Large Bronze Pin With A Deer's Head – Roman Period – Bessonneau Collection

Large bronze hairpin with a deer head (doe?) – Roman period – Former Bessonneau Collection

A beautiful and rare bronze hairpin (acus crinalis) from the Roman period, adorned with a zoomorphic head likely representing a doe, or more generally a deer. This piece comes from the former Bessonneau Collection, a prestigious French collection assembled in the 19th century.

The hairpin, measuring 20 cm in length, features a long, conical shaft topped by a finely sculpted head. The eyes in relief, the erect ears, and the delicately modeled muzzle give the animal a sober and elegant expression, characteristic of Roman decorative art. Pins featuring animal motifs were used to secure women’s hairstyles and attest to the refinement of personal adornment in antiquity.

The piece is made of bronze and features a beautiful, uniform antique olive-green patina, with a few slight deposits and signs of wear consistent with its age. In fine condition.

Julien Bessonneau (1842–1916) Born into a wealthy family of industrialists, Julien Bessonneau significantly expanded his linen and hemp weaving mills, becoming the leading industrialist in Angers by the 1870s. On the eve of World War I, his factories employed approximately one in sixteen residents of Angers. Like many business leaders of his time, he established charitable organizations, including a sports club that would become the SCO d’Angers, and contributed to the growth of the aviation industry with the famous Bessonneau hangars, which were widely used during the war. He owned several prestigious residences: the Château des Brosses near Saint-Clément-de-la-Place, the Château de Mûrs south of Angers, and a large mansion in the center of Angers, as well as a Parisian residence on Rue de Constantine. A passionate collector, he amassed a vast art collection: paintings, decorative arts, sculptures, African and Oceanic artifacts, and numerous archaeological pieces. His estate inventory following his death in 1916 revealed dozens of antique objects (Cypriot, Greek, Phoenician, Gallo-Roman vases, etc.). His purchases are documented by numerous invoices from specialized dealers. After his death, neither his heirs nor his company continued to expand this collection. A major sale in 1956 dispersed part of the collection.