Romano-British Bronze Running Hound Brooch

£ 350.00

A Roman bronze plate brooch in the form of a running hound, shown in profile. The brooch features an elongated, narrow body, leading to the head of the hound with its nose and ears pricked up. Its tail is short, upturned and curves back on itself. The hound is shown in motion, with its legs bent as though mid-run. The reverse of the brooch is plain except for the original pin holder and extensive catch. The pin is now missing. Rich green patination covers the surface.

Date: Circa 1st - 2nd Century AD
Provenance: Ex Cambridge collection, acquired 1990s-2000s.
Condition: Very fine condition, with surface patination and encrustation in areas on the back. The pin is now missing.
Product Code: RES-204
Category: Tags: , ,

Small brooches like this one, often in stylised animal forms, were worn by both Roman soldiers and subjects across the empire. They served both a decorative and practical function, being used to fasten articles of clothing, particularly cloaks. Archaeological evidence suggests that the centres of Roman brooch production were in the provinces of Britannia and Gaul. The hound was a popular symbol for the Romano-Celtic culture and it was thought that Roman soldiers when stationed in the British provinces would wear this type of hound pin.

The running hound type is aesthetically very similar to the running hare fibulae, sometimes making it hard to distinguish between the two. Generally, the hound type have upturned tails and a flatter snout, whilst hares have shorter tails. Based on the angular snout and muscular physique we can ascertain quite clearly that this represents a hound.

To discover more on Roman and Celtic brooches, please see our relevant blog post: Roman and Celtic Fibulae

Weight 11.3 g
Dimensions L 4.5 x W 1.6 x H 2.9 cm
Metal

Bronze

Region

Central Europe, North Europe, Western Europe

Reference: For a similar item,The Metropolitan Museum, New York, item 17.194.2390

You may also like…