Roman Vessel Handle with Panthers

1st century AD. A bronze vessel handle with the central part formed of two foliage elements extending on each side of a knot, each end with a lotus flower and a reclining panther or cheetah, the feline with raised head and detailed spots on the body; the lower part with two leaves with a single lobe forming the attachment elements of the handle to the vessel. Cf. Boucher, S., Inventaire des Collections Publiques Françaises - 17 Vienne: Bronzes Antiques, Paris, 1971, item 298, for similar. 247 grams, 18cm (7"). Property of a gentleman from Vienna; from his private collection formed since 1970. Dionysos is often represented in the Graeco-Roman iconography as dressed in leopard, cheetah or panther skin (pardalid), triumphant on a chariot together with his partner Ariadne, usually accompanied by a procession called thiasus and composed of his priestesses (called maenads or bacchantes, women prey to ecstatic frenzy and possessed by the god), silens and satyrs, and ferocious beasts, among which panthers stand out. In the famous Pella mosaic of 4th century BC, he is represented riding a cheetah. It is therefore probable that the vessel to which the handle belonged was used for the cult of this god. [No Reserve] For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price
Condition Report: Fine condition.