Iron Age Italic Bronze Bow Brooch

Formed as a composite figurine comprising: hollow-formed nude female figure with left arm extended to her side and fingers curled inwards, right hand at her side, hair drawn up in a chignon surmounted by an applied beaded-wire diadem; two sub-triangular wings each attached to the shoulder blades, with repoussé feather detailing to the obverse; broad D-shaped panel attached to the waist and rear of the legs, with radiating arch detailing; supplied with a custom-made display stand. 56 grams total, 92 mm including stand



Focquaert collection, Belgium, 1970s. European private collection. 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.12220-222337.

Similar statuettes were surmounting huge funerary wreaths, like the one from Armento (325-300 B.C. made in Southern Italy). The wreaths, composed of golden flowers, leaves, fruits, bees and Erotes, have a winged goddess, with all probability Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, as the central motif. It is possible that the wreath was given to the deceased as a prize after a successful competition, but the dimensions of the Nike show that it was an extremely rare artefact. These costly objects were financed by rich and powerful Mecenates, like Kreithonios, named in the inscription on the base of Nike from Armento.

Formed from a single filament rolled into two 'spectacle' discs; one of the spirals terminating in a long pin, the other in a hook serving as the catchplate; openwork figure-of-eight at the centre; pin present but detached. 159 grams, 16.5 cm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

Hemispherical in profile with slightly inverted rim, band of circumferential incised lines beneath the rim and concentric zigzags below, roundels to the underside; single small pierced bulb for suspension. 289 grams, 14 cm



Ex Ian Auld collection, 1970s-1990s. Acquired from Bonhams, London, 29 April 2009, no.315 (part). From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages.