A RARE GROUP OF ELEVEN SCYTHIAN FAIENCE HORSE PLAQUES, 9TH-8TH CENTURY BC

拍品描述

A RARE GROUP OF ELEVEN SCYTHIAN FAIENCE HORSE PLAQUES, 9TH-8TH CENTURY BC This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012: “No 725, Egyptian Faience tubular glazed beads necklace with a Ramesside pendant 19th dynasty. Ca. 35 cm. P.R. 1985, Prov.: London coll. 1985” Gallery price: EUR 435 or approx. EUR 620 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. Eurasian steppe. Two of bright turquoise color and nine creamy white, each plaque executed in highly stylized equine form with open mouth and notched mane. The bodies rendered in profile with pronounced legs and two pairs of attachment holes, suggesting they were originally sewn or affixed to harness, belts or textiles. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Length 6.6-9.3 cm The present group of horse plaques belongs to a rare and evocative category of early Iron Age ornamentation associated with the Scythians, a nomadic cultural horizon that extended across the Eurasian steppe during the first millennium BC. The Scythians, as recorded by ancient authors and increasingly confirmed by archaeological evidence, were not a single unified polity but a constellation of related nomadic groups who shared a mobile pastoralist way of life across vast territories stretching from the northern Black Sea region to the borders of China. Emerging in the 9th century BC and flourishing through the 8th to 4th centuries BC, these horse‑nomads were known for their exceptional horsemanship, mobility and equestrian culture. The horse was not merely a utilitarian animal but a central element of social identity, wealth and ritual life, dominating the material culture of steppe societies. Small decorative appliques such as the present plaques are among the most distinctive material vestiges of Scythian artistic production. Although surviving examples of faience horse plaques are uncommon, comparative material demonstrates that similarly stylized equine figures were used across the steppe as harness ornaments, belt pendants or appliqués on leather and textile garments. The use of attachment holes on the present plaques suggests that they were once sewn or affixed to another object - perhaps a horse’s bridle, a warrior’s accoutrements, or high‑status clothing - serving both as decoration and as a symbol of equestrian prestige. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 7 December 2010, lot 37 Price: USD 4,375 or approx. EUR 6,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and size (8.3 and 8.9 cm).

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