WESTERN ASIATIC BRONZE HORSE BIT WITH CHEEKPIECES

Ca. 1200-700 BC. A cast bronze horse bit composed of two cheekpieces, each in the form of a stylised horse on a groundline, connected to each other by rectangular-section rods. The horse bit is a type of equestrian equipment that has been used by civilizations in the region of Luristan, located in western Asia, since the Iron Age. It was used to control and maneuver a horse. Literature: Oscar White Muscarella, Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988), p. 155-166. Size: L:230mm / W:110mm ; 400g Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1990s.