Large Italic serpentine fibula
€850
available
Object number
AR3514B
| Object: |
Large Italic serpentine fibula
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| Material: |
Bronze.
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| Period: |
9th to 8th cent. BC. Early Iron Age of Italy. |
| Description: |
So-called serpentine fibula of the Italic Villanovan culture. The body is made from thick bronze wire with a circular profile. The bow consists of two small arches with a spiral between them. Another spiral acts as a spring. The pin forms a large arch and is held in place by a small catch plate at the end of the body, made by the wire beaten flat. This piece is noteworthy because of the elaborate incised decorations on the pin that are very well visible still today.
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| Background: |
The Iron Age brooches of the Mediterranean were mostly simple productions, made of a single piece of thick wire. Still, the Italic peoples developed their own distinctive styles. Fibulae come with decorations such as glass beads, bone ornaments or amber. Their sizes range from about 3cm to 30cm length. Hattatt is giving a broad overview on the Italic Iron Age fibulae in his Ancient and Romano-British Brooches (1982), pp. 186-188, figs. 79-84.
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| Dimensions: |
Approximately 19cm x 10cm "box size".
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| Condition: |
Perfectly preserved, including pin and spring. Beautifully patinated surface, which is absolutely museum-worthy with the wonderfully preserved incised decorations.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 on the Swiss art market. Previously in the family estate of the collection Prof. Dr. Kurt Alder-Kissling (1927-2019) from Riehen in Switzerland. Acquired by Professor Alder-Kissling in May 1977 in Switzerland.
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| References: |
Cf. Richard Hattatt, Brooches of Antiquity (1987), p. 336f, fig. 110, no. 1349.
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| Literature: |
We recommend the following book as an introduction and for referencing, R. Heynowski, Bestimmungsbuch Archäologie 1, Fibeln (2012).
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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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