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LOT 0754
Roman Equine Protome
2ND-4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/4 in. (55 grams, 57 mm).
A bronze zoomorphic equine protome formed as the forequarters of a galloping horse, with a round-section body and semi-naturalistic detailing to the head and mane; perforation to the upper edge of the body for attachment.
ProvenanceFound UK.
Acquired in the 1970s, Yorkshire, UK.
Property of a Bedfordshire, UK, gentleman.
See Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques De Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, items 400-401, for comparable examples.
FootnotesThe bronze equine protome belongs to a well-known category of objects used to fasten caskets or furniture with animal protomes, especially panthers and horses, animals connected to the procession of the god Dionysus.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Silver-Gilt Cicada Brooch
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A silver-gilt brooch in form of cicada with hollow-formed D-section head and neck, flat triangular wings; the head with bulbous eyes above a waisted neck; granule detailing to the head; pin-lug and catch-wire to the reverse. 3.82 grams, 23 mm
Acquire in the 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.
This type of brooch was popular among the Hunnic tribes, as well as in Roman Pannonia and Illyricum before the arrival of the Huns. Early Hunnic designs from Pannonia may have borrowed from late Roman types. With the arrival of new populations due to migration from the east, a new material culture developed, described as the Danubian or Ponto-Danubian style, as many of its features appear in the Pontic region as well. Although the exact meaning of the cicada brooch is not known to us, it is possible that it retained its ancient symbolism of rebirth or regeneration of the soul. -
Roman Gold Ring with Banded Glass
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
A hollow-formed gold finger ring with ellipsoid bezel, inset panel of banded iridescent glass. 1.18 grams, 18.29 mm overall, 15.66 mm internal diameter (approximate size British G, USA 3 1/4, Europe 4.92, Japan 4)
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Roman Horse Head Whorl Brooch
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
A bronze swastika-shaped fibula with horse-head decoration, each head with punched ring-and-dot eye, a similar motif to the centre. 16.7 grams, 45 mm
Acquired before 2000. From the collection of a European gentleman living in the UK.
In the 3rd century A.D., several examples of fibulae in the shape of four horses’ heads forming a swastika (type Almgren 232) seem to be related to the creation of the Illyrian cavalry corps in Roman army. Many examples of these military fibulae were found in ancient Roman Dacia (Romania), in Roman Illyricum and Moesia.
