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Property from the Celtic and Prehistoric Museum Collection, Ireland (lots 134-145)
Lot 139

An Italic quatrefoil bronze spectacle fibula

Antiquities
1 December 2020, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £956.25 inc. premium

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An Italic quatrefoil bronze spectacle fibula
Circa 9th-7th Century B.C.
Composed of four coiled wire spirals, with cruciform back support, the pin missing, 10cm wide

Footnotes

Provenance:
Private collection, London.
Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 10 June 1997, lot 2.
Celtic and Prehistoric Museum collection, Ireland, acquired from the above sale.

Quatrefoil spectacle fibulae most commonly occur in Italy and Sicily although the form probably originated in the Balkans and Greece. Spectacle fibulae have been found in pairs in burials, positioned on the shoulders of the deceased. There is a similar quatrefoil example in the Harvard Art Museum, object no. 1987.135.9.

Lots 134-145 have been exhibited at the Celtic & Prehistoric Museum on the Dingle Peninsula, Republic of Ireland. This private museum was founded by musician and antiquarian, Harris Moore in 1998. While travelling extensively and immersing himself in museums and antiquarian shops on the continent, Harris developed a deep passion for the form and simplicity of prehistoric stone implements. Over time, he cultivated relationships with several prominent 20th century collectors of Stone, Bronze, and Iron Age European material. Objects acquired from these collections formed the basis of what is now an extensive and eclectic collection at the Museum. A native of Connecticut, Harris elected to settle on the west coast of Ireland, an area steeped not only in natural beauty, but also rich in ancient monuments which perennially draw many visitors to the region. This dynamic museum continues to evolve; the proceeds from this offering will fund improvements in preparation for its re-opening to the public in the Spring.

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
A Greek green glazed faience hedgehog aryballos
A Greek bronze hydria with siren handle-plate
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An Attic black-figure Little Master band-cup with grazing deer and panther
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An Attic red-figure trefoil lipped oinochoe
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