Iron Age Bronze Helmet Ornament in the Form of a Bull's Horn

CELTIC, 4TH-1ST CENTURY B.C.

8 7/8 in. (161 grams total, 22.5 cm including stand).

Decorative attachment in the form of a bull’s horn, curving and ending in a spherical knob with a notched underside; a torus collar at the horn's lower end, with a square cross-section below it; a conical disc at the base with three perforations for attachment; mounted on a custom-made stand.

Provenance

Ex private South German collection, 1970s.
with Hermann Historica, Auction 66, 6 May 2013, no.2363.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13523-263141.

Literature

Cf. for a Celtic horned helmet of the period, Various, Guerrieri Principi ed Eroi fra il Danubio e il Po dalla Preistoria all'Alto Medioevo, Trento, 2004, p.314.

Footnotes

Numerous examples of Celtic helmets adorned with horns are known. Amongst these, there are several parallels for the specific shape of the bull’s horn presented here. An interpretation as a helmet ornament therefore appears plausible, especially in view of the size of our object.

CONDITION

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LOT 2081