Details

LOT 0281

Iberian Celtic 'Axel Guttman' Bronze Warrior Finial

5TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.

7 1/8 in. (152 grams total, 18.2 cm high including stand).

With slightly tapering socket and openwork bulb above, discoid platform supporting a mounted warrior modelled in the round; horse with long vertical tail and horizontal reins, bowed legs and scrolls at the hooves; warrior astride the horse with legs bent and feet to the rear, helmet with lateral horns and large swept crest with notched edge; arms bent to show the warrior in the act of drawing his falcata sword from the scabbard worn across his midriff; mounted on a custom-made stand.

Provenance

Ex Axel Guttmann collection.

Accompanied by a copy of an old photograph showing this item on display in a display cabinet within the Guttmann Museum.

Literature

Cf. 'Warrior of Moixent' Iberian bronze figurine in the Museo de Prehistoria de Valencia, inventory no.2899.

Footnotes

The horseman's pose with his legs bent and feet held towards the rear would have been necessary before the introduction of stirrups in the early medieval period. The horse appears to sport a disc between its ears, possibly part of the bridle.