A ROMAN BRONZE PARADE HELMET MASK

CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN BRONZE PARADE HELMET MASK
Circa 2nd-3rd Century A.D.
Hammered from a single sheet, with a long idealized face, the curving brows incised with chevrons, the almond-shaped eyes also incised along the rims, the pupils indicated, the irises and sclera perforated, the nostrils and slender lips also perforated, the filtrum indicated, the round chin prominent, the thick wavy hair center-parted, with sideburns incised on the cheeks, wearing a thin fillet tied low across his forehead, punched dots along its edges, and a ridged diadem with a reclining lion on either side, their large heads turned outward, perforated along the edges for attachment, perhaps also attached by a now-missing hinge at the top of the head
10 1/8 in. (25.8 cm.) high

Provenance

European Private Collection, 1950s.
Acquired by the current owner in 1993.

Lot Essay

Helmet masks were common under the Roman Empire in northern Europe. Fabricated of thin sheet and thus of minimal value in combat, such masks would have adorned a cavalry officer's dress uniform, used mainly during parades and cavalry sports. For similar examples see nos. 40-42 in H.-J. Kellner and G. Zahlhaas, Der Römische Tempelschatz von Weienburg i. Bay.

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