Central/Eastern Europe, East of Colchis, Black Sea area, Northeastern Caucasus (Georgia), Scytho-Sarmatian culture, ca. 3rd to 2nd century BCE. A fine shield-shaped horse trapping of an openwork design with two registers of animals, the lower with a pair of rearing horses confronted against a central pole standard. Colchis was the location of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts in Apollonius Rhodius' epic tale, entitled "Argonautica." The incorporation of the Golden Fleece into the myth may have derived from the local practice of using fleeces to sift gold dust from rivers. Similar bronzes were found in the Caucasus, west of the Caspian Sea in Dagestan. Size: 5.9" W x 6" H (15 cm x 15.2 cm); 6.875" H (17.5 cm) on included custom stand.
Published: J. Eisenberg, Art of the Ancient World, Vol. XXIV (2013), no. 239.
Cf. V. Nauka. "Archeologie de l’Union Sovietique." 1992, p. 10, no 13.
Cf. Agayev. "Belt Buckles from Dagestan, Soviet Archeology."
This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.
Provenance: ex-Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, New York, USA; ex-private Paris, France collection, acquired on the London art market in May 2008
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#165069
Condition
Repair to lower suspension hook on verso, with restoration to material around hook, and resurfacing with light overpainting along new material and break lines. Slight bending to overall form, with one stable hairline fissure to one horse on lower register, softening to some finer details, and nicks to peripheries and some upper suspension hoops. Great preservation to openwork form and detailing as well as fantastic green and brown patina throughout.