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LOT 1689
Iron Age Celtic Bronze 'Horn Cap'
2ND CENTURY B.C.-EARLY 1ST CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (46.7 grams, 34 mm).
Sceptre head or other fitting with biconvex flange, domed finial.
ProvenanceFound UK.
From the collection of a Yorkshire gentleman.
Property of a private collector, West London, UK.
Cf. Jope, E. M., Early Celtic Art, Oxford, 2000, pl.302-3, described as a vehicle pole and yoke fittings; Macdonald, P., Llyn Cerrig Bach. A Study of the Copper Alloy Artefacts from the Insular La Tène Assemblage, Cardiff, 2007, fig.23, item 49.
FootnotesTwenty or so 'horn caps' are known in museums and private collections, all have been found in Britain and mostly in Southern England. Their exact function is unclear; early suggestions that they are axle fittings for chariots no longer holds weight. The shaft hole is too small and they do not appear in grave contexts containing chariots. A more likely hypothesis is that they were ceremonial, possibly a staff head or chair or saddle finial.
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AUCTIONS:
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Iron Age Celtic Proto Ring Money
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
The round hoop formed of equally distributed bosses. 18.5 grams, 53 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Iron Age Celtic Bronze 'Horn Cap'
2nd century B.C.-early 1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £94
Sceptre head or other fitting with biconvex flange, domed finial. 46.7 grams, 34 mm
Found UK. From the collection of a Yorkshire gentleman. Property of a private collector, West London, UK.
Twenty or so 'horn caps' are known in museums and private collections, all have been found in Britain and mostly in Southern England. Their exact function is unclear; early suggestions that they are axle fittings for chariots no longer holds weight. The shaft hole is too small and they do not appear in grave contexts containing chariots. A more likely hypothesis is that they were ceremonial, possibly a staff head or chair or saddle finial. -
Iron Age Celtic Enamelled Bronze Chariot Lynchpin Terminal
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Discoid in plan with flat base, folded rim and mounting socket to underside, central enamel-filled tondo with reserved trefoil and enamel-filled roundel to the centre. 37.7 grams, 37 mm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
