Brooch from Roman Britain
€280
available
Object number
AR3345B
| Object: |
Roman brooch
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| Material: |
Bronze with enamel inlays.
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| Period: |
2nd century AD. Roman Imperial period. |
| Description: |
The brooch is dominated by a plate in the shape of a triangle, once with enamel inlays, of which only a red inlay remains. The head of the brooch widens like a funnel, in the style of the so-called trumpet brooches. On the underside is part of the spring and part of the catch plate. The pin itself was made of iron and is completely corroded. Overall, the shape of the brooch is reminiscent of a fly or cicada. Only a few of these so-called cicada brooches (German "Zikadenfibeln") are known from Northern Europe. They were apparently popular in the 2nd century and then disappeared for centuries until the motif was revived in the early Migration Period (cf. Heynowski, Fibeln, No. 3.27.8). |
| Dimensions: |
34mm long. Circa 3g.
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| Condition: |
Pin and catch plate are missing, a part of the spring is still mounted. Parts of the original enamel inlays preserved. Overall good condition.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2022 on the British art market. Exported under British export license no. PAU/01051/22. Previously in private British ownership. The brooch was found on 5 May 2021 on the Isle of Wight, Great Britain. The find was recorded and published in the national database Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), entry number IOW-F9DE91.
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| References: |
Cf. R. Hattatt, Ancient Brooches and other Artefacts, p. 363, nos. 1204 and 1638.
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| Literature: |
A superb and compact overview on the subject of ancient and later fibulae in general is given by R. Heynowski in his book "Fibeln - erkennen, bestimmen, beschreiben" (Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2012, German language).
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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