fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: June 08, 2007 03:19AM
a bronze Celtic Mirror decorated in typical Insular British La Tene Art, and
dating to around 75 BC.
There have been a handful of these mirrors found in the entire UK; to the best
of our knowledge this is the only such mirror legitimately available for private
purchase, the rest can be found in our State Museums.
This mirror was found in Oxfordshire and the finder acted responsibly and
reported it to his local Finds Liaison Officer. The mirror was subsequently
taken by the two of them to St Albans Museum where it was professionally
restored and conserved by archaeologists.
As the item was a solitary find, non gold or silver, and as such did not qualify
as Treasure according to the 1996 Treasure Act, it was returned to the finder.
My company thus legitimately purchased the mirror from the finder. I would be
delighted if one of our State Museums would like to purchase this unique
antiquity on behalf of the State. Alternatively, I would be happy to sell to a
private collector. Please remember that if you are a foreign collector or
investor and you wish to acquire this piece, you must apply for an Export
Licence with the UK Ministry Of Culture. We would be happy to assist you with
this application. Pre-restoration/conservation colour prints are available. The
Disc was found intact and the handle was in three pieces. All the photographs
and the existing relevant documentation will be given to the new owner. A scetch
of the mirror is included, together with a photograph of the Desborough mirror
found in Northamptonshire in central England (the last image) - not too far away
from this one. Like the Desborough example, there are flamboyant engravings on
its back, probably drawn with a compass. This highly complex symmetrical design
is characteristic of English Insular La Tene Art, of which there are not many
existing examples of this magnitude. The rim of the disc enjoys incised
decoration. The handle is of the looped style. Dimensions of our mirror
Height: 10 3/4 inches. Diameter of Disc: 7 1/4 inches.
Length of handle: 5 inches. Width of handle where it inserts onto disc: 2 3/4
inches. For Relevant Literature please consult: Atlas Of The Celts. By Barry
Raftery, University College Dublin. ISBN: 0-540-08153-1
Price: $100,000.00
fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: June 08, 2007 03:35AM
i hope everyone likes my recent weapons posts. it is a passion of mine as well.
fossil_digger Report This Comment Date: June 08, 2007 03:56AM
of course none of these are mine, nor do i represent this dealer in any
way.
they have a ton of pottery, figurines, and other really cool stuff I'm not
into.
if you'd like to know the site let me know and I'll send it to you.
