A CELTIC BRONZE MIRROR

CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.

Details

A CELTIC BRONZE MIRROR
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
The cast handle with two circular rings, forming an undulating grip, attached to the separately-cast disk with an M-shaped join, the disk edge protected by a rounded separately-made edging, the reverse of the disk with a tripartite circular design of curving linear and geometric forms terminating in openwork scrolling tendrils, the thin lines expanding, the resulting zones filled with hatched basketry enclosing reserved motifs
12¼ in. (31.2 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, The Netherlands, 1960s.

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Lot Essay

While abundant in the Roman world, mirrors are rarely found in Celtic burials in Europe. Most examples have the same tripartite circular motif. This pattern purposefully incorporates the enclosed voids, heightening the tension between the smooth and the matted, and light and dark surfaces. Of the regional variations from England, this example is most similar to, although less intricate than, the bronze mirror found in Desborough, Northamptonshire (no. XXI, p. 222 in Megaw, Celtic Art: From its Beginnings to the Book of Kells.).

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