Iberian, 5th - 4th century B.C.

Bronze

H: 10.5 cm

Serial: 1993

Provenance

New York art market, June 1994

This small bronze figure is an example of a famous Iberian type: the warrior. He stands on a square base, his legs bent slightly at the knee. He has the typical attributes of an Iberian warrior: dressed in a short girded tunic, fastened by a wide belt, in his left hand, he holds a small circular shield with a central boss, in his right, a small dagger pointed downwards. It is probable that this free-standing bronze figure was made to be dedicated as a votive offerings at altars. The earliest examples of this type date from the 7th-6th century B.C.

In antiquity, Iberian warriors were renowned for their cunning and courage, and, as such, were coveted as mercenaries by the Greeks and Carthaginians. It should not be surprising, then, that figure of warrior was a popular one in Iberian art.