Celtic Bronze Ox’s Head Mount

£ 175.00

A Celtic ox head mount cast from bronze. The animal is rendered stylistically with a triangular head, with subtle detailing to the ears and the nose, as well as the crescent shaped horns. A large bronze ring pierces the nose of the ox. A pierced rectangular lug is displayed on the reverse and would have been used to attach the piece to a different object, perhaps a bowl.

Date: 1st century BC-1st century AD
Provenance: ‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
Condition: Fine condition. The nose ring is misshapen due to age

In stock

SKU: SK-60 Category: Tags: , ,

In Celtic visual culture, the Ox and Cow possess a particularly important role. A wide range of ox shaped protomes survive to this day. The items were most likely used to decorate various vessels (particularly those for milk storage). This devotion to the bovine motif illustrates the importance of the dairy farming in everyday life as well as strength and reliability of these animals.

Weight 25.63 g
Dimensions L 3.5 x W 3.4 x H 2 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

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