Details

LOT 0498

Iron Age Celtic Sceptre Finial

1ST-2ND CENTURY AD

2" (58 grams, 50mm).

A bronze sceptre finial formed as a bronze tube with iron core and ox-head detailing; band of four curved hooks to the rear flanked by beading, plain crescent panels flanking transverse ribbed panel, beaded collar, narrow waisted muzzle, flange ears with pellets, socket eyes, opposed crescent horns.

Provenance

Found near Hutton-Sessay, North Yorkshire, UK, 2006; accompanied by a copy of a Portable Antiquities Scheme report number NCL-51AB07 which includes four museum drawings of the object, a letter discussing the object from Sally Worrell of the British Museum, and a copy of the relevant pages from the PAS Annual Report 2006.

Published

Cf. Portable Antiquities Scheme annual report of 2006, p.40-41.

Literature

Cf. Portable Antiquities Scheme report number NCL-51AB07.

Footnotes

The exact purpose of the item is uncertain but parallels have been drawn with a possible knife-handle from Birdlip, Gloucestershire, of Iron Age date. The prominent hooks to the rear of the piece exclude its use as a handle, and the ornate character of the casting suggests an object of some importance with considerable display value. The terminal of a sceptre or similar item denoting rank and authority is a reasonable inference, as noted in the PAS Annual Report for 2006 where this item was published.

CONDITION