Circa 600-400 BC A collection of bronze horse harness attachments owned by a cavalier. The set includes three decorative griffin appliques with an eagle head, gaping beak, bulging eyes with raised eyelines. Very fine condition. These examples are from Siberia, where the people were known as Scythians or Scytho-Siberians who left behind an imaginable number of tombs full of precious metalworks. Although horse warfare is what the Scythians are famous for, their weapons and saddles, lacking hard stirrups, seem better suited to dismounting and melee fighting; the acinaces would have been a primary weapon in that kind of situation. Size: L:Set of 50+; 15-120mm / W:15-50mm ; 910g. Provenance: From the private collection; acquired on the US art market by Doug Benbow in 1967: after war the piece was bought by Earl Bernard from London in 1982. Later was found in private collection of Duif Aalfs, residing in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.