Romano-British Bronze Stag Brooch
Romano-British Bronze Stag Brooch

Romano-British Bronze Stag Brooch

$312.78

A Roman-British bronze plate brooch in the form of a stag. A relatively large example, it features an elongated body with a slender neck, standing on three legs. It’s tapering head ends in a rounded nose, whilst a pair of rounded, undulating antlers decorate his brow. A series of incised rows of granulation decorate the body and rump of the stag. The stag stands on a base, with a short stump to the front, a possible resting place for it’s now-missing leg. The back of the brooch is unadorned with only a slightly raised slab of metal at the front of the stag’s head. This would have been the clasp which would have held the pin of the brooch. The hinge and pin of this accessory has unfortunately been lost.

Date: Circa 1st - 3rd century AD
Condition: Excellent. Some discolouration to the metal.

In stock

SKU: AH-1113 Category: Tags: , ,

Brooches were used as practical accessories to help keep cloaks, trousers and other pieces of clothing fastened. The accessories were status symbols with many brooches being made of expensive materials. The more elaborate the deign also indicated the status of the wearer. These kinds of zoomorphic brooches were commonly found in Roman providences with the inspiration coming from British styles. Stags were associated with stability and stamina. The animals were typically shown in hunting scenes. Within Celtic belief the stag was associated with the god Cernunnos, also known as the ‘Horned One’, who was the god of the forest and the wild.

For more information on ancient Roman animal symbolism, please see our blog post: Animal Symbolism in Roman Art

Weight 13.48 g
Dimensions L 4.2 x H 3 cm
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