C. 2nd century AD

A Roman bronze brooch in the form of a sea monster called a hippocampus, comprising of the forepart of a horse and the rear of a fish. The body is decorated four dots of red enamel and one blue. The fish tail features a panel of alternating red and blue cells of enamel.

In ancient Greece and in the Roman empire, brooches and fibulae would have been used to fasten garments, like togae or cloaks.

Although pin missing, it is a good example with good detail and a nice amount of enamel still remaining.

Ref: Similar example in the British Museum, Museum number 1927,1212.12.

Provenance: European Collection.

Size: L: 37mm x H: 27mm