248044.

Literature

Cf. Pfrommer, M., Metalwork from the Hellenized East, catalogue of the Collections in the Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1993, figs.2-5, figs. p.155ff.; Nikonorov, V.P., The armies of Bactria 700BC-450 AD, Stockport, 1997; Симоненко А. В., 'Шлемы сарматского времени из Восточной Европы' (Sarmatian Age Helmets from Eastern Europe), in Stratum Plus, no.4, 2014, pp.249-284; D'Amato R. and Negin, A., Roman Heavy Cavalry (1), Cataphractarii and Clibanarii, 1st century BC-5th century AD, Oxford, 2018.

Footnotes

This phalera comes from the Hellenised East, and was likely used as decoration of the higher part of a horse harness, like the phalerae visible on the armoured and unarmoured horses of the famous graffiti of Dura Europos representing Parthian, Palmyrene or Roman clibanarii (D’Amato-Negin, 2018, pp.11,16-17,26).