Description:

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A large cast bronze fitting for the harness of a military man's horse. It is generally round in form, with a palmette above; below, in openwork silhouette are two lionesses, heads turned away from one other to face outward. In ancient times, lions lived in northern Africa and, until the 20th century CE, in the ancient Near East. The fact that fierce representations are often carved as lionesses, rather than male lions, suggests that Classical artists had knowledge of the real animal in the wild and knew its hunting habits. This would have been a fierce addition to the flashing, jangling presentation of a large war horse. Comes with custom stand. Size: 4.35" W x 4.6" H (11 cm x 11.7 cm); height on stand: 6" (15.2 cm)

Provenance: ex-South German private collection assembled from the 1970s onward

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#123485

  • Condition: Dark patina on surface with very clear details.

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June 28, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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