A Sarmatian bronze ornament
Caucasus, circa 6th-5th Century B.C.
Shield-shaped, the openwork plaque divided into two registers, the upper register with four frontal animal heads arranged in alternating directions, the lower with horses in profile, their forelegs bent at the knees, bands of chevrons dividing each section, three attachment loops at the top, 14.2cm high注脚Provenance:
with Korban Gallery, London in June 1988.

The Sarmatians were a nomadic steppe people, whose culture extended from Scythia to the Caucasus. Horses were revered in Sarmatian culture, and this ornament was probably intended to hang on a horse's chest.