A CENTRAL EUROPEAN BRONZE INGOT TORC

HUNGARY, EARLY BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 1800-1400 B.C.

Details

A CENTRAL EUROPEAN BRONZE INGOT TORC
Hungary, Early Bronze Age, Circa 1800-1400 B.C.
Of solid bronze, circular in section, the tapering ends with flattened coiled terminals, one side with incised ornament, including chevrons, feather-pattern and sets of parallel lines
6¾ in. (17.2 cm) wide

Provenance

New York Private Collection

Lot Essay

Similar torcs have been found in large hoards, nearly all of the same size and weight, suggesting that they served as a unit of value rather than jewelry, hence the term ingot torc. For a related example see no. 18 in Ward, Origins of Design: Bronze Age and Celtic Masterworks.

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