Celtic mirror export bar

Culture Minister defers export of Iron Age Celtic mirror

Culture Minister, Barbara Follett, has placed a temporary export bar on a rare Iron Age Celtic mirror. This will provide a last chance to raise the money to keep this historically significant object in the United Kingdom.

The Minister’s ruling follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the mirror is closely connected with our history and national life and that it is of outstanding significance for the study of Celtic art and the Iron Age archaeology of Kent.

The mirror dates to c. 75-50 BC, around a century before the Roman conquest. The elegant copper-alloy mirror is approximately 19 cm high by 13 cm wide, and is made up of a roughly circular plate delicately engraved with Celtic ornament, and a looped handle. The reflective surface would originally have been a shiny gold colour, suggestive of sunlight. It was found in a high-status grave, and may have had a religious, as well as a utilitarian function.

It was discovered by a metal detectorist in a shallow cremation grave at Chilham Castle in Kent in 1993. As the only Iron Age mirror to have been discovered in Kent, it is important for the study of this type of object. Only 17 complete decorated mirrors dating from the Iron Age have been found in Britain. This is one of the earliest, and is especially significant because it comes from a known context which was subsequently investigated by archaeologists using modern excavation techniques.

Dr Catherine Johns, Reviewing Committee member, said: “The mirror is an important example of a rare and quintessentially British type of object. The study of such mirrors adds significantly to our understanding of the sophisticated art and the complex society of Late Iron Age Britain.”

The decision on the export licence application for the mirror will be deferred for a period ending on [XX Month] inclusive. This period may be extended until [XX month] inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the mirror at the recommended price of £35,000 (excluding VAT) is expressed.

Anyone interested in making an offer to purchase the mirror should contact the owner’s agent through:

The Secretary

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council,
Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington
London SW7 5HD
Telephone 020 7273 8270

NOTES TO EDITORS


1. Media enquiries on the operation of and casework arising from the work of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) should be directed to Senior Media Relations Adviser, Sunita Sharma, on 020 7273 8299, email: sunita.sharma@mla.gov.uk

2. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by MLA, which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria. Where the Committee finds that an object meets one or more of the criteria, it will normally recommend that the decision on the export licence application should be deferred for a specified period. An offer may then be made from within the United Kingdom at or above the fair market price.

3.    The mirror is made of copper-alloy and comprises two component parts: a sheet copper-alloy plate engraved with Celtic ornament, and a cast copper-alloy handle. The decoration on the plate is arranged within a lyre-loop design. The pattern is defined by a pair of engraved lines with cross-hatching between them. A border line runs along the edge of the plate which is defined in the same way. The mirror is 188 mm long. The plate measures 126 mm x 136 mm. The handle is 72 mm long, 52 mm wide at the arms, and 29 mm at the loop. The mirror dates to the later Iron Age, 75-25 BC.