Backplate
Culture
Hallstatt
Date1200–800 BCE
Mediumbronze with modern reinforcing plaster
Dimensions53 × 38 × 16 cm (20 7/8 × 14 15/16 × 6 5/16 in.)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.23
DescriptionHallstatt (Celtic) Culture. Bronze is very thin and with large losses: the lower back is entirely reconstructed. Apparently no ferrous metal. Turned edges at the collar and armholes.Label TextFor much of the ancient period, a large part of Europe, from Spain to Austria, and from northern Italy to the British Isles, was dominated by the Celtic cultures, first identifiable from the artifacts of the Hallstatt culture of central Europe. In the Roman and medieval periods, the remains of these cultures were increasingly pressed to the fringes of Europe, but their cultural contributions would remain important, including the origins of the Arthurian legends.ProvenanceExcavated 1900 at Fillinges, Haute Savoie Mr. Constantin, antiquary, Geneva Dr. Bashford Dean (Riverdale, NY) Mrs. Bashford Dean Purchased by the Museum on October 26, 1950 at Parke Bernet Galleries, Inc. (NYC), sale no. 1186. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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