Celtic brooch in the shape of a horse from the La Tène period
We offer a detailed reproduction of a Celtic brooch in the shape of a horse, dated to the early Latène period, between 650 and 550 BC.
The historical antecedent of this replica is a small Iron Age horse-shaped brooch from Central Europe, which is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The small horse-shaped fibulae belong to a small group of animal brooches that have survived from the Celtic Iron Age. These figural fibulae were a typical element of Celtic clothing in the early Latène period and were worn by men, women and children.
However, horse-shaped fibulae were not only widespread among the Celts. Almost identical horse-shaped brooches were also used by the Romans and remained in use until late antiquity.
- Dimensions of the Celtic brooch: 3 x 2 cm. The brooch has a stable spiral needle for secure attachment.
Numerous examples of Celtic horse-shaped brooches have been found in graves dating from the fifth century BC. These finds illustrate the importance the Celts placed on horses - horses were difficult to obtain and expensive to breed in Iron Age Europe, making them important symbols of status and power in Celtic culture.
Celtic animal brooches from the Latène period, however, did not have to depict only horses. They could also take the form of a deer or a goat. A common feature of these brooches was that the animals were always depicted three-dimensionally. The hind legs of the animal covered the feather of the brooch, while the clasp was attached to the front legs.
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