Iron Age Celtic Bronze Eye Shaped Stud

Code: 10779

This is an ancient Iron Age (Celtic) bronze and enamel stud, dating to the 3rd - 1st century B.C. It takes the form of an eye, set with a tiny dot of red enamel in the pupil. The stud retains both fixing nails on the back, where it would have been hammered into wood. It is possible this stud formed one eye on a life-sized wooden statue of a god or ancestor, or it could have been riveted to a wooden shield as part of an elaborate decorative arrangement. Either way, it is an interesting piece of pre-Roman Celtic art, intact with a nice green patina.

OBJECT: Decorative Stud

CULTURE: Iron Age, Celtic

DATE: c. 3rd century - 1st B.C.

MATERIAL: Bronze & Enamel

SIZE: 27mm x 17mm x 12mm

WEIGHT:    7.6  grams

PROVENANCE: Ex. private collection, Hertfordshire, originally found in Norfolk.