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Details
LOT 0364
Iron Age Celtic Sandstone Head
2ND CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
8 5/8 in. (5 kg total, 22 cm high including stand).
Carved in the round as a male head with triangular chin and jaw, broad square brow, lentoid eyes, reserved scrolled ears; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From 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.
Literature
Cf. Petch, M., Celtic Stone Sculptures, London, 1989, fig.1, for type.
Footnotes
The cult of the human head was prevalent in the Celtic world, being associated with warding-off evil spirits and bearing of good luck.
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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.
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