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LOT 1561
Iron Age Celtic Sandstone Head
CIRCA 2ND CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
8 1/4 in. (2.47 kg total, 21 cm including stand).
Sturdy carved stone head with almond-shaped face, incised disc eyes and slotted mouth, rectangular brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [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. Jackson, S., Celtic and Other Stone Heads, Shipley, 1973, item 56, for type.
FootnotesThe cult of the human head was prevalent in the Celtic world, being associated with warding-off evil spirits and bearing of good luck.
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 Bronze Boar Statuette
Circa 2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Modelled in the round with elegantly arched back, small tail and hindlegs, sturdy forelegs; the head with strong conical profile and raised dorsal ridge; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 49.18 grams total, 50 mm wide including stand
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. -
Iron Age Celtic Silver Duck Mount Group
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Each with saddle-shaped body, hatched bands, bulbous head, two with scooped beak and two with pointed beak; all concave to the underside. 11.1 grams total, 17-26 mm
Property of a Suffolk, UK, gentleman; from his private collection acquired in continental Europe. Acquired on the UK art market in 2015. Property of a Kent lady collector.
The duck appears in a number of contexts in Celtic art, mainly on vessels associated with feasting. Ducks are also sacred to the Gallic goddess, Sequana who had a major healing shrine based at the source of the river Seine in Burgundy, France. A bronze figure was found at the temple depicting Sequana standing in a boat which had a duck head at the prow. The duck appears to be an attribute of a celestial deity as well. We know that in the Celtic period the sun and sky gods were complicated figures who were linked not only with the heavens but also with water and the underworld. It is possible that the duck was perceived as a suitable solar emblem because it was both able to fly and swim, thus bringing together the elements of sky and water. To the pagan Celts, the sun and water were both related to healing and so it is possible that small votive images such as these were offered at shrines in the hope of a cure. -
Iron Age Celtic Sandstone Head
Circa 2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £572
Sturdy carved stone head with almond-shaped face, incised disc eyes and slotted mouth, rectangular brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 2.47 kg total, 21 cm including stand
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.
The cult of the human head was prevalent in the Celtic world, being associated with warding-off evil spirits and bearing of good luck.
