Roman Handle With Lion's Head In Antique Bronze - Roman Art - Archaeology - Door Knocker

Roman bronze lion head handle with green patina
Roman art from the East / Levant, 2nd-3rd century

Diameter: 13 cm
Height with ring: 19 cm

These bronze lion head handles were produced as a set of four pieces to be fixed on wooden sarcophagi of a typical Eastern Mediterranean production, many parallels can be found in Thomas Weber's book Syrisch-römische Sarkophagbeschläge.

The handle is decorated with a lion's head with a radiating mane with incised details, large almond-shaped eyes with dilated pupils, the fluted ring is inserted into the open mouth.
Three holes were used to fix the handle to the wood (The heads of ferrous metal nails are still in place)

Provenance:
Old French collection dispersed at public sale.

Bibliography:
Thomas Weber: Syrisch-römische Sarkophagbeschläge, Mainz / Rh. 1989

Public sales:

https://www.debaecque.fr/lot/86826/8016541-poignee-de-porte-en-forme-de-t

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5408080

https://www.pba-auctions.com/en/lot/86497/7883009-heurtoir-a-la-tete-de-lion-gra

All my items for sale can be seen in Issy-les-Moulineaux.

For any additional information or requests for high-definition photos, you can contact me at 06 12 51 35 29.