£525
African & Oceanic Art, Antiquities and Natural History | 639
Auction: 5 May 2021 at 12:00 BST
bronze, worked from a single wire forming two opposing spirals connected by a ringed shank, with impressed decoration throughout
Provenance:
Private collection, acquired 1990s, United Kingdom
The Jon Lawton Collection, United Kingdom
Note:
The conjoined spiral is one of the earliest symbols found in prehistoric Europe, with examples found in rock carvings as far back as the Neolithic. Whatever its true meaning, its continued prevalence well into the Bronze Age suggests a strong totemic value.