Description (Physical description)
Celt-Iberian bronze figure.
Event Date
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Field collection)
Discovered in a cave during mining excavations in the area of Despenaperros in south-east Spain in the 1900s.
Event Date 1900
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Description (Physical description)
Accession Register (1981.164 A-G): '7 bronze figurines on wood bases, male + female'.
Event Date 1981
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Related Documents)
See page from Christie's catalogue attached to card (contains a bibliography). Passage taken from Christie's sale catalogue: 'Part of a collection of Celt-Iberian bronzes discovered in Spain in the first decade of this century and taken out of the country shortly afterwards, comprising over 200 bronze ex-votos, which probably stood in the sanctuary of the temple or in a sacred cave, dedicated by the pilgrims who came to the site from the 6th century BC onwards. All strata of society, warriors, priests and common folk would have made the pilgrimage up to this rocky sanctuary to drink the curative waters from the sacred spring, and petition the god in the form of a bronze figure manufactured in the local workshops. The different styles show close parallels with the art of the Eastern Mediterranean which filtered into Spain through her contacts with Carthage and the Greek coastal colonies and yet are unmistakably indigenous. Many of the pilgrims seem to have come for healing and the position of the hands appear to indicate the location of a particular ailment. Other votaries seek sexual potency; warriors offer arms for prowess in battle, and naked women, possibly priestesses or temple concubines, hold daggers in a possible ritual dance. Who the deity or deities of Despenaperros were is unknown, perhaps a protector of the fecundity of man and earth, or of the rich mining deposits in the area. The sacred site within its temenos wall comprised grotto, spring and sacred buildings. Although the site was in use from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD, with short gaps in occupation, these bronzes appear to date from 6th-3rd Century BC. Certain classes of society such as the warriors and the priests are clearly indicated, although the majority are not, and perhaps a division between married and unmarried women can be postulated. All, however, represent the particular aspirations and petitions of numerous pilgrims, who, leaving a votive figurine at the feet of the tutelar deity of this former day 'Santiago de Compostela', believed in its certain efficacy.'
Event Date 1981
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Auction / Sale)
Bought at Christie's, from a private collection, with grants from the Crowther-Beynon Fund and the Victoria and Albert Museum's Museum Purchase Fund. 10 December 1981.
Event Date 10/12/1981
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Display)
Exhibited: Archaeology Gallery, case 28, Clarke Gallery, 1984-2010.
Event Date 1984
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Description (Physical description)
Cast Celt-Iberian bronze votive figurine mounted on modern wooden base. Stylised, triangular body tapering to feet with incised toes; arms outstretched at a downward angle, with incised fingers. The figure wears a helmet or highly stylised hairstyle; facial features are in low relief.
Event Date 23/1/2020
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Description (Physical description)
Celt-Iberian votive figurine; solid cast copper alloy statuette mounted on modern wooden base. The figure wears a helmet or highly stylised hairstyle; facial features in low relief. Stylised, triangular body with flat sides tapering to feet with incised toes; arms outstretched at a downward angle, with incised fingers.
Event Date 25/3/2024
Author: Jodi Zhang