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Lot 240

Antiquities
1 May 2013, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street

£7,000 - £9,000

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A Celtic bronze shield
Circa 5th Century B.C.
Circular in form, the sheet bronze with repoussé decoration composed of a border of small dots at the edge, then concentric bands, rising into a dome at the centre with a band of more closely-grouped concentric ridges, a large bronze rivet projecting from the middle, pierced with multiple diamond and triangular-shaped perforations, 16in (40.6cm) diam, mounted

Footnotes

Provenance:
Swiss art market, acquired in the 1990s.

Literature:
Sheet metal shields such as this are likely to be examples of 'parade armour', designed for display purposes off the battlefield and were buried as part of a grave hoard. The various piercings are thought to be an example of 'ritual killing' before burial. J. Coles, 'European Bronze Age shields,' Proceedings of the Prehistor-7, 28, 1962, pp.156-90. Another example with similar perforations is now in the British Museum, no. 1856.7-1.1350.

A Celtic bronze shield with similar concentric decoration and a dome-shaped central boss is now in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, no. IA:1872.15. Cf. F. Muller, Art of the Celts: 700B.C. to 700 A.D., Berne, 2009, pp. 54-77.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

An Anatolian marble idol
A Mesopotamian clay cuneiform foundation cone with dedication inscription of King Lipit-Ishtar of Isin
A small Mesopotamian clay cuneiform foundation cone inscribed for King Sin-Kashid of Uruk
A Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Hittite bronze helmet with pelta-shaped cheek-pieces
A Babylonian agate "eye-stone" bead, inscribed for Nebuchadnezzar II
A large Etruscan Impasto Ware pottery olla
A Roman marble torso of a youth wearing a tunic
A Roman marble head of a satyr
An Attic pottery tankard with geometric decoration
A Greek bronze horse
A Greek pottery alabastron in the form of a greaved leg
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