Roman Bronze Brooch Collection

Comprising a shallow discoid bowl with inverted lip, central dome with concentric ring ornament, basal ring; the handle columnar with foliage to the junction, lion-head finial with gaping mouth. 410 grams, 21.2 cm



Acquired Gorny & Mosch, Munich, 25 June 2014, no.86. From the Horton collection, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12062-214252.

With onion-knop terminals, carinated bow with a median band of guilloche decoration; the footplate with ring-and-dot decoration to each end, central guilloche panel with chamfered sides; hinged pin and pierced catch-plate to reverse. 64 grams total, 90 mm



Property of a Gloucestershire, UK, collector. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.

The piercing runs through both the body and catchplate. Such alterations, for the attachment of a securing chain or thong, are not uncommon on heavy brooches, but the hole is usually restricted to the reverse (the catch).

Mould made, solid round handle with two circles, flat shoulder with a shallow row of ovolo motifs, separated from the discus by two shallow circular grooves; side central filling-hole and small air hole on the lower field of discus, decorated with a gladiator raising his right hand; heart-shaped nozzle, base-ring marked by radiating lines. 97 grams, 10.5 cm



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 lamp seems to belong to the Bussiere form DX1, maybe variant a and c. This form groups together lamps with a plain shoulder and a heart-shaped nozzle. In an early variant, D IX 1, the upper curves of the ‘heart’ are nearly on a horizontal level. This is the case for all the African and Italic examples in the Getty collection. Scenes of circus and gladiators are very popular.