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LOT 1550
Iron Age Celtic Bronze Mirror Handle
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 in. (92 grams, 11.2 cm).
Handle for a hand-mirror formed as a large ring finial, two loops connected by a gussetted oblate bar, upper end developing to a volute scroll with symmetrically placed discs; La Tène design with swept curves throughout. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Tassinari, S., La vaisselle de bronze, Romaine et Provinciale, au musée des antiquités nationales, Paris, 1975, fig.20, for type; similar though less ornate example in the British Museum under accession no.1981,0504.1.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Iron Age Celtic Enamelled Bronze Dragonesque Brooch
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Plaque with scaphoid terminals formed as head and tail of an S-curved beast, body comprising chequerboard and other geometric enamelled cells; S-curved pin with coiled finial looped around the neck of one terminal. 14.8 grams, 48 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, UK, on Sunday 19th November 2023. -
Iron Age Celtic Coiled Gold Ring
Circa 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
Formed as a one continuous bar forming the hoop and spiral bezel. 6.60 grams, 25.43 mm overall, 19.02 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)
Acquired in the 2000s. From the private collection of John Lawton, Surrey, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a previous cataloguing information page. -
Romano-British Enamelled Bronze Mirror Handle
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Flat in section with crescentic upper end and scrolled lower end, the surface formed with symmetrically placed low-relief palmettes, vine tendrils with grapes and foliage, reserved against the field enamelled in green, dark blue and red. 94 grams, 13 cm
Very good condition.
Acquired in the early 1980s. with Edward Smith, USA. From the collection of a Connecticut, USA, collector. with TimeLine Auctions, 23 May 2017, no.251. Private American collection, New York, USA. 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.11994-210999.
This could be an example of a Romano-British bronze and enamel handle from a mirror or patera, similar to some other existing examples in museums. The shape of the handle is similar to one of the famous pateras from Pompeii. Our specimen is decorated with 'Celtic-style' motifs consisting of a curvilinear scrollwork design of turquoise and blue enamel. A bowl with almost identical enamel work was found in Staffordshire, known as 'The Staffordshire Pan' (WMID-3FE965), while a complete patera was excavated in Amiens (known as the Amiens Patera).
