Attache d’anse de seau à tête humaine

Caen (14) - Musée de Normandie

Prestigious head

This bronze element was used to attach the handle to the top of a bucket. The face that adorns it is schematic, except for the hair, which is carefully incised. The head is a recurring motif in Celtic art, especially in II^e and I^first centuries BC-C.: it decorates weapons, ornaments and everyday utensils. Its importance raises questions: are they divinities, of prestigious windows, or even of chiefs? This motif could also refer to the severed heads of enemies, which the Gauls brought back from the battlefield.