Furniture

Round boss of beaten bronze, made in two pieces, used as a furniture attachment, probably a cover for the end of a bolster on a funeral couch. Deep, convex moulded rim with two bands of tongues around a central medalion (separate piece), a snarling lion's head with flame-patterned mane, leaf-shaped ears, open mouth, protruding tongue, archaic stylised teeth, dewlaps, wrinkles. A thin, flat flange surrounds the head for attachment to the rim. Badly cracked and corroded, with black exterior surfaces and green corrosion interior. Traces of partial mending and restoration, probably late 19th century. Said to be from Volterra.